Question

Write a note on Harvard Step Test.

Explain in brief “The Harvard Step Test.”

Answer 1

Harvard Step Test is an aerobic fitness test developed by Brouha and associates in 1943 at Harvard Fatigue Laboratories.

Purpose: To measure aerobic fitness/cardiovascular endurance.

Equipment: step/platform 20 inches for men and 16 inches for women, stopwatch, and metronome/cadence tape. 

Procedure: After a 10-minute warm-up, the athlete steps up and down at 30 steps per minute for 5 minutes or until exhausted, then sits down immediately. Pulse is measured between 1–1.5 minutes after exercise for the short form; for the long form, pulses are also measured at 2–2.5 and 3–3.5 minutes. Fitness Index is then calculated using the appropriate formula.