Harvard Step Test

This is a strenuous test designed for young males and females. This test was developed at the Harvard Fatigue Laboratory during the second World War. The physiological basis of the test involves two concepts:

1.The Harvard Step Test is appropriate for comparing fitness levels in the same person, that is, before and after a training program.

2.It is probably not the best test for comparison among different subjects since, all other things being equal: a) The greater the reflex angle at the knee joint when one foot is on the bench then the lower the score (ie. disadvantages shorter people). b) The greater the absolute leg length the greater the score. The norms for young adults have been developed on over 8000 subjects