How to Take a Three-Minute Test to Determine Your Cardiac Health

Heart rate recovery refers to the speed with which your heart rate drops or returns to normal after it has been elevated due to exercise. It is widely accepted as an indication of cardiovascular fitness. If your heart rate recovers quickly following exercise, it is more likely that you are fit. A step test developed by the YMCA will provide a good estimate of your cardiovascular fitness, since it can be conducted under well-studied and standard conditions.

Things You'll Need

  • 12-inch step or box
  • Heart rate monitor
  • Metronome
  • Stop watch
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Instructions

    • 1

      Set your stop watch for three minutes and the metronome so it maintains a pace of 96 beats per minute. Stand in front of a 12-inch step or box.

    • 2

      Step up onto the box with your right foot and then your left in time with the beats of the metronome. Keeping the same pace, step down with the right foot followed by the left. Continue this sequence at a pace of 96 beats per minute for three minutes. At the end of the three minute test session, sit down and measure your pulse for one minute. This is your one-minute recovery heart rate score.

    • 3

      Evaluate your one-minute recovery heart rate score for men using the appropriate chart. Charts provided by the YMCA (see Resources) rate your heart rate recovery according to age and sex. For example, a male aged 18 to 35 years would be rated "excellent" if his heart rate was between 70 and 82 beats a minute after the step test. It would be rated "good" if it was between 83 and 88; "above average" if between 81 and 100; "average" if between 101 and 108; "below average" if between 109 and 117; "fair" if between 118 and 129; and "poor" if between 130 and 164. A post-test heart rate between 72 and 88 would place a man 56 to 85 years of age in the "excellent" category while a rate between 133 and 152 would place him in the "poor" category.

    • 4

      Evaluate your one-minute recovery heart rate score for women using the appropriate chart. For example, a female aged 18 to 35 years would be rated "excellent" if her heart rate was between 72 and 90 during the minute after the stepping exercise. It would be rated "good" if it was between 91 and 102; "above average" if between 103 and 111; "average" if between 112 and 120; "below average" if between 121 and 128; "fair" if between 129 and 135; and "poor" if between 136 and 154. A post-test heart rate between 74 and 82 would place a woman 56 to 85 years of age in the "excellent" category while a rate between 135-151 would be classified as "poor," according to the YMCA charts (see Resources).