Who is an Athlete? An athlete is not simply someone who runs fast, jumps high, or lifts heavy. An athlete is a person who dares to push their limits-someone who willingly steps into discomfort in pursuit of a version of themselves that ordinary effort could never create. For some people, this capacity seems to come naturally. For others, it must be discovered, shaped, nurtured, and guided. But regardless of how it begins, athletic potential lies quietly in many hearts, waiting for the right moment-and the right mentor-to awaken it.

When Global Fast Fit was introduced in Kenya, no one could have predicted the magnitude of the impact it would have, especially on children. And among the very first symbols of this impact was a little girl many people barely knew: Anita.

At just four years old, Anita was introduced to the GFF routine by her uncle, Kairu, who saw something extraordinary in her. While most children were still learning coordination, she was mastering movements, counting reps, and showing discipline that surprised even adults. At five years old, she did what many grown athletes struggle to achieve-she completed a verified GFF standard routine. She didn’t just complete it; she excelled, outperforming numerous adults who had been training longer than she had. It’s easy to forget she was barely out of preschool. Today, at six, newly graduated to grade one, her journey is only beginning. She carries the pride of being the GFF Mascot, but beyond that, she carries the promise of a bright, limitless future.

But Anita is not the only star rising quietly;

In the same school, in the same grade, in the same age group, there was another child whose talent was hidden in plain sight-Ethan. He was soft-spoken, almost unnoticed, until one day during a GFF-sponsored music class, a teacher handed him a flute. What happened next shocked everyone. The notes flowed not like something he was learning, but like something he had always known. No one expected him to master it so quickly, let alone stand on a national stage and win the National Music Festivals in his category. Yet he did-proof that talent does not ask for permission before revealing itself.

These two incredible children—one in athletics, one in music—carry a deeper message.

Talent is Everywhere. Opportunity is Not.

Kenya is full of gifted children in classrooms, playgrounds, churches, and remote villages. Some can run. Some can draw. Some can lead. Some can build. Some can think with remarkable sharpness. But the world may never know their names if no one takes the time to look closely.

What Anita and Ethan show us is simple yet powerful:

Talent needs a witness.
Potential needs a mentor.
A dream needs someone who believes in it before it is fully visible.

If Kairu had not believed in Anita at four years old, we might never have seen her shine. If the GFF-sponsored music classes had not existed, Ethan might never have touched a flute. These moments—small, ordinary, easily forgettable—are the sparks that ignite greatness.

There are many more “Anitas” and “Ethans” among us. Children waiting to be noticed. Talents waiting to be guided. Futures waiting to be shaped.

The question is: Are we paying attention?
Are we creating opportunities?
Are we mentoring deliberately?

Because every athlete starts as a child with curiosity. Every champion begins as someone who just needed a chance. And every great story begins with someone who believed early enough.

The future of Kenyan athletics, music, art, innovation, and leadership is already among us-walking to school, playing in the dust, humming in class, skipping rope in the yard. All they need is someone to spot the spark and gently fan it into a flame.

Talent is not rare. Mentorship is.
And that’s where the difference is made.

There is always a day that is straight from the pits of hell. Nothing seems to work, anything that can go wrong, does go wrong. You find yourself in a funky mood.

This affects your productivity because your brain activates your emotional alarm system and switches off the part of your brain that handles planning, focus and decision making. This way, you start to self protect and react instead of thinking clearly.

Cortisol and adrenaline rise when you are in emotional distress. They make you anxious and jittery. These are great for running away or fighting but not good for concentration. Your working memory fills up with emotional clutter, replaying thoughts of regrets and worries, leaving less space for tasks or creativity. In this state, even small tasks feel difficult because your brain is using energy to try and calm you down. You are tense, you feel low, your attention splinters, you second guess yourself, you rush or procrastinate tasks. All this affects your productivity. 

This is a fast track to composure on demand.

1. Feel your feelings.

There are no right or wrong emotions. People who accept their negative emotions without judgment experience lower levels of anxiety and depression over time. This is because acceptance interrupts the cycle of suppression → rebound → intensified emotion. Instead of wasting energy fighting feelings, the body calms down faster. When you hide anger or sadness, the threat detector in your brain stays activated — the body thinks danger is ongoing. Accept any emotion and sit in it for just a moment.

