While walking, hiking or doing other cardiovascular exercise, you might focus on your breathing or heart rate to gauge how hard you’re working. That’s a perfectly good approach, but it won’t tell you how aerobically fit you are. One of the easiest DIY ways to gauge your cardiovascular fitness is the 3-minute step test, which assesses how quickly your heart rate recovers after exercise.
Simply put: “The faster your heart rate recovers after doing aerobic exercise, the stronger and healthier it is and the more aerobically fit you are,” says Autumn Calabrese, a fitness and nutrition expert and BODi Super Trainer. “The step test measures cardiovascular strength and endurance—and it’s a good way to evaluate your current fitness level.”
All you need to complete the simple test is a 12″-high step or bench and a stopwatch or timer. Try it and see how you do!
3-minute step test
Before you start stepping, make sure you’re wearing comfortable workout clothes and flat-soled tennis or walking shoes. Warm up for 2 minutes by marching in place or doing jumping jacks.
Next, set your timer and step onto the box or bench with your right foot, placing your foot full on the the bench. Bring your left foot next to it. Step down onto the floor with your right foot, then left. Keep this pattern going, maintaining a consistent up-up-down-down rhythm. “You want to hit 22 to 24 steps per minute,” Calabrese says. To keep your pace, repeat “up-up-down-down” as you step or set a metronome to 130 beats per minute.
Maintain good posture by pulling your belly button toward your spine to engage your core, help with balance and protect your back. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Let your arms move freely with the up-and-down motion.
After 90 seconds, switch feet, leading with your left foot. After 3 total minutes, stop stepping, stand still and check your pulse at the wrist or your neck. Count the beats for 15 seconds then multiply the number by four.
How did you do?
If your heartbeat is:
Under 94 beats: Excellent
94–104 beats: Good
105–115 beats: Above average
116–120 beats: Average
121 beats or higher: Below average
“The lower your heart rate is after the test, the higher your fitness level is,” explains Calabrese.
If you struggled
“There’s no reason to get down on yourself or frustrated—it’s just data,” says Calabrese. You can boost your cardiovascular strength and fitness by walking regularly, using a stair-climber, doing high-intensity interval training or swimming. “Repeat the test every 30 to 60 days as you continue to exercise,” she advises. Chances are, your heart rate recovery will gradually improve.
If you’re in the good-to-excellent range
“Keep up what you’re doing for exercise,” Calabrese says. “If you want to push yourself harder in your workouts, you can.” But that doesn’t mean you’ll do the step test any differently. She advises repeating the test periodically to make sure you remain in the “good” zone or higher!
The bottom line
The results of this test reveal where you are now in terms of cardiovascular strength and endurance, which allows you to tailor your workouts accordingly, Calabrese says. “It’s