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Channelhealth.net's fitness advisor Chris Williams guides you through a simple test.
This test will give you a good idea of your current level of aerobic fitness, the area of your fitness that to a large degree underpins your basic health.
Adding one regular 'activity' to your lifestyle can have a profound effect on your general wellness, giving you more energy to live a fuller life. The idea is always to be more active more often.
One of the best ways to measure and monitor your aerobic fitness is to measure your heart rate recovery - how quickly your heart rate drops after exercise. This step test does just that, in the convenience of your own home. Repeat it every few weeks to see how you are improving.
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| The Step Test |
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Stand about 30cm away from a step, stair or bench. Make sure the step is strong enough to take your weight. The step height should be about 25 cm.
Step up and down (right foot up, left up, right down, left down) as fast as you can comfortably for three minutes. The ideal rate is 24 'full' steps per minute, and you should change your leading leg after one and a half minutes (left foot up, right up, left down, right).
After three minutes, sit down on the step, time 30 seconds then take your pulse for a full minute (see the Exercise Intensity article elsewhere in this section).
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| Recovery Pulse Rate After 30 Seconds |
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MEN - here's how your pulse reading rates:
| Age |
Poor |
Fair |
Good |
Excellent |
| 20-29 |
102+ |
86-100 |
76-84 |
74 or less |
| 30-39 |
102+ |
88-100 |
80-86 |
78 or less |
| 40-49 |
106+ |
90-104 |
82-88 |
80 or less |
| 50+ |
106+ |
92-104 |
84-90 |
82 or less |
WOMEN - here's how your pulse reading rates:
| Age |
Poor |
Fair |
Good |
Excellent |
| 20-29 |
112+ |
94-100 |
88-92 |
86 or less |
| 30-39 |
114+ |
96-112 |
88-94 |
86 or less |
| 40-49 |
116+ |
96-114 |
90-94 |
88 or less |
| 50+ |
118+ |
100-116 |
92-98 |
90 or less |
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| Safety notes |
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Always warm up before exercise. When stepping, place hands on hips, keep back straight and chest high. Place heel down first when stepping up, then ball of foot, don't lean forward. Always cool down after exercise. Always check with your doctor before starting any new exercise programme.
Chris Williams is an exercise physiologist and former Great Britain triathlete - check out his columns in www.Channelhealth.tv for more information.
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