2. Verbalize the emotion

Give a name to what you are feeling and what you want to feel. Give multiple names to what you are feeling. Simply naming a feeling (“I feel angry,” “I feel sad”) reduces activity in the emotional centers in your brain and increases activity in the brain’s calm, logical control center. Go further and verbalize what you want to feel. This process is called affect labelling. You calm the emotional brain by turning sensations into language.

3. Meditate 

 Breathe, ground, and center yourself. Meditation can range from a few minutes to hours. This is a 5 minute reset guide that you can use on the go. 

Step 1: Physical release 

• Stand up.

• Inhale deeply through your nose for 4 seconds, exhale forcefully through your mouth.

• Roll your shoulders back and down, stretch your arms wide, shake out your hands.

• If you can, do 20 jumping jacks, jog in place, or just swing your arms and legs loose.

Step 2: Ground and reset 

• Sit down and place your bare feet flat on the ground or floor.

• Inhale slowly for 4, hold for 2, exhale for 6.

• Name 5 things you can see, 4 you can touch, 3 you can hear, 2 you can smell, 1 you can taste.
  This brings you back to the present moment and helps your nervous system settle.

4. Act 

Take one calm, deliberate action. This will refocus your mind.

 “What is one thing I can do right now that would make the rest of my day/night feel easier?”

Pick just one—maybe replying to one message, finishing a small task, or starting a playlist and tidying your workspace. Once you start, momentum will build.

5. Gratitude: A natural antidepressant.

 End with appreciation for what’s steady and good. Gratitude rewires the brain to notice the abundance instead of lack. Just like love, gratitude is a practice.

 Gratitude as a practice is one of the most studied emotional habits in psychology, neuroscience, and even physiology. Gratitude activates the part of the brain involved in processing reward, empathy, and emotional regulation. Regular practice trains the brain to scan for positives instead of threats. Gratitude activates the same brain regions as pleasure, trust, and reward. This triggers dopamine and serotonin release, the same neurotransmitters targeted by antidepressants.

 Over time, a gratitude habit creates new neural pathways that make it easier to feel content and balanced. In all seasons, gratitude acts as a mental anchor. It doesn’t deny hardship — it adds balance by reminding the mind of what’s still working, still present and still beautiful.

The practice of gratitude.

1. Grab a piece of paper.
   Any page will do — a notebook, journal, or even a loose sheet. Keep it simple and accessible.

2. Write down 8 things you’re grateful for.

Don’t overthink it.
Include anything that brings you comfort, joy, or relief — big or small. It could be; your mother’s love, a delicious cup of tea, a peaceful moment alone, or even a really good bowel movement!
Gratitude is about presence, not perfection.

3. For each item, add a short explanation.
   Just a line or two about why you’re grateful for it.
    

4. End each line with the phrase:
   “I am very grateful for…”
   
   

5. Read your list out loud when you’re done.
   Feel the warmth, calm, and appreciation settle in.
    

6. Keep your gratitude notes private.
   This is your secret practice, just for you.
   Never let anyone read your notes — not because they’re shameful, but when you know someone might see them, you risk becoming performative, writing what sounds good instead of what feels true. Honesty is what gives this practice its healing power.
   Keep your notes safe. Fold them away. Hide or even burn them later if you wish.
   What matters most is that they are real, not polished.

Examples;

“I am grateful for the warm shower that I had today. I have always loved taking baths. I am grateful that I have a hot shower and plenty of water.”

“I am grateful for my home. A lot is going on in the country right now and so many people have lost their homes and a lot more to floods. I have my home intact. I am very grateful for this.”

“I am very grateful that my son’s eczema is contained. It was a source of anxiety for me but now he is well. I am very grateful for this.”

“I am so grateful for my life now. I am just starting to live for myself and I am loving it. I am stepping into the spotlight as the main character of my life and it feels like a breath of fresh air, unlike this paper which smells like cat pee.”

No day is too messy, no emotion too strong. With feeling, naming, grounding, acting, and gratitude, you have the tools to reset your mind, calm your body, and reclaim your focus — anytime, anywhere.

(Dedicated to the little warriors whose cry called us to ululate once more.)

