Harvard Step Test
by Jarrod Robinson
AIM
To measure aerobic capacity within a simple step test procedure
Equipment
Metronome set at 120bpm, step or bench of 45cm high, stopwatch
Procedure
- The athlete warms up for 10 minutes
- The assistant gives the command “GO” and starts the stopwatch
- The athlete steps up and down onto a standard gym bench once every two seconds for five minutes
- The athlete steps up and down onto a standard gym bench once every two seconds for five minutes
- The assistant measures the athlete’s heart rate (bpm) one minute after finishing the test – Pulse1
- The assistant measures the athlete’s heart rate (bpm) two minutes after finishing the test – Pulse2
- The assistant measures the athlete’s heart rate (bpm) three minutes after finishing the test – Pulse3
- You can then determine your norm by applying the formula below
Result = 30000 รท (pulse1 + pulse2 + pulse3)