Tracking Progression: Measure and Adjust Your Fitness Training

Tracking progress in fitness isn’t just about the scale. It’s about strength, stamina, mindset, and habits. Tracking helps you see wins you might miss, and keeps you moving forward with purpose.

Putting Your Goal/Tracking Sheet to Good Use.

Before using your goal/tracking sheet effectively, it will be much easier if you’re familiar with a few things.

Beats Per Minute (BPM)
Training intensities
Training zones
Reps, Sets, Cycles/Blocks, Rest or Active recovery
The 5 stage system

Understanding these five points will help you make sense of the connections when using your tracking sheet to track your fitness progress.

Monthly Fitness Tests

Muscular Endurance Tests

Plank Test (until failure)

Forearm Plank test

Stage	Time
1	15-30 seconds
2	30-60 seconds
3	1-2 minutes
4	2-4 minutes
5	4-6 minutes

Wall-Sit Test (until failure)

Wall-Sit Test

Wall Sit Test (Isometric Leg Strength & Endurance)

What it measures:

Quadriceps endurance and lower-body muscular strength.

How to perform:

Stand with your back flat against a wall.
Slide down until your knees are at a 90° angle, thighs parallel to the ground.
Keep feet flat, shoulder-width apart, and arms off your thighs.
Hold the position as long as possible without breaking form.

End test if:

Knees or hips rise or fall out of alignment, or you shift weight.

Gender	Stage 1	Stage 2	Stage 3	Stage 4	Stage 5
Male	<25s	25–50s	50–75s	75–100s	>100s
Female	<20s	20–35s	35–45s	45–60s	>60s

Push-Up Test (until failure)

Age	Gender	Stage 1	Stage 2	Stage 3	Stage 4	Stage 5
< 29	Male	< 17	17 – 21	22 – 28	29 – 35	> 36
< 29	Female	< 10	10 – 14	15 – 20	21 – 29	> 30
30 – 39	Male	< 12	12 – 16	17 – 21	22 – 29	> 30
30 – 39	Female	< 8	8 – 12	13 – 19	20 – 26	> 27
40 – 49	Male	< 10	10 – 12	13 – 16	17 – 24	> 25
40 – 49	Female	< 5	5 – 10	11 – 14	15 – 23	> 24
50 – 59	Male	< 7	7 – 9	10 – 12	13 – 20	> 21
50 – 59	Female	< 2	2 – 6	7 – 10	11 – 20	> 21
60 – 69	Male	< 5	5 – 7	8 – 10	11 – 17	> 18
60 – 69	Female	< 2	2 – 4	5 – 11	12 – 16	> 17

(source: CSEP in ACSM)

60 Second Sit-up Test

Norms 60 second sit up test (ACSM)

Age	Gender	Stage 1	Stage 2	Stage 3	Stage 4	Stage 5
< 29	Male	< 28	28–36	36–41	42–47	> 47
< 29	Female	< 23	23–27	27–33	33–38	> 38
30–39	Male	< 24	24–30	30–35	35–39	> 39
30–39	Female	< 15	15–20	20–25	25–29	> 29
40–49	Male	< 18	18–24	24–29	29–34	> 34
40–49	Female	< 10	10–15	15–20	20–24	> 24
50–59	Male	< 13	13–19	19–24	24–29	> 29
50–59	Female	< 6	6–10	10–15	15–20	> 20
60–69	Male	< 8	8–15	15–18	18–23	> 23
60–69	Female	< 1	1–3	3–7	7–11	> 11

Cardio Tests

1-minute Jump Rope Test

Stage	Skips per minute
1	< 71
2	72 – 135
3	136 – 159
4	160 – 199
5	> 200

This skipping test is part of the Get Rid Regime fitness assessment and was developed specifically for our program. It isn’t an official standard you’ll find in textbooks or research papers, but rather a practical benchmark we’ve tested and refined to help beginners track their progress in a simple, consistent way.

Rockport 1-mile walk

This test measures how fast you can walk one mile and how well your heart recovers after exercise. The faster you walk and the lower your heart rate at the end, the better your fitness level.

The goal of this test is to measure something called VO₂ max, which reflects how efficiently your body uses oxygen during exercise. In our case, this information will help assess your fitness level and track your progress toward eventually running a 12-minute Cooper Test. The 12 Minute Cooper Run is a top-tier fitness test for endurance, but if you’re not ready for running yet, the Rockport Walk Test is the ideal starting point.