We recently gathered in a friend’s house for one of those beautiful men’s moments — laughter, stories, and that quiet pride that fills the air when one of us becomes a father.

There was music, warmth, and, of course, muratina — that sacred nectar that turns ordinary talk into the kind of wisdom that only makes sense when the gourd has gone halfway down.

And somewhere between the laughter and the sip, it struck me — how beautiful the original gender reveal used to be.

Before the Balloons and the Powder

Today, gender reveals are an explosion of pink and blue. Cakes hide secrets, balloons burst into confetti, and someone always catches it all on camera. It’s fun, dramatic, even spectacular.

But before the colors, before the cameras and countdowns, our people had their own way.

They didn’t use balloons — they used breath.
They didn’t need fireworks — they had voices.
When a child was born, the community didn’t wait for a post — they listened.

If you heard four ululations, a girl had arrived.
If you heard five, a boy had been born.

But those ululations — ngemi — were not just about gender.
They were blessings sung through rhythm, virtues spoken in sound.

Four for the Girl 

The girl’s four ululations, ngemi inya cia kairitu, formed a complete circle — a song of balance.
Each sound carried a virtue:

• Uthamaki – Leadership: The ability to govern oneself and others with fairness and grace.

• Ugo – Healing: The power to mend — to restore harmony in body, spirit, and community.

• Urathi – Prophetic Insight: The divine ability to see beyond the visible — to discern seasons and speak truth before it unfolds.

• Utonga – Wealth: Abundance of spirit and substance — the capacity to create, sustain, and share life.

The four ululations formed the full measure of inner strength — completeness, balance, and harmony.

Five for the Boy 

The boy’s ngemi ithano cia kahii carried the same four virtues, but added a fifth — the one that sent him beyond the walls of home.

• Ucamba – Bravery: Courage, endurance, and the will to defend what is right and true.

That fifth ululation was the outward call — to protect, to explore, to build, and to extend the legacy.

To the Little Warriors

And so, to the little warriors — within and beyond the Global Fast Fit circle — whose coming stirred our hearts:

Go forth, be a Prophet — bring light to your generation.
Go forth, be a King — govern with fairness and humility.
Go forth, be a Healer — mend what is broken in body and spirit.
Go forth, be a Wise Man — preserve harmony through understanding.
Go forth, be a Warrior — stand firm, protect, and lead with courage.

Five ululations were sounded for you — not just to announce your birth, but to proclaim your destiny.

The Beauty of the Old Ways

When I think of today’s gender reveals — the confetti, the colored smoke, the cheers — I smile. They’re joyous, yes, but they only reveal what the child is.
Our ancestors revealed who the child was meant to become.

They didn’t say, “It’s a boy” or “It’s a girl.”
They said, Here comes one who will lead, think wisely, see truly, prosper deeply, and stand bravely.

That was the original gender reveal — not of color, but of character.

And as for the muratina — that story deserves its own day.
I’ll tell you about it next time.

From sweat to progress - the road to a sub-3-minute GFF shuttle begins with one more rep.

Every GFF athlete knows the feeling - the early mornings, the sore muscles, and the quiet battles that happen long before anyone’s watching. October became my personal proving ground. I wanted to see how far I could push myself, how much consistency I could build, and whether I could inch closer to my next big target: a sub-3-minute GFF shuttle (currently sitting at 3:05).

So I made a pact with myself - 1,000 jump ropes every weekday, plus 100 push-ups, 100 squats, and 100 leg lifts. No shortcuts. No excuses. Just grit.

The rope came first - always. Every morning started with 1,000 skips before anything else. It became my wake-up call, my rhythm of discipline. After that came the gym routines, and later in the evening, the remaining exercises.

Some nights, fatigue took over, and I’d crash before completing the full plan. But the one thing I never skipped - was the skipping itself. That single commitment held everything together.

When I began, 100 skips per set was my ceiling. Soon it stretched to 200, then 300. I added 150 one-legged skips for variety and balance. Over time, my endurance improved - until I could handle 1,000 skips in three sets (500, 250, and 250) clocking 7 minutes and 31 seconds.

It wasn’t just about numbers - it was about the transformation that came with them. Each skip built confidence, rhythm, and control.

By the end of the month, one truth stood out clearly: discipline is non-negotiable. Progress demands consistency - showing up every single day, even when motivation fades.

