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Can someone tell me what “a good level of fitness” is?

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  • September 20, 2011 at 9:55 am #14256
    pepita1

    :/ “A good level of fitness” is listed as necessary to complete certain sportive events. Just wondering what it actually equates to…Certain heart rate capabilities? Ability to sit on a saddle and pedal for several hours? Ability to sustain 90-100rpm cadence over given distance? Sustain certain speed? How can it be measured if one doesn’t undertake the event? No doubt there’s an simple answer out there…

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  • September 21, 2011 at 3:30 pm #655013
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    pepita1

    Thank you both for your
    Thank you both for your comments. I’ll probably try Scott’s suggestion using the turbo trainer.

    September 21, 2011 at 1:41 pm #655011
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    Peter Scott

    I suspect that the phrase “a
    I suspect that the phrase “a good level of fitness” is used to get event organisers out of a hole if things go wrong. Trouble is there are no simple and quick assessments that are at all reliable. Fat people might be very fit. Thin people might be on death’s door. There’s a rough and ready fitness index that gives a fairly objective numeric result and has proved consistent when I’ve used it over time.

    Have a stopwatch, paper and pencil ready. Finish your vigorous exercise. Immediately lie down flat and start the watch. After one minute count your pulse for 30 seconds. Write it down without moving much. Do it again after another two minutes, then again after another four. Add up the three numbers. Divide 15000 by the answer. More than 110, excellent; 95 Very good; 88 good; 81 average; 75 fair; 71 poor; less ‘make a will’. This wouldn’t be practicable to test people on an event, but might be worth suggesting to them if they are unsure.

    September 20, 2011 at 1:21 pm #655009
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    KirinChris

    Not being a fat wobbly
    Not being a fat wobbly wheezing lardarse… at a guess.

    😉

    There are so many variables – distance, profile etc. I think if you were to try to find a definition it would probably focus on:

    1. Having regular weekly exercise (there are Health Dept guidelines about daily physical activity), possibly including cycle-specific exercise at least in the run-up to an event and
    2. Not being morbidly obese, in the clinical sense.

    I assume it’s there just to cover them legally and morally in case someone who has spent 25 sedentary years smoking, drinking and eating crisps suddenly decides to ride London to Brighton and ends up shuffling off their mortal coil.

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