Chapter 4

Lecture Notes

The second way we can indirectly measure VO2 max is through some kind of field test. Here two examples given are the Rockport Fitness Walking Test and also the step test. The Rockport Walking Test asks a person to walk 1 mile as fast as they can, and then immediately measures the heart rate, either manually or with a heart rate monitor, and then you can use equations and charts to try and predict someone's VO2 max based on their results from that 1 mile walking as fast as they can. The second example is a step test. Here you ask the participant to step onto a raised platform at a given cadence for a set period of time, usually about 3 minutes, there are different protocols, but usually about 3 minutes, and then VO2 max is estimated from the person's heart rate recovery, how quickly their heart rate recovers after this test that's done at a particular cadence. Both of these are examples of tests that can be done with very little equipment, they mimic daily activities like walking and stepping, they're very inexpensive, they're easy to administer, so they have lots of pros. But they are indirect measures of cardiorespiratory fitness, so they're not the best measures, but they certainly can give you an idea of cardiorespiratory fitness if you have very little equipment, they're easy to administer, and so they do have some benefits as well.