October taught me that growth doesn’t shout. It happens quietly, in sweat, repetition, and early mornings. I’ll keep focusing on the jump rope, refining my endurance, and soon, I’ll test it all again in the GFF shuttle routine - chasing that sub-3 finish.

Lately, I have realized that achievement does not always come from big goals or a long to-do list. For me, it's the small things.

It's funny because my "achieved day" usually comes down to these simple things: taking a bath and brushing my teeth, making my bed and folding my clothes and finally, exercising.

That's it, nothing fancy. But when I do these things, I feel like I have shown up for myself. Taking a bath isn't just about getting clean, It's a reset before the day begins. Making my bed and folding my clothes brings a sense of order in my own space while exercising makes me feel strong and proud ,and lifts my spirit a notch higher.

Happiness And Positive Arrogance 

Lately, I have been feeling genuinely happy- the kind that does not need a reason. I smile more, I worry less and a deeper sense of contentment.

From that happiness, I have started feeling what I call  positive arrogance(Does it exist? I don't know. Felt like it was way to explain what I am feeling). Not everything needs my control.Not everything needs my fixing.

It's funny how light life starts to feel when you stop fighting it so much.

Inside The Box🧠

We are always told to think outside the box- to chase bigger, newer and bolder ideas. But one day, while talking with Andrew Muchiri, Global Fast Fit Media incharge, colleague and friend, something clicked for me.

We were brainstorming ideas, trying to push for something unique, and suddenly I thought , maybe we are thinking too hard. Maybe we have not explored what is inside the box fully.

Sometimes, we get so caught up trying to escape our current space that we forget how much potential already lives within it.

Maybe the goal isn't always to think outside the box. Maybe it is to look deeper inside it- to notice what is already there, refine it and grow it.

As I sign out, I have learnt that maybe happiness is not something we chase but something we notice - hidden inside the box we have not fully explored.

My Global Fast Fit Journey: From Passion to Purpose

When I first encountered Global Fast Fit (GFF), I saw more than just a fitness program — I saw a movement. A movement that merged fitness, wellness, and community into one powerful mission: to help people become stronger, healthier, and more disciplined in mind and body. My journey with GFF has been one of growth, discovery, and purpose.

Where It All Began

I joined Global Fast Fit driven by curiosity and passion for both fitness and sports, particularly table tennis. At the time, I was simply looking for a structured fitness routine to complement my athletic goals. What I didn’t expect was how deeply GFF would shape my perspective — not just on training, but on leadership, teamwork, and community wellness.

Finding My Role in the Movement

With time, I became more involved in GFF activities — from gym visits and community boot camps to health awareness campaigns and fitness challenges. As part of the GFF Nomads Initiative, I traveled with a team of trainers, leading sessions, meeting new people, and spreading the GFF philosophy across different regions.

Our mission was clear: to promote functional fitness — simple, effective, and inclusive exercises that everyone could do, anywhere. From schools to gyms, and even open fields, we turned fitness into a lifestyle, not just an event.

Lessons from the Journey

My experience with GFF has taught me valuable lessons about consistency, leadership, and service. Every session, every challenge, and every fitness conversation was an opportunity to make an impact. I learned that fitness is not just about building muscles — it’s about building people.

It’s also through GFF that I discovered the power of community — how shared goals and teamwork can push individuals beyond their limits. Whether it’s coordinating training programs, creating digital content, or motivating participants, GFF has shown me that small actions can spark big changes.

Fitness Meets Passion: Table Tennis and Beyond

As a table tennis player and coach, GFF perfectly complements my athletic lifestyle. The training routines enhance my endurance, balance, and reflexes — qualities essential on the table. The discipline and consistency demanded by GFF reflect exactly what competitive sports require.

Through GFF, I’ve also been able to inspire young athletes to embrace holistic fitness — combining sport-specific training with overall wellness and nutrition.

Looking Ahead

My vision is to continue growing with Global Fast Fit — expanding our reach, connecting with more communities, and empowering the next generation of fitness enthusiasts. GFF has given me a platform to inspire, educate, and transform lives, and for that, I am truly grateful.

This journey has shown me that fitness is not a destination; it’s a lifestyle — one that continues to evolve, challenge, and uplift. And as I move forward, I carry with me the spirit of GFF: Fast. Focused. Fit.

