Fitness assessment using step tests.

The current interest in physical conditioning has resulted, to a large degree, from the desire of many individuals to improve their ability to sustain physical activity without fatigue. To safely participate in a conditioning program, an individual should first learn his initial fitness level. The step test is simple and accurate and is found in many laboratories and physicians' offices. The physical exercise should last long enough to adjust the individual's circulation and respiration to that of the level of exercise, usually three to four minutes. In addition, the work rate should be sufficiently stressful to result in a steady-state heart rate greater than 120 and less than 170 beats per minute. For most untrained adolescents and adults, this intensity of effort can be achieved using a single-stage step test of 16 in and a stepping frequency of 20 to 25 steps per minute. The single-stage step test can be used to assess more fit individuals simply by increasing stepping frequency (raising the height above 16 in is not recommended because of premature leg fatigue in heavy individuals and those of short stature). Multistage step tests are based on the same requirements as those of the single-stage test except that the multistage test provides a gradual increase in work rate and a termination level that often exceeds the exertional level experienced in a single-stage test. The multistage test can be used not only for providing reliable measurements of cardiovascular fitness but also, with the appropriate equipment, for the diagnosis of cardiovascular abnormalities.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)