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Most recreational gym members focus on aesthetics and, therefore, measurements such as weight, waist/hip circumference and body fat percentage. However, if you’re more serious about your fitness, training or sport, a more stringent approach is to evaluate physical conditioning levels.

Maximal aerobic capacity testing
While maximal aerobic capacity testing, known as VO₂max, is the gold standard for measuring aerobic fitness, it is very costly. The test is administered by a highly experienced individual, usually in a laboratory, and involves exercising to complete exhaustion.

Cardiovascular machines in gyms and health clubs today are usually programmed with built in fitness testing using heart rate as a measure and are fairly straightforward to use. The key is to monitor the heart rate response to a given workload over time. Training and conditioning should lead to a lower heart rate, as the cardiovascular system becomes more efficient and therefore better able to respond to the stress of subsequent workloads or testing.

Principles of assessing aerobic fitness
To ensure safety and produce an outcome measure that is reliable and valid, some key principles need to be followed in assessing aerobic fitness:

1. Specificity: If your sport is cycling or running, then it is unwise to complete a fitness test using the cross trainer for example, so test the specific activity you wish to improve on.
2. Validity: This refers to the test measuring the component of fitness that it intends to. Aerobic endurance is quite different from anaerobic conditioning for example, and you will only be wanting to measure one outcome in each test.
3. Objectivity: This principle ensures no biases are given. The test protocol should result in the same outcome measures regardless of who is conducting the test.
4. Reliability: If you do not change your training between tests then the tests, if reliable, should show the same result.

Conducting fitness tests in a gym or studio is fairly straightforward as long as these principles are set in place, medical screening and safety concerns are addressed (make sure potential risks are discussed with a trainer or medical professional beforehand, particularly if you suffer from any medical conditions), and you are well aware of the protocol. Tests can be performed in an aerobic studio if it provides enough space or an area in the gym that can be sectioned off for fitness testing purposes.

If there are limitations that prevent certain tests from being performed, then even simple tests such as the UKK Walk Test, a 2km walking test on a flat surface, can be implemented as it is still a valid measure of VO₂max. Examples of simple sub-maximal aerobic tests that can also be administered in a gym or health club are the Harvard and Chester Step tests.

Chester Step test
This test requires you to step up and down at a specific height at a specific pace until 80% of your maximum heart rate has been obtained, or you have reached your perceived rate of exertion.

With the Chester Step test, the pace is increased every two minutes, at which time the heart rate is taken and then plotted to predict your VO₂max score. This is a simple and effective test that has shown a high correlation to maximal VO₂max testing (Sykes and Roberts, 2004).

Although you may not be able to calculate your own VO₂max score without the help of a fitness professional, here are the average scores to help you to determine your rating.

Maximal oxygen uptake norms for men (ml/kg/min)

Age (years)
Rating	18-25	26-35	36-45	46-55	56-65	65+
Excellent	> 60	> 56	> 51	> 45	> 41	> 37
Good	52-60	49-56	43-51	39-45	36-41	33-37
Above average	47-51	43-48	39-42	36-38	32-35	29-32
Average	42-46	40-42	35-38	32-35	30-31	26-28
Below average	37-41	35-39	31-34	29-31	26-29	22-25
Poor	30-36	30-34	26-30	25-28	22-25	20-21
Very poor	< 30	< 30	< 26	< 25	< 22	< 20

Maximal oxygen uptake norms for women (ml/kg/min)

Age (years)
Rating	18-25	26-35	36-45	46-55	56-65	65+
Excellent	> 56	> 52	> 45	> 40	> 37	> 32
Good	47-56	45-52	38-45	34-40	32-37	28-32
Above average	42-46	39-44	34-37	31-33	28-31	25-27
Average	38-41	35-38	31-33	28-30	25-27	22-24
Below average	33-37	31-34	27-30	25-27	22-24	19-21
Poor	28-32	26-30	22-26	20-24	18-21	17-18
Very poor	< 28	< 26	< 22	< 20	< 18	< 17

Beep test
Another popular aerobic capacity test is the beep test, also referred to as the multistage fitness test, developed at Loughborough, that is used in sports such as football, rugby, hockey and tennis, and is also one of the tests administered by fire and police departments.

The test involves running continuously between two markers 20 metres apart to a recorded beep so, like the Chester Step test, it is simple to administer in a health club or gym setting. You must reach the marker before the beep, which increases in speed every minute. When you can no longer keep up with the beeps, you must withdraw from the test.

Scoring for the beep test is determined by the number of levels (L) and shuttles (S) completed. Pass marks vary depending on the purpose, but reaching level 8 shuttle 4 is common.

Males

Age	Excellent	High average	Average	Low average	Poor
14-16	L12  S7	L11 S2	L8 S9	L7 S1	< L6 S6
17-20	L12 S12	L11 S6	L9 S2	L7 S6	< L7 S3
21-30	L12 S12	L11 S7	L9 S3	L7 S8	< L7 S5
31-40	L11 S7	L10 S4	L6 S10	L6 S7	< L6 S4
41-50	L10 S4	L9 S4	L6 S9	L5 S9	< L5 S2

Females

Age	Excellent	High average	Average	Low average	Poor
14-16	L10 S9	L9 S1	L6 S7	L5 S1	< L4 S7
17-20	L10 S11	L9 S3	L6 S8	L5 S2	< L4 S9
21-30	L10 S8	L9 S2	L6 S6	L5 S1	< L4 S9
31-40	L10 S4	L8 S7	L6 S3	L4 S6	< L4 S5
41-50	L9 S9	L7 S2	L5 S7	L4 S2	< L4 S1

The aim of physiological testing is to assess what level you are presently at so you can measure your progress in meeting your fitness goals. Through designing a specific training regime, physiological efficiency should improve as the cardiovascular system becomes stronger and more capable.

For testing strength and strength endurance, click here.

 

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Mike Heatlie is a personal trainer who has worked with the likes of American singer Gwen Stefani and boxer Alex Arthur. He has over 20 years’ experience in the industry and owns a prestigious personal training studio in Edinburgh.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not of Fitness Professionals Ltd or Virtual Magazine. Consult a qualified health or fitness professional before making changes to your diet or exercise. 

 

 

 

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