Balke Treadmill Test
This is such a simple test that you can take the Balke treadmill test at home or in your local gym. Therefore, you can use regularly and keep an eye on your VO2 max.
What's The Point?
The Balke Treadmill test is an effective way to measure your VO2 max. VO2 max is considered the best measure of an athletes cardio endurance, an essential part of all sports that require endurance.
What Do You Need?
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A treadmill with gradient adjustment
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A stopwatch
- An assistant
How Do You Do The Test?
The basic test design is simple walk on a treadmill until you are exhausted! What makes it hard is that the gradient of the treadmill is increased at regular intervals. These intervals vary for men and women, as follows:
Active and Sedentary Men:
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Start with the treadmill speed set at 3.3 mph, the gradient at 0%
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After 1 minute the gradient is increased to 2%
- After 2 minutes and each minute thereafter the gradient is increased by a further 1%
Active and Sedentary Women
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Start with the treadmill speed set at 3.3 mph, the gradient at 0%
- After 3 minutes and every 3 minutes thereafter the gradient is increased by a further 2.5% (1.4 degrees)
Timing begins at the start of the test, and stops when you are unable to continue usually between 9 and 15 minutes.
What Results You'll See
By performing this test at regular intervals (e.g. every 6 to 8 weeks), you can monitor the development of your cardio fitness. From the total time an estimate of your VO2 can be calculated as follows:
VO2 max = 1.444 T +14.99 (for men)
VO2 max = 1.38 T + 5.22 (women)
* "T" is the total time of the test expressed in minutes and fractions of a minute e.g. 13 minutes 15 seconds = 13.25 minutes
What's Being Measured Again?
This is a good way to assess your general cardiovascular endurance (VO2 max).
