Pre-Assessment Walking Step Test

READY TO STEP?

Our YMCA at U.S. Steel Tower staff are here to walk you through how to complete this easy and quick pre step test for the 2020 Summer Steppin' Member Challenge. 

The Rockport walking test evaluates the capacity of your lungs in relation to the volume of exercise you can tolerate. It is designed for both women and men between the ages of 20 and 69.

What you Need for the Test

  • A stopwatch
  • A level one-mile (1.6-kilometer) track (not a treadmill)
  • A good pair of walking shoes
  • Appropriate walking clothes
  • An accurate scale (in pounds)

How the Test Is Performed
To take the Rockport walking test, you will need to find a level, one-mile course. High school tracks are usually ideal. For most of these tracks, four laps around the innermost lane equal one mile.

You can also use an online mapping app to measure out a one-mile course on an unobstructed path or walkway with no stop signs, ditches, barriers, or elevation. Even a rise of 3 percent can alter the outcome of the test.

To perform the Rockport walking test:

  • Warm up for five to 10 minutes with light stretching.
  • Start your stopwatch and immediately commence walking
  • as fast as you can. Make every effort to push yourself,
  • but avoid speed walking or power walking.
  • At the end of the one mile, stop your stopwatch and
  • record your time in decimals. For example, 11 minutes plus
  • (30 seconds ÷ 60 seconds) = 11.5 minutes.
  • Take your heart rate immediately. If taking your own pulse, count the
  • heartbeats for 15 seconds and multiply by four. For example, if there are
  • 40 heartbeats in 15 seconds, your heart rate would be 160 beats per
  • minutes (bpm).
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