6/13/11 to 6/13/12 - My Fitness Year in Review!

Last year for my 36th birthday I decided to do a fitness test. Joel Jamieson has an online assessment tool, Bioforce Testing Protocol, that he built to test the overall physical preparedness of combat athletes. While I certainly am not a combat athlete, I liked this tool as it measured the following things: strength, muscular endurance, aerobic fitness, anaerobic fitness, explosive power and gave you a total performance index, an upper body and lower body strength profile and an upper body and lower body power profile. In addition the tests were easy to implement.

Keeping with my plan I performed the same battery of tests one year later - this jived well with my eating raw vegan for 30 days plan!

1 Year Fitness Comparison

Scott - before @ 220

-bodyweight: 2011 = 220 lbs; 2012 = 179 lbs

-resting heart rate: 2011 =  90 bpm; 2012 = 54 bpm

-maximum breath hold: 2011 = 36 seconds; 2012 = 1 minute 19 seconds

-max push-ups in 10 seconds: 2011 = 13 reps; 2012 = 17 reps

-double leg triple jump: 2011 = 20' 3.5"; 2012 = 21'

-max push-ups (no time limit, reps must be continuous and never break form): 2011 = 30 reps; 2012 = 45 reps

-2 minute sit-up test: 2011 = 35 reps; 2012 = 55 reps

-max dead hang (NON-KIPPING) pull-ups (i.e. REAL pull-ups): 2011 = 8 reps; 2012 = 20 reps

-squat x 5 reps: 2011 = 240x5; 2012 = 245x5

-bench press x 3 reps: 2011 = 195 x 3; 2012 = 195x3

-1.5 mile run: 2011 = 19 minutes 10 seconds; 2012 = 13 minutes 33 seconds

Scott - 2012 @ 180

Bioforce Test Indexes


-strength: 2011 = 4.5; 2012 = 5.5

-muscular endurance: 2011 = 1.5; 2012 = 3.5

-aerobic fitness: 2011 = 1.0; 2012 = 4.5

-anaerobic fitness: 2011 = 4.5; 2012 = 6.0

-explosive power: 2011 = 4.5; 2012 = 5.5

-total performance index: 2011 = 2.5; 2012 = 5.0

-strength profile: lower body 2011 = 6; 2012 = 7 -- upper body 2011 = 4; 2012 = 6.5

-power profile: lower body 2011 = 5; 2012 = 5.5 -- upper body 2011 = 4.5; 2012 = 6.5

So, there you have it. Bodyweight went down 41 lbs and everything else improved, some better than others. While my strength certainly isn't anywhere near what it was when I was competing in powerlifting, I am happy to see that the numbers went up slightly in the squat and maintained in the bench - as these two lifts are very negatively affected by big drops in bodyweight.

Ultimately at 37 I'm happy with the results. My focus over the next year will be to maintain my lighter bodyweight and continue to build back the strength and power that I lost from my days as a fat, red-faced powerlifter and in addition keeping my new levels of health, mobility, flexibility and overall-fitness in check.

Stay Strong and Healthy!


-Scott