Harvard step test

Procedure

The test subject repeatedly steps onto and off of a platform every two seconds. The height of the platform is 20 in for men and 16 in for women. The rate of 30 steps per minute must be sustained for five minutes or until exhaustion. To ensure the right speed, a metronome is used. Exhaustion is the point at which the subject cannot maintain the stepping rate for 15 seconds. The subject immediately sits down on completion of the test, and the heartbeats are counted for 1 to 1.5, 2 to 2.5, and 3 to 3.5 minutes.

The results are written down as time until exhaustion in seconds (t_e) and total heartbeats counted (h_b). It is plotted into a simple fitness index equation: : \frac{t_e * 100}{h_b * 2}

The outcome of the equation is rated as follows:

Modified versions

The test was developed at Harvard University in 1942. Several modified versions of the original Harvard step test exist; examples include the Tecumseh step test and the Kasch step test. Another modified version, the Sharkey step test, was developed in the 1970s for use by the United States Forest Service at the University of Montana in Missoula.

References

References

1. (1943). "The step test: a simple method of measuring physical fitness for hard muscular work in adult men". Revue Canadienne de Biologie.
2. Brouha, Lucien. (1943). "The Step Test: A Simple Method of Measuring Physical Fitness for Muscular Work in Young Men". Research Quarterly. American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation.
3. (1 June 2013). "Stepping from Belgium to the United States and back: the conceptualization and impact of the Harvard Step Test, 1942–2012". Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport.
4. Wood, Robert. (2008). "Harvard Step Test". Topend Sports Website.
5. (May–Jun 1965). "A Step Test for Inducing Maximal Work". J Assoc Phys Ment Rehabil.