From Data to Adventure: Smash the Fitness Forecaster and you can a smash mountain bike trails!

In the 19 years I have been with iNform, I can say with strong conviction that our Fitness Forecaster is the best service we have ever created. I have had nothing to do with the research and development of this service- a number of my current and former colleagues deserve the praise for that. But I am a fan and strongly advocate that anyone reading this article, whether an iNform client or not, should prioritize booking this assessment.
Here’s why.

The Fitness Forecaster uses valid and reliable tests to measure your aerobic fitness, strength, power, balance, and reaction time, stratifying your results relative to your age peers. This is important, as increasingly these fitness traits are gaining predictive power through research regarding your future health outlook. But that’s not why I love it. I think I can articulate my passion for this service through a case study of a long-time client of mine, Keith (the guy in the photo).
Keith is 74 years old. He recently returned from a multi-day mountain biking trip through Derby and the surrounding areas in Tasmania, one of the most popular (and awesome) mountain bike destinations on Earth.
While there, 74-year-old Keith produced the fastest recorded e-bike completion of a trail called ‘The Blue Tier’ on Strava (22km of single track
mountain bike heaven).

Keith also recently undertook a Fitness Forecaster. His results are as
follows:

Aerobic Fitness:
97th %ile

Grip Strength:
98th %ile

Leg Strength:
98th %ile

Lower Body Power:
95th %ile

Balance:
97th %ile

Reaction Time:
77th %ile

When his scores are collated, Keith’s fitness is comparable to that of an average guy about half his age.

Keith’s incredible mountain bike performance in Tasmania was possible because he has the fitness to do it. Mountain biking (even e-mountain biking, haha!) requires a high level of aerobic output. Your grip strength will
determine your ability to brake, change gears, and steer without fatiguing your hands. It takes leg strength and power to pedal up steep, winding switchbacks. You need balance to safely guide your bike on slow, rocky sections of track. And you need sharp reflexes to weave between trees through gaps barely wide enough to fit the width of your handlebars while traveling at high speeds. Mountain biking is a hobby that requires a high level of fitness in multiple categories before participation is even possible. It is also an amazing training ground for challenging and improving these traits.

Keith took this trip with a few of his mates who he rides with regularly. I’d love to get all of them in for a Fitness Forecaster as I reckon they’d all score pretty well on these tests too. But I also know that Keith has plenty of
mates who didn’t get an invite, simply because they lack the physical capacity to ride a mountain bike in Tasmania. Your body is the vehicle you have to go out and experience the world.

Your health and physical fitness are key determinants of the range of experiences available to you. Increasing your physical fitness opens up new worlds of possibility for you to explore. This is why, after nearly two decades in this field, my passion for what we do burns more strongly than ever. Our Fitness Forecaster helps us prioritize your areas of need to help expand your world. Everything we test, we can train and improve. Keith started training with me nearly ten years ago. He is far fitter and stronger now than the younger version of himself. Ironically, the younger version of Keith may not have had the fitness to enjoy the trip he just took.

I encourage you to book in for a Fitness Forecaster.