Fanfit Olympic fitness challenge aims to connect athletes with hopefuls

Do you have what it takes to train like an Olympic athlete?

The Fanfit Olympic fitness challenge is an event that began three years ago in Halifax by former Olympian Andrew Russell.

The event, a fundraiser for the Canadian Olympic Foundation, is held in hopes of connecting regular people with Canadian Olympians. It will be held for the third time in Halifax on March 26 and in Toronto April 30.

The test

1. Vertical Jump

From a standing position, how high can you jump? The simple test measures explosive power, using a contraption called the Vertec. It sounds simple, but it turns out we all can't fly like Air Jordan.

2. The Beep Test

Run between two lines, 20 metres apart. Sounds easy enough, but you need to arrive at the lines to an audio beep, which keeps speeding up. Not for the faint of heart, this is a challenging test. If you miss two consecutive beeps, you are eliminated.

3. Rowing

A thousand metres at your fastest pace.

4. The 5-10-5 agility test

Start in the middle and run five metres in one direction, touch the line and turn and run 10 metres the other way, touch the line and run back to the middle. The expected time range is between 4.5 to 12 seconds. Perfect for sports like soccer, rugby and football where speed and fast directional turns are constant.

5. Plank

Does anything work your abs more than plank? The test is to hold plank for up to five minutes with perfect form, balancing on your toes and leaning on your forearms. The abs are screaming, but if you lose form your time clock stops after two warnings.

To register for the challenge, visit the Fanfit website.