Activity: The Harvard Step Test
Number of volunteers: 2-5
You need one volunteer for each step. If you run the tests simultaneous like described below, you may consider an additional person to lead out.
Comments:
Use people to administer this test who enjoy exercising.
We have found that if you are using several steps (or one long step) that it actually works better to test people simultaneously. For each person you test, have one staff checking their resting pulse. When everyone is ready to begin the step test, have one person demonstrate the appropriate rhythm used when stepping up and down the step. At a command everybody starts. If one staff person standing in front of those being tested will also do the movements with them, it helps keep everyone coordinated throughout the test. At the end of the three minutes the staff should be ready to immediately take each participants pulse and record it. Then seat the participants and measure their recovery pulse after five minutes.
Using a metronome, having a big clock upfront or playing recorded music that has a beep for each step up and down is very helpful to keeping everyone stepping at the appropriate pace.
There are certain medical conditions where the administration of the Step Test is not recommended. They include the following:
• Angina pectoris (intermittent chest pain due to a lack of oxygen supply to the heart muscle)
• Heart attack
• Cardiac arrhythmia (abnormal rhythm of the heart)
• Stroke
• Heart failure
• Asthma
• Exercise induced epilepsy
• Pacemaker
• Using Heart or Blood Pressure medications
We recommend that the person doing the exercise screening should either inform each participant of the above precautions or have them read and sign a printed copy of the advisory; a printed copy is provided in the Appendix.
Write their results on the Personal Health Record form. Hand out the Exercise literature
Also familiarize yourself with the handout for your station.