Cardiovascular Fitness Evaluation
The 3-minute step test can provide important information concerning the exercise capacity of your heart and your cardiovascular fitness level. Your pulse rate during exercise is a useful guide to how much work your heart is doing. With this information you can make sure you are exercising with enough intensity to guarantee a good conditioning effect, while not pushing yourself too hard.

Before starting this test you must first answer all of the following questions:

• Has your physician told you that you have heart trouble?
• Have you had chest pains?
• Do you have bouts of sweating, nausea, or difficulty breathing?
• Do you often feel faint or dizzy?
• Do you have a history for a prior heart attack?
• Has your physician told you that you have a bone or joint problem, such as arthritis, that may be aggravated by exercise?
• Do you have high blood pressure?
• Do you have diabetes?
• Are you taking high blood pressure medication or heart medications?
• Are you over the age of 45 and not accustomed to vigorous exercise?

Note: If the answer to any of the above questions is "yes", then check with your doctor before attempting the step test!

General Principles
Stop exercising immediately if you develop extreme shortness of breath, chest pain, lightheadedness, or dizziness. You can determine your pulse rate during exercise by stopping and then measuring your pulse rate for 10 seconds. Multiply this number by 6 to obtain the number of beats per minute. To perform a complete assessment of your cardiovascular fitness, you must perform the step test for a full three minutes using the technique as described below.

How to perform the 3-minute step test:

• Find something sturdy to use as a 12-inch high step. A small bench or a securely tied stack of newspapers or magazines can be used. Do not use a stairway.
• Facing the step, first step up with one foot, and then the other. Next, step down with one foot, then the other. Each sequence of getting up and down from the bench (with both feet) counts as one step.
• The pace is critical.... you must make 24 full steps each minute---that's 2 every 5 seconds for a full 3 minutes!
• After the 3 minutes has elapsed, sit down and take your pulse approximately 5 seconds after completing the step test. Compare results with the standardized charts below.

Resting Heart Rate: determine your heart rate by measuring your pulse when you first awaken or after you have been resting for at least
10 minutes.

Normal Resting Heart Rates

Age Range	Average Beats Per Minute
Newborns	125-135
1 month	120-130
6 months	120-130
1-2 years	110-120
2-3 years	100-110
4-5 years	95-105
6-8 years	90-100
10-12 years	85-95
14 years	75-85
Adults	60-85
Athletes	40-60

Exercise Heart Rate
Measure your pulse rate during exercise to determine how much work your heart is doing (what level of intensity you are exercising at).

Target Heart Rate Levels

Exercise Intensity Level	Target Heart Rate
Low Intensity	50 to 60% max beats per min
Weight Loss Intensity	50 to 70% max beats per min
Average Intensity	60 to 70% max beats per min
High Intensity	70 to 80% max beats per min

Target Heart Rate Age Chart

Age	Exercise Intensity Level
	Low	Weight Loss	Average	High
20	135-148	135-161	148-161	161-174
25	133-145	133-158	145-158	158-170
30	130-142	130-154	142-154	154-166
35	128-139	128-151	139-151	151-162
40	125-136	125-147	136-147	147-158
45	123-133	123-144	133-144	144-154
50	120-130	120-140	130-140	140-150
55	118-127	118-137	127-137	137-146
60	115-124	115-133	124-133	133-142
65	113-121	113-130	121-130	130-138
70	110-118	110-126	118-126	126-134
75	108-115	108-123	115-123	123-130

Note: If you are taking high blood pressure or heart medications that affect your pulse rate, check with your physician to determine the appropriate target heart rate for you.

During exercise your heart should be working hard enough to assure a good training effect, but not so hard as to be unsafe. During exercise you should attempt to keep your heart rate inside the ranges depicted on the target heart rate for exercise chart shown above. These values do not apply to those who are taking beta-blockers, which slow the heart rate, or those who have an artificial pacemaker.

Interpreting Pulse Rate Results of 3 Minute Step Test for Females

Age	18-29	30-39	40-49	50-59	60+
Excellent	pulse to 79	pulse to 83	pulse to 87	pulse to 91	pulse to 94
Average	80-110	84-115	88-118	92-123	95-127
Poor	111+	116+	119+	124+	128+

Interpreting Pulse Rate Results of 3 Minute Step Test for Males

Age	18-29	30-39	40-49	50-59	60+
Excellent	pulse to 74	pulse to 77	pulse to 79	pulse to 84	pulse to 89
Average	75-100	78-109	80-112	85-115	90-118
Poor	101+	110+	113+	116+	119+

Be sure to discuss all results and any symptoms that may arise with your physician.