Question

Name the test used to measure cardiovascular fitness and explain its procedure.

Answer 1

The test used to measure cardiovascular fitness is the Harvard Step Test. (In the SAI Khelo India Fitness Test, the 600 m Run/Walk is also used to measure cardiovascular endurance.)

Procedure:

1. The athlete warms up for 10 minutes.
2. The athlete stands before a step of 20 inches (men) or 16 inches (women).
3. On the command “GO”, the tester starts the stopwatch.
4. The athlete steps up and down at 30 steps per minute (every 2 seconds) for 5 minutes (150 steps) or until exhaustion.
5. Exhaustion means the athlete cannot maintain the stepping rate for 15 seconds.
6. After the test, the athlete sits down immediately for 1 minute.
7. Pulse count is recorded between 1 and 1.5 minutes after exercise (Pulse 1). For the long form, pulse counts are also recorded between 2–2.5 minutes (Pulse 2) and 3–3.5 minutes (Pulse 3).
8. The Fitness Index is calculated using: \[\text{Fitness Index} = \frac{100 \times \text{Duration of exercise in seconds}}{5.5 \times \text{Pulse count 1–1.5 min after exercise}}\] Higher scores indicate better cardiovascular fitness.