Meshack Simiyu: Building Strength, Community, and Purpose Through Global Fast Fit

In the fast-evolving world of fitness, few stories stand out like that of Meshack Simiyu, popularly known as Metro — a passionate fitness enthusiast, table tennis coach, public speaker, and one of the driving forces behind Global Fast Fit (GFF) in Kenya.

A Passion for Fitness and Purpose

Meshack’s journey with Global Fast Fit began with a simple but powerful belief — fitness should not just build the body, but also connect people and inspire purpose. As a graduate of Kabarak University, where he studied Education Arts, he discovered the perfect balance between teaching, leadership, and physical wellness. His love for both fitness and community empowerment made him a natural fit for the GFF mission.

Through GFF, Meshack found a platform that went beyond workouts — a movement dedicated to wellness, discipline, and transformation. Whether leading group boot camps, coordinating club activities, or mentoring upcoming trainers, Meshack has continuously embodied the GFF spirit: “Fit body, fit mind, fit community.”

Leadership and the Nomads Initiative

As one of the GFF Nomads, Meshack leads a team of trainers who travel across Kenya promoting fitness and wellness through outdoor expeditions, gym partnerships, and school outreach programs. The Nomads Initiative connects fitness with tourism and community engagement — showing that staying healthy can also mean exploring, connecting, and learning from different environments.

Under his leadership, the Nomads have visited gyms across the Nakuru region, introduced the GFF App to trainers and clients, and conducted motivational sessions encouraging people to take charge of their health and fitness journey.

Empowering Through Education and Example

Beyond workouts, Meshack uses his platform to educate others on functional fitness, nutrition, and mental resilience. His sessions are known for combining physical challenge with motivation — blending discipline, teamwork, and fun. Whether training athletes, students, or beginners, his approach always emphasizes that fitness is a lifelong commitment, not a seasonal goal.

GFF and Table Tennis: The Perfect Blend

As a seasoned table tennis player and coach, Meshack also integrates the principles of GFF into his sport. His training philosophy — agility, coordination, strength, and endurance — mirrors the values of functional fitness. Through initiatives like the Global Fast Fit Table Tennis Challenge, he continues to show how sports and fitness can work together to build stronger, more balanced athletes.

Looking Ahead

Meshack envisions a future where Global Fast Fit becomes a household name across Africa — not just as a fitness brand, but as a community of transformation. His dream is to see GFF empower youth, build healthier schools, and inspire a culture where fitness is a lifestyle, not a luxury.

For Meshack, every workout, every outreach, and every challenge is another opportunity to live the GFF motto:

“Train hard, live strong, and inspire others.”

Every year, a new group of young faces takes a small but mighty step forward — from the comforting rhythm of kindergarten to the exciting world of grade school. For the 2025 class of Lisam Junior Academy, this transition is more than a milestone. It’s a story of growth, discovery, and the remarkable transformations that happen when children are seen, supported, and encouraged to shine in their own ways.

The Class as a Whole

This cohort has been an energetic and expressive mix of personalities — a class that sang louder, ran faster, and dreamed bigger than anyone could have imagined when the year began. They grew not only in height and handwriting but in courage and curiosity. Their drawings, performances, and daily routines became proof of a simple truth: children flourish when the world around them believes they can.

Anita – The Anomaly

Anita isn’t just a child who can move; she’s movement itself. At only five, she completed the full Global Fast Fit Pro routine in perfect form — an achievement that stunned even the trainers. Every pushup, every sprint seemed effortless. But it’s her discipline that defines her more than her muscles. Anita is the official GFF mascot, a symbol of precision, power, and that spark you can’t quite name but can’t look away from either.

Ethan – The Musician with Swagger

No one saw it coming — not even him. When Ethan first picked up the flute in March, it was just another new experience. By the end of the year, he was the National Music Competition 2025 winner in flute and solo presentation. But Ethan’s talent doesn’t stop at sound. He carries himself with a confidence rare at six — sharp haircuts, immaculate uniform, effortless grace. His rhythm isn’t just in his music; it’s in the way he moves through the world.

