What's considered fit (healthy)?
 

I am trying to figure out if I am fit or not. Is there some sort of standards to this, eg. someone is consider fit if they can do a 5km run in one hour.

I've been going to the gym lately, and I figure that while I want to build more muscles, having a strong and healthy heart is also important.

I'm 5'10, 130 lbs, and takes me 55 min to do the Grouse Grind, and took me 56 min to do the Sun Run.

Any feedback would be great.

there are many ways to describe healthy

Well, you're very light for your height suggesting either low body fat and lean or, sort of "skinny fat". Either way you don't have much muscle mass. With regards to distance running, you don't have very good stamina. Far from horrible, but considering your light body weight, quite poor.

If i were you, i'd forget about distance running and focus on beginning a strength training program to pack on some dense muscle. Also take up a sport that requires a combination of speed, strength and endurance (most sports). Also, make sure you are eating healthy. Exercise, diet and general lifestyle has a huge effect on your health.

im exactly the same as OP in terms of height and the grouse grind time however im 160 so is that bad?

5'10" and 130 is pretty thin, im 5'11" and up until this month i rolled around at 145 or so. i really wasnt happy being that thin, i dont imagine you are either.

find a gym buddy and a good gym, start eating like fucking crazy (ive been doing about 2700-3200 calories a day and 170 or so grams of protein) and you will absolutely love the results. im working on week 8 right now, ive already gained 15lbs! and im sure most of that is simply my diet wasnt anywhere near what it could be.


doooo iiiitttt, come thank us all later

You guys are absolutely right, it sucks being that thin, and unfortunately I'm born with it, so I'm trying to hit the gym as often as possible.

To WakeMeUp:
What would be consider fit for my body type? Say if I was doing the Sun Run 10k run, what's the time I should be able to do it in? I would like to build more muscle, but I find I'm lacking stamina as well.

And actually I do play sports, basketball specifically. Right now, I can bench 120lbs (not a lot compare to most), so I don't know if that's good or not.

look up the fitness requirements for the navy SEAL's or army rangers. thats a good starting point for fitness. i also think you should be able to bench press, shoulder press, chin up, wide pullup, row, squat and deadlift your bodyweight for at least 10 full reps and run 5 miles steady. you could also get into BMI and body fat % and proper diet and all that.

Dear Op,

Everybody's body is different so the term "fit" is a very general term. It depends on your age, body type and most importantly YOU. If you find that you can go through everyday life without problems then your probably fit. If you get your share of exercise and have an active lifestyle then my guess is that you would be considered fit.

i'm 5'3" , 160lbs.

guess im unhealthy :P

bro you gotta eat more then that.. im 5'10 165 pounds and im eating 3800 cals a day and even thats not putting on much weight

^ you are correct, my diet is for sure still a work in progress

im wrong.. i forgot you weigh less so that makes sense that you eat less, but ya ive been eating the same shit EVERYDAY for the last month, month half lol

uh... he has put on 15 lbs in 8 weeks.. I'd say he is eating just enough.
Just cuz you need to eat more doesnt mean he does too. Everyones calorie requirements to grow are different.

He is weighing in at 160.. You are weighing in at 165... That isnt enough difference to be calling him out for not eating enough.

Ask yourself how your training was? If you didn't train at all for the run then that's not a bad time. If you were preparing for it for months, then that's pretty shitty considering you're light. There are many variables.

Having an ectomorphic body type helps but doesn't mean you'll be good. Some have a genetic pre-disposition to distance running regardless of body type. Lung capacity, movement efficiency, athleticism play big roles.

That's why it's so hard to say if you're "fit" or not. Seriously, from reading what you've written you seem alright. If you didn't train much for that 10k, the time is fine. If you trained seriously for it, i'd guess you'd wanna shoot for the mid 40's.

Basketball is a good sport to play, as it's very dynamic with aerobic endurance and explosion. For your weight, 120lb bench 1rm is alright.

My guess is you're in decent shape, so don't worry about it. Decide what you want to improve on and go from there.

I'm nearly 6'3 and weigh about 145 lbs max. Still a teen and eating nearly 5 meals a day. Can't gain any weight from my diet but I've gained quite a bit of muscle mass over the past year or so. Not happy at all being this thin.

WakeMeUp:
Thanks for the tips!
In the end, I actually just want to play longer, and be able to run longer for any activity. It seems that I run out of breath rather quickly, and my breathing becomes very rapid. Of course, "quickly" can also be very subjective, and I've never recorded how long I can play a basketball game.

If I want to aim for 45min for the Sun Run, how can I train for it? Do I just run everyday to practice?

10km run in under an hour
grouse grind in under an hour
bench your own weight x 10
squat your own weight x 10
chinup your own weight x 10 (wide & regular grip)

under 18% body fat (male)


AT ANY AGE. then you are fit

haha me too!

dont worry so much about your body when you're a teen. your body is still busy doing other things. i was still super small when i was even into my early 20s. it wasnt untill i was about 23 that i started to actually 'fill out' and not look like a kid anymore.

define fit? Seriously. Fit doesn't always require you to be muscular in any way. Don't be coyed by the douchebags that convince you that the only form of being fit is by being of Spartan physique.

I hope your right. I mean genetics play a huge role in this, my dad was even skinnier than me when he was my age and he ended up "filling out" eventually. It's just I hate being so skinny and not being able to gain weight from actual food, despite what I eat and how much I eat. I mean, for sure I'll miss it eventually when my metabolism starts slowing down though.

Lots of running. You'd do well to research training methods elsewhere, but suffice to say that guys training for 10k races run many times that per week. I stopped distance running after high school so i haven't kept up with training regimes and have forgot a lot. Do some searching online or join a running club and you'll find some answers.

wow only 130? and 5'10, I'm 5'5 160 but I don't look fat at all. People don't believe that I'm 160 so I dont know where that weight is coming from.