This test helps you:

Measure your current fitness level in a low-impact way.
Track your progress over time as you get stronger.
Build endurance step by step before moving on to running.
Avoid injury by progressing at the right pace.

How to Do the One-Mile Rockport Walking Test

Find a Place to Walk: Use a flat, measured one-mile route—a track, treadmill, or marked path.
Warm Up: Walk at an easy pace for 5-10 minutes before starting.
Walk as Fast as You Can: Walk one mile (1.6km) as quickly as possible while keeping a steady pace. Do not run or jog.
Check Your Heart Rate: As soon as you finish, measure your heart rate (use a smartwatch, heart rate monitor, or count beats for 15 seconds and multiply by 4).

Record Your Time and Heart Rate: Write down how long it took to complete the mile and your heart rate at the finish.

Compare Your Results: The faster your time and the lower your heart rate, the better your fitness.

Repeat this test every 4 weeks to track improvements.

When Should You Move to the 12-Minute Cooper Run?

Your ultimate goal is to progress from the Rockport Walk Test to a 12-minute Cooper Run.

Here’s when to level up from walking to running:

You can walk a mile in under 13 minutes
Your heart rate is below 120 beats per minute after finishing the test.
The test feels too easy, and you want more of a challenge.
You’ve been training consistently and are ready to add running.

Once you reach this point, you can start slowly introducing running intervals and gradually work your way up to running the full Cooper Test.

Rockport Walking Test Fitness Score Chart

Use this chart to compare your results and see where your fitness level stands.

Men’s Fitness Ratings

Age	Excellent (VO₂ Max 50+)	Good (VO₂ Max 40-49)	Average (VO₂ Max 30-39)	Below Average (VO₂ Max <30)
20-29	Under 12:00 min	12:01 – 14:00 min	14:01 – 16:00 min	Over 16:00 min
30-39	Under 12:30 min	12:31 – 14:30 min	14:31 – 16:30 min	Over 16:30 min
40-49	Under 13:00 min	13:01 – 15:00 min	15:01 – 17:00 min	Over 17:00 min
50+	Under 14:00 min	14:01 – 16:00 min	16:01 – 18:00 min	Over 18:00 min

Women’s Fitness Ratings

Age	Excellent (VO₂ Max 50+)	Good (VO₂ Max 40-49)	Average (VO₂ Max 30-39)	Below Average (VO₂ Max <30)
20-29	Under 13:00 min	13:01 – 15:00 min	15:01 – 17:00 min	Over 17:00 min
30-39	Under 13:30 min	13:31 – 15:30 min	15:31 – 17:30 min	Over 17:30 min
40-49	Under 14:00 min	14:01 – 16:00 min	16:01 – 18:00 min	Over 18:00 min
50+	Under 15:00 min	15:01 – 17:00 min	17:01 – 19:00 min	Over 19:00 min

How to Use This Chart:

Find your age group.
Check your mile time.
See where your fitness level ranks.
If you’re in the “Below Average” category, focus on improving your time before moving to the Cooper Run.
If you’re in the “Good” or “Excellent” category, consider progressing to jogging and eventually the Cooper 12-Minute Test.

If you stay consistent, progression is guaranteed.

12 Minute Cooper Run

The 12-Minute Cooper Run is one of the most well-known fitness tests for measuring endurance and cardiovascular capacity. It’s a simple but highly effective way to see how well your body uses oxygen and how far you can push your stamina.

The goal of this test is to run as far as possible in 12 minutes.
Your results can be found on the fitness chart below to determine your endurance level.

How to Do the 12-Minute Cooper Run

There are two ways to complete the Cooper Run: off-road (treadmill) and on-road (anywhere outdoors).

Off-road Cooper Run

1. Warm Up: The 5,5,5 method

Set your treadmill speed to 5 km/h and the incline to 5%, then walk for 5 minutes.

Beginning your Run

When the timer on your treadmill approaches the 5-minute mark, set the incline to 0% and your speed to something manageable.
By the end of the five-minute warm up, the distance you would have covered would be 0.4km. This will be subtracted from your score once the entire run has been completed.

