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Determine Your Cardiorespiratory Fitness Level 

The safest and most accurate way to determine your cardiorespiratory fitness level is with a graded exercise test.  This test is commonly referred to as an exercise stress test and is a medically supervised and monitored evaluation.  Should a medical emergency arise during the performance of the test, an emergency team is readily available to handle any need. During the test your blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen consumption are monitored.  Electrodes are placed on the chest to monitor the rhythm and electrical activity of the heart.  Your resting electrocardiogram (ECG) and your exercise electrocardiogram are reviewed to make sure the heart is functioning properly at rest and under the stress of the graded exercise test.  A treadmill, stationary bike or step climber is most often used to apply the workload for the test. You begin the test at a low pace and the workload is monitored and periodically increased. The test is stopped when you reach a level when electrocardiogram abnormalities are seen or you maximize your level of exertion. The test can also be stopped if you are taking a sub-maximal test in which you are only being tested to a predetermined level of exertion.

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends a graded exercise test for men and women with cardiopulmonary disease, symptoms of cardiopulmonary disease or at least two coronary risk factors prior to starting moderate exercise. All men over 40 and all women over 50 should have a graded exercise test before beginning a vigorous exercise program even if no symptoms of cardiopulmonary illness exist. A pre-activity health appraisal is also recommended for all adults.

You can take your own test to get an indication of your cardiorespiratory fitness level.  This test will also be useful in comparing future tests and monitoring the effectiveness of your training program.  Before taking the test you should abstain from eating within 2 hours. There are primarily two types of tests you can perform that require little or no special equipment.  These two tests are the step test and the field test.

Step Test

In these type of tests you step up and down on a bench  of a specific height and at a consistent monitored rate for a specific duration. You will need some type of metronome to help you keep your pace consistent.  Following the completion of the stepping period you will monitor your heart rate for a specific interval to determine its response.  The faster your heart rate returns to normal the better your cardiorespiratory fitness level. Your heart rate response is used in a formula or compared to a chart to indicate your fitness level. When stepping up and down remember to lead with the same foot. The procedure would be as follows:  first step up with the right leg, then bring your left leg up, step down with the right leg, then bring the left leg down.  You can lead with your other leg if you prefer. You perform the stepping to the rhythm of a metronome with each click of the metronome indicating one stepping action.  For example, one click you step up, next click you bring the other leg up, next click you step down, and another click you bring the other leg down. When stepping make sure you extend the legs fully.

 

The Kasch Pulse Recovery Test

Step up and down on a bench of height 12", for three minutes. Perform the test at a pace of 24 complete steps per minute or 96 on a metronome. At the end of three minutes sit down on the bench and don't talk. Beginning with 5 seconds after sitting down, take your pulse for a full minute.  Compare your one minute heart rate with the following chart for middle aged males.

The One Minute Step Test For Women

Step up and down on an 18" high bench for one minute.  Perform the test at a pace of 30 complete steps per minute or 120 on a metronome. At the completion of the stepping for one minute, sit down immediately and take your pulse at 15 seconds for a period of 15 seconds.  Wait another 15 seconds and take your pulse for 15 seconds.  Finally, wait another 15 seconds and take your pulse for 15 seconds.  To summarize, you are taking your pulse after stopping the stepping and immediately sitting down, at 15-30 seconds, 45-60 seconds and 75-90 seconds.  Add the three pulse counts and compare to the chart below.

Field Test

There are two different types of field tests. These field tests can be performed on a local high school or community running track. Each lap of the track is 1/4 mile. One type of field test will determine how far you can go for a specific period of time and this distance is compared on a chart to determine your cardiorespiratory fitness level.  The second type of field self-test is to go a specific distance and determine your heart rate response and the time necessary to go that distance.

The 12 Minute Test

After a warm-up period to get the body ready for exercise, you will try to cover as much distance as possible in 12 minutes. Your fitness level is predicted in the chart below based on the distance covered and your age. At the completion of the test, determine your distance and gradually reduce your pace as you cool down from your activity. Never stop abruptly, continued movement will assist the circulatory system as you decrease your workload. Compare your results with the age adjusted chart below.

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WOMEN

 
The Rockport Fitness Walking Test

This is a one mile walk test in which you walk one mile as fast as you can and then record your heart rate and time it took to walk the one mile distance.  Record your heart rate immediately at the end of the one mile by taking your pulse for 15 seconds and multiply by 4.  You then plug information into a formula which predicts your maximal oxygen consumption.  Your maximal oxygen consumption is the point at which oxygen intake can not increase and is expressed as VO2max.  V02max is one of the best indicators of cardiorespiratory fitness. After plugging the various information into the formula to get your VO2max expressed in milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute (ml/kg/min), you will then compare your VO2max to the chart to predict your fitness level.

Formula

For Example:
You walked 1 mile in 12.87 minutes and your heart rate was 144 beats per minute(36 beats for 15 seconds). You weigh 123 lbs. and you are a 32 year old woman. From this information we know:

BW = 123     A = 32     G = 0        T = 12.87
HR = 144 (36 x 4 to get beats per minute)

When we put this information in the formula we have:

VO2max = 46.432 ml/kg/min

Compare your test value with the following chart to indicate your cardiorespiratory fitness level.

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WOMEN

Healthgoods Staff

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