Rosy – The Gentle Performer

Rosy floats rather than walks. Her drawings are soft and detailed, her performances tender and deliberate. There’s a quiet elegance about her — always neat, always thoughtful. On stage, she shines with understated charm, bringing balance and grace wherever she goes. She reminds us that strength doesn’t always shout; sometimes, it hums gently in the background.

Jayden – The Steady Flame

Jayden’s story is one of perseverance. He works with quiet consistency, never rushing but never stopping either. His improvements in coordination and academic performance this year are a testament to his determination. He may not be the loudest in the room, but his light burns steady — the kind that guides others when things get uncertain.

Meshack – The Spark of Mischief and Brilliance

Meshack is energy with a grin. He’s curious, competitive, and quick with both mind and body. His athletic progress and keen interest in every challenge make him unforgettable. Beneath the laughter is a sharp, observant thinker — one who learns as fast as he runs.

Stephen – The Quiet Force

Stephen doesn’t demand attention, but when he acts, everyone notices. His growth this year has been quiet yet profound — improved focus, stronger coordination, and deeper thought behind his work. He’s proof that calm and power are not opposites but companions.

Morgan – The Wild Imagination

Morgan's horse was green, with a black mane and a storm behind its eyes. That’s how he colored it — and that’s who he is. He doesn’t just see the world; he reinvents it. His creativity bursts through the edges of every paper, unafraid of boundaries. Morgan's is art in motion — unpredictable, bold, and beautifully free.

Jabali– The Resilient Bloom

Jabali's story is one of quiet triumph. Born into adversity, he’s had to fight for every word, every connection, every step forward. Once unable to sit through an activity for more than a few minutes, he now writes, speaks, and sings — fluently, expressively, and with growing confidence. His body is strong, his laughter loud, his spirit unmistakably bright. Even though he isn’t graduating this year, all is well. His journey is simply unfolding at its own rhythm, and there’s every sign that he’s rising beautifully.

These little journeys of running, reading, drawing, and dreaming — are the heart of Global Fast Fit’s mission. Each child reminds us that growth is not a straight path but a winding, vibrant story. As we wave goodbye to the graduating class of 2025, we celebrate not just where they’re going, but how far they’ve already come.

Central to making people healthy and fit is a simple question; how do you evaluate fitness? While developing Global Fast Fit, I noticed there were very few good benchmarks for fitness. This was a surprise to me, as there seems to be an obvious use for such benchmarks in evaluating fitness routines, as well as small or large scale health care programs, private and public.  How do you know what is working, or not, if you don’t have an effective measurement tool? 

I’m referring to a benchmark that works for the academic and professional health care community.  Of course, there are many informal ways of assessing fitness on an individual or small-scale basis. Appearance is the most common way – of course that’s very subjective and not quantifiable.  In gyms, guys will use single rep max as a proxy for strength, most often with the bench press exercise.  Runners will use marathons or 10K times.  Weight, body mass index, and various biomarkers like cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and others are common as well.  There are many obvious problems with all of these; typically, they measure only one part of fitness or health, such as cardiovascular endurance or upper body strength.   Biomarkers are not good predictors of functional health.  

As I found when Global Fast Fit started trying to develop reliable benchmarks, there is a lot of available data; most of it is of very poor quality, self-reported and subject to all sorts of inconsistencies. In most cases, websites and apps don’t indicate where they found the data they use for benchmarking.  Return to resting heart rate is a useful metric, and that data is collected on millions of wearable devices like watches, but standard protocols for academic use have never been developed.   

In the academic community, VO2Max has long been considered the gold standard for cardiovascular fitness.  Unfortunately, it's really more of a bronze standard, if that. In addition to the basic fact that VO2Max is only designed to measure cardiovascular endurance; ignoring strength, balance, agility, speed, flexibility, it has many other problems. 

Variability in Measurement
Age and Gender Bias
Insensitivity to Training Adaptations
Overemphasis on Aerobic Fitness
Expense and Accessibility
Mismatch with Real-World Endurance
Cardiorespiratory Fitness Beyond VO2max
Non-Linear Decline with Aging
Adaptation of left ventricular morphology to long-term training in sprint- and endurance-trained elite runners
Enhancement of nitroglycerin induced blood vessel relaxation in chronic renal failure model rats
 

For a company like Global Fast Fit interested in providing fitness and health solutions to those in challenged parts of the world, the fact that VO2Max is very expensive, inconvenient, and requires expensive training and equipment to operate is important.   