3. Finish and Record Your Distance:

Once the treadmill timer displays 17 minutes, this will indicate a five-minute warm-up plus a 12-minute run.
Stop the machine at 17 minutes and make note of the distance.
Subtract 0.4km (the distance of your warm up) from your run total.

Tip: walk for an additional 3 minutes to reduce dizziness.

On-road Cooper Run

Find a Running Track or Measured Course:

Any running track is best as it is flat and without the usual outdoor distractions.
If you are without a tool to track your distance, running on a 400m track would be best.

2. Warm Up:

Jog lightly for 5-10 minutes, followed by dynamic stretches to loosen up.

3. Start the 12 minute Timer and Begin Running:

Run at a pace you can maintain for the full 12 minutes—don’t sprint too fast at the start.

4. Finish and Record Your Distance:

Use the Cooper Test Chart below to see where you rank.
As soon as 12 minutes are up, stop and note how far you ran.

Cooper Run Fitness Score Chart

Compare your results to this chart to see how your fitness ranks.

Age	Gender	Stage 1	Stage 2	Stage 3	Stage 4	Stage 5
13-14	Male	2100m-	2100-2199m	2200-2399m	2400-2700m	2700m+
13-14	Female	1500m-	1500-1599m	1600-1899m	1900-2000m	2000m+
15-16	Male	2200m-	2200-2299m	2300-2499m	2500-2800m	2800m+
15-16	Female	1600m-	1600-1699m	1700-1999m	2000-2100m	2100m+
17-20	Male	2300m-	2300-2499m	2500-2699m	2700-3000m	3000m+
17-20	Female	1700m-	1700-1799m	1800-2099m	2100-2300m	2300m+
20-29	Male	1600m-	1600-2199m	2200-2399m	2400-2800m	2800m+
20-29	Female	1500m-	1500-1799m	1800-2199m	2200-2700m	2700m+
30-39	Male	1500m-	1500-1899m	1900-2299m	2300-2700m	2700m+
30-39	Female	1400m-	1400-1699m	1700-1999m	2000-2500m	2500m+
40-49	Male	1400m-	1400-1699m	1700-2099m	2100-2500m	2500m+
40-49	Female	1200m-	1200-1499m	1500-1899m	1900-2300m	2300m+
50	Male	1300m-	1300-1599m	1600-1999m	2000-2400m	2400m+
50	Female	1100m-	1100-1399m	1400-1699m	1700-2200m	2200m+

fitness assessment guidelines

cardio and strength test results pdf

Track Your Progress With Fitness Tech

Using wearable tech like an Apple Watch, Fitbit, Garmin, or boxing punch tracker can give you a clearer picture of your fitness progress and recovery. These devices can monitor your heart rate, track calories burned, measure workout intensity, and even count your punches. Over time, you can use this data to see trends, adjust your workouts, and keep yourself accountable. For boxing, tech can help you track punch output, speed, and force — making your training more measurable. Outside the ring, tracking your sleep, steps, and daily activity ensures you’re progressing even when you’re not working out. Remember, gadgets are tools, not magic solutions — they work best when you use them consistently and combine them with solid training, nutrition, and recovery habits.

Heart Rate Data

Resting Heart Rate (RHR) – Lowering over time often means improved fitness.
Active Heart Rate Zones – Track how long you spend in fat-burning, aerobic, and anaerobic zones.
Heart Rate Recovery – How quickly your heart rate drops after exercise (faster = better conditioning).

Calories Burned

Total calories burned per workout
Average calories burned per week
Compare calorie burn between different workout types (boxing vs skipping vs strength training)

Workout Duration & Intensity

Total time spent training
Intensity level (light, moderate, vigorous) based on heart rate data
Effort consistency across rounds or intervals

Movement & Conditioning

Steps per day (general activity level)
Distance covered (if running, skipping, or footwork drills)
Pace for cardio workouts

Recovery & Wellness

Sleep duration and quality
Stress tracking (if supported)
VO₂ Max (aerobic capacity measurement)

Boxing-Specific Metrics (if using punch trackers)

Punch count per round/session
Punch speed
Punch force (if supported)
Punch type breakdown (jabs vs power shots)

Other Ways to Measure Cardio & Conditioning Performance

Time to complete a set workout (e.g., skipping 3 rounds)
Number of rounds completed without stopping
Distance covered in a set time (running, cycling, rowing)

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