Chester Step Test
Although it was developed to test the general aerobic fitness of firemen, the Chester Step Test is a good way for anyone to assess their cardio fitness and can be done at home.
What's The Point of the Chester Step?
Testing your general aerobic fitness is a good way to ensure that this key component of good health is at a satisfactory level. In addition, regular testing can help you to measure the effectiveness of your training program.
The Chester step test was originally developed to measure the overall fitness of firemen, but it is now available for the general population, and is a good way to measure overall aerobic conditioning.
What Do You Need?
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Step
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Heart rate monitor
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CD player
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Perceived exertion scale (Borg RPE)
- The Chester Step Test (CD Rom) this includes a metronome, a music beat audio track, and 50 data collection sheets.
How Do You Do The Test?
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The step height varies for different participants based on your age and physical activity history
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The starting step rate is 15 steps per minute
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Every 2 minutes the tempo increases by 5 steps per minute.
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The stepping rate is set by a recorded metronome, and guided by verbal instructions
- Stop the test when you reach 80% of your age-estimated heart rate maximum, or a RPE of 14 on the Borg scale, stop.
What Results You'll See
Once you have you score you can use the software that is supplied with the disc to calculate your score.
If you take the test at regular intervals you can measure the progress in your fitness, and thus the effectiveness of your workout program.
What's Being Measured Again?
This test measures general aerobic fitness.
