Home Fitness Tests
Flexibility
Flexibility is important for reducing injuries and having the range of motion to perform activities freely. The sit and reach test is commonly used to measure the flexibility of your hamstrings and lower back. This test has long been used as a general test to represent a person’s flexibility, though actual flexibility may differ around the body.
This is one of the 10 tests included in the Home Fitness Test Manual. See the list of other Fitness Tests you can do at home.
Equipment Needed (see more about equipment)
- Step or low box – for placing the feet up against
- Cloth Tape or Ruler – for measuring distance reached.
Sit and Reach Test
Remove your shoes and sit on a flat surface, legs extended in front of the body, toes pointing up and feet slightly apart, with the soles of the feet against the base of the step (if there is no step, just any flat surface will do).
Place the ruler on the ground between your legs or on the top of the step. Place one hand on top of the other with the fingertips together, then reach slowly forward, keeping your legs straight. At the point of your greatest reach, hold for a couple of seconds, and measure how far you have reached.
If you have trouble straightening your legs, get a friend to help by holding the knees down flush with the ground.
Perform the test three times and record the best score.
Results
Take a measure in cm or inches of how far beyond the base of your foot you reached, or if you did not reach your toes, measure how far before the feet you were (a negative measurement score).
Flexibility is specific to the joints and muscles of the body. You can increase you flexibility by doing regular stretching exercises.
