What Is the Step-Up Test in Physical Education?
In physical education classes, the step-up test is used to measure and monitor the health and strength of a person's cardiovascular system.
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How it Works
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While an assistant keeps time using a stopwatch, the person who's taking the test must step up onto a step or gym bench that is 41 to 45 cm high once every two seconds for five minutes.
How it is Measured
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After the test is completed, the person's pulse is taken every minute for three minutes, and a fitness calculation is made from those pulse rates. The calculation is measured by dividing 30,000 by the sum of the three pulse rates.
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Analysis
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Analysis of the step-up Test is dependent on additional test results. With increased cardiovascular training, a person's fitness calculation should improve at each subsequent test.
Scoring
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Based on guidelines published by the YMCA, a healthy step-up test score for men ages 18 to 65 could be anywhere from 50 to 81. A healthy step-up test score for women in the same age range runs from 52 through 92.
A Brief History
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The Harvard Step Test was developed in the 1940s and '50s as a cardiovascular endurance assessment. This test inspired the current group fitness classes called "step aerobics."
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