But this article is not so much about the particular issues with VO2Max as a standard; what’s more interesting from a big picture point of view is the fact that a system first developed in the 1960s is still being used today.    

According to Wikipedia, the concept of VO2max — the maximal rate of oxygen consumption during exercise — was introduced in the early 1920s by Archibald Vivian Hill and his colleague Hartley Lupton. In the 1950s–1960s, Scandinavian scientists (notably Per-Olof Åstrand and Bengt Saltin) made important contributions to turn VO2Max into a protocol that could be used by the academic community.  By the late 1970s to early 1980s it was accepted as the leading standard of fitness by the academic community.  And little has changed in the following decades.  

In 1968, Dr. Kenneth Cooper published a field test with participants running as far as possible in 12 minutes in the JAMA medical journal to estimate VO2Max.  This is often used as a benchmark field protocol correlating with VO2Max, even though in practical terms it has very little to do with the actual VO2Max test.  

For better or worse, the Cooper Test was, and still is, widely known, taught, and used as an academic reference.  So, let’s say we pick 1968 as the starting point for widespread adoption of VO2Max, in part because the Cooper test was also widely used to measure fitness in US schools, the military and elsewhere.  (Like the VO2Max test, but for different reasons, the Cooper test is also very flawed; not only does it only measure cardiovascular fitness, but its application to wide population is also very limited for the simple reason that the vast majority of people can’t run for 12 minutes.  This has become markedly more true over time as populations around the world have become more sedentary.  And the Cooper test is really more a test of motivation than fitness – even for very fit people, running at a high level of intensity for 12 minutes is extremely challenging. Very, very few people are able and willing to endure 12 minutes of maximum stress. 

So, let's use1968 as a starting point for VO2Max and related applications like the Cooper Test. Think about that; in the world at large how much has changed since 1968?  

In the US, obesity has risen from 13% in 1968 to about 40% now.  In spite of this, or because of it, regular exercise, at least as a concept, is much more popular now.  Good statistics going back to 1968 are sketchy, but it appears that the number of Americans who claim to exercise regularly has more than doubled. Smoking has dramatically decreased among the US population, less than a third of those who smoked in the late 60s smoke now.   

Interestingly enough, 1968 happened to be the year in which digital technology really took off. In March Hewlett Packard introduced the first programmable desktop computer. In June Robert Dennard received a patent for a new and important method of data storage, DRAM. In July Intel was founded. In December Douglas Engelbart presented his original versions of a mouse, a word processor, email, and hypertext. So 1968, 57 years ago, marks both the beginning of the digital revolution and the birth of VO2Max in fitness.  

In the digital world, everything has changed. In the fitness world, almost nothing has changed. Computing and processing power has risen almost inconceivably; thousands to millions of times more power for many tasks. The Apollo 7 space mission in 1968 – the first successful crewed Apollo mission - used the Apollo Guidance Computer (AGC).  The modern smartphone has about 4 million times more ram than the Apollo system, and instructions per second are about a million times as fast on your smartphone than AGC.   

So, things have changed quite a bit since VO2max and the Cooper test were developed. Yet, in the health and fitness community very little has changed.  Sure, lots of apps and wearables have been developed. But if I go into a gym in 2025 is it really any different from a gym I went into as a 13 year old in 1974? Very high end gyms like Equinox might appear superficially different, but for the vast majority of people using gyms the basic setup has changed very little; basic barbells and dumbbells, a room for group exercises, some simple exercise machines.   

Treadmills gained widespread use in commercial gyms in the late 1970s in the US and haven’t changed much since then.  In fact, in my personal case, the very large LA Fitness gym that I use in Manassas, VA has not changed at all in basic functionality over the years. If anything, gym equipment has become less technologically advanced; the Fun n Fitness gym I used in 1974 had Nautilus equipment, which was the apex of equipment sophistication. 

So, the world of exercise has changed very little, even in a world that has changed dramatically since 1968. More to the point, VO2max is still being used as a fitness benchmark.  Why?  

Is it because VO2Max is such a good benchmark it doesn’t need to change? No, see above. The real reason is the inherent conservatism of the professional health community and the fact that there are no incentives for early adoption of other systems that might lead to the kind of protocols and widespread data availability that would make new systems more attractive.   

