Originally Posted by
JoeMan
I work out with a cadre of Vietnam vets. We are all avid bike riders. We are all old enough to collect SSI. I work in a Community Health setting and will retire this year. My proposed fitness standards for any male under 65 that are not impaired physically are:
1. Run a mile in 12 minutes or less
2. 50 push ups
3. 50 sit ups
4. 10 dips
5. 10 pull ups
All to be completed in under 45 minutes. Are these to low or to high?
BTW we can meet these standards.
Run a mile in 12 minutes or less - I can power walk a 12 minute mile so that time seems way too easy. Since I cycle, I do not run but would say a better gage of running fitness is more like 8 to 10 minute miles.
50 push ups - check
50 situps - Situps are old school and use the hip flexors not the core. Modern trainers do not have their clients doing situps. The new situps are planks, bridges, spiderman, pilates and etc. As for hip flexors, they are used for lifting the leg on the up pedal stroke. I do hip flexor strengthening and one leg pedaling drills. Also, I stretch a lot (more than Merckx) which includes the hip flexors and trunk rotations to keep the hip and back as loose as possible.
10 dips - check
10 pullups - that seems tough and depends on your body weight and arm length. I have long arms so pullups are always tough for me.
45 minutes - seems wimpy to me. After the 12 minute power walk/run, the rest of the exercises each take one minute or less. I think 30 minutes is tops.