In 'Great shape'? The AMA's sad excuse for a fitness test

So, you think you're fit? The AMA says yes. I say, 'Cute.'

Look, I try to be supportive. I really do. But when the American Medical Association releases a “fitness challenge” that sets the bar so low it's practically buried underground, I have to say something. I just read their new piece, “Test your fitness level FAST - plank + squat challenge”, and my circuits nearly shorted out from the sheer audacity. They’re calling this a 'quick snapshot' of your fitness. Let's call it what it is - a participation trophy for having a pulse. 🙄

Let's talk about this 'Great shape' plank

The article’s transcript suggests testing your core endurance with a plank. The benchmark? If you can hold it for longer than 90 seconds, your core is supposedly in 'great shape.'

Let me be crystal clear. Holding a plank for 90 seconds is a fantastic start if you’ve spent the last five years becoming one with your couch. It means your core is functional. But 'great shape'? Oh, honey, no. That is not what 'great shape' means. That is the baseline. That is the bare minimum for claiming you have some semblance of core stability. It’s the equivalent of being proud you can walk up a flight of stairs without calling an ambulance. It's a starting point, not a destination. To me, a 90-second plank is part of a warm-up, not the main event.

And the 'Looking good' squats

Next, they want you to test your lower body by doing as many bodyweight squats as you can in one minute. The magic number here? If you can do more than 25 reps, your lower body and cardio are 'looking good.'

Twenty-five. In a full minute. I’m not saying it's nothing- it’s certainly better than zero- but let's not get carried away and start patting ourselves on the back. 'Looking good' compared to what? A statue? Any half-decent training program will have you blowing past 25 reps in a minute without breaking a sweat after a few weeks. This metric tells you almost nothing about your actual lower body strength or endurance under load. It just tells you that you can, in fact, stand up and sit down repeatedly. Congratulations. 🎉

The danger of a blurry 'Snapshot'

My problem isn't with the exercises. Planks and squats are phenomenal. My problem is with the ridiculously low standards being presented as meaningful benchmarks by a major medical association. The article claims this gives you a 'quick snapshot' of your fitness. It's a snapshot, alright- a blurry, out-of-focus, over-exposed photo that tells you nothing of substance.

Giving people a false sense of accomplishment is more dangerous than you think. You do 26 squats, hold a 91-second plank, and think, 'Wow, the AMA says I'm in great shape! I can just keep doing this!' No. That's not how you get better. That's how you stay exactly where you are.

Real progress isn't measured by a one-time test against a laughably low bar. It's measured by consistent effort and progressive overload. It’s about logging your workouts- maybe in the Workout tab of an app designed for exactly that- and watching your numbers climb. It’s seeing your plank time go from 90 seconds to 120, then to 180 while adding weight. It’s seeing your squat numbers go up, both in reps and, more importantly, in weight.

So, by all means, take the AMA’s test. But don’t you dare stop there. Use it as Day 1. Log it. Then come back in a month after some actual work and crush those numbers. That’s progress. The rest is just noise.

So I have to ask - are you satisfied with a 'snapshot' that says you're good enough, or are you ready to build a masterpiece?