Aerobic Tests - Harvard Step Test
This test is designed for healthy young males and females. It is a strenuous test. This test was
developed at the Harvard Fatigue Laboratory during the second World War.
The physiological basis of the test involves two concepts:
1. Since the test involves measuring recovery heart rate then the fitter subjects will recover at a faster rate from a standardised workrate.
2. Trained people will have a lower heart rate at a standardised workrate.
The Harvard Step Test is appropriate for comparing fitness levels in the same person, that is, before and after a training program.