The armor we see in museums is often ( not always) ceremonial in nature. Very little “working” armor has survived in large part because when weapons development made armor obsolete, the high grade steel it was made of got recycled. Nothing so valuable as good steel went to waste.
Exactly.
There were three types of armor - Parade Armor - ceremonial, Armor for the Tournament - which was REALLY heavy and protective and Field Armor - lighter in weight and designed for use in Combat.
They may have been using Parade or Tournament Armor in these tests.
As fire arms became more widespread, the TYPE of armor changed. It became heavier and thicker in the front while being reduced to a breast and back plate with a helmet and a section to cover one arm.
Also, taking part in re-enactments HARDLY is equivalent to the kind of life - long continuous training these people had.
Just looking a long-bowman, VERY few archers today could draw a 100-150 lb English Warbow, but that was common in the 100 years war. They trained from their youth in the business they were about.