One obvious reason things haven’t changed is that everyone in the healthcare community knows what VO2Max is, they accept it as the industry standard, and there is a formalized universal test protocol, as well as lots of reference data that has accumulated over time.  So, it is used simply because others have been using it for a long time.   

Academics in the health field are expected to crank out a very high volume of papers; who has time or energy to fight the system or try to introduce better benchmarks? If you’re just using benchmarks to measure progress in some kind of health study, the type of benchmark you’re using is probably a very secondary consideration to the main point of your research.  

A less attractive, but equally viable explanation – and one that applies across all of academia – is that academics see the fact that VO2Max is difficult and expensive to implement not as a negative, but a positive.  Since it requires sophisticated training and expensive equipment, those using VO2max, or anything equally complex, have a veneer of sophistication. A stationary bike is what I have used for VO2max test, but treadmills are also used (Incidentally, that’s another problem, non-comparable testing methods).  The equipment gives the testing environment a “lab like” air, and in fact many places where VO2Max is available are called “performance labs” or something similar. But looking like a lab doesn’t solve any of the inherent measurement problems; it just provides a veneer of the “scientific” process.   

At Global Fast Fit, we created what we think is a better solution.  There are several benchmarking routines; Pro, Standard, and Shuttle, but they all provide the same basic ingredients; pushups, plank leg lifts, squats, and a run. For Standard, 15 pushups, 15 squats, 15 plank leg lifts, and a 250 meter run.    

The focus of Global Fast Fit is balance; the biggest mistake most people make in exercise, other than simply not doing enough, is that they do the same exercises focusing on only part of their body. Big beefy guys in gyms do too much bench press and too little running; Lithe running types don’t do enough strength work. Almost no one outside of sports training does enough speed work.  Outside of very gentle elder training programs, very few people work on balance, almost none on agility.   

The Global Fast Fit routine meets our inclusiveness goals because:   

• It is safe; we’ve done thousands of these routines all over the world without a serious injury.   

• Importantly, it tests upper body strength, core strength, leg strength, speed, and general cardio capacity, with a single elapsed time. In a minor way, it also tests agility as you quickly move from one exercise to another.  (This is the “global” part of global fast fit, meaning full body). We also believe the central nervous system demands of doing different exercises sequentially are greater than doing a single exercise for the same duration.   

• It's fast – we've had a couple people break a minute, but most people can do the standard routine in a few minutes.  So, motivation is less of an issue than in a test like Cooper.  

• It can be used as a fitness assessment as well as a benchmark. It’s a very simple and fast way to identify imbalances, both for individuals and across wide groups.  For example, we’ve found, even among fit women, a real deficiency in upper body strength.  This is simply because they’re typically not doing any upper body work.  

• Doing these movements at a relaxed pace, GFF routines become a good starting point for identifying structural issues by a therapist or doctor in a clinical setting.   

• Because we video participants, we’re able to judge form and make sure that datasets include truly comparable routines.  A certified routine from a 20-year-old Chinese man doing standard is going to be comparable to a 60-year-old woman in Kenya.  We currently manually review all entries for conformance to form standards; eventually we hope to use Ai to automate this process.  

• The routines require no equipment; just a space to do bodyweight exercises and a space to run. If desired, a treadmill can be used, but the vast majority of our routines have been performed outside.  We created the GFF Shuttle for those situations where a treadmill is not available, and running space is limited. The lack of required equipment is important in countries like Kenya, Uganda, and India, which are some of our main focus areas.     

• GFF routines can be done anywhere, unlike VO2Max testing; you don’t have to find a lab, which are typically only located in affluent urban areas. How hard and expensive it is to find a place to do VO2Max?  We had our trainers around the world investigate this.
  
         

Johns Experience USA

Adhi’s Experience Bali

• Our trainers are, well, trained, to judge correct form but implementing a GFF benchmark routine is simple, which is helpful in environments where access to advanced fitness education is limited.   

In summary, Global Fast Fit provides much better functional fitness benchmarks than those currently used by the professional and academic health communities.  But given the conservative nature of health research, we realize it will be years before our benchmarks replace VO2Max in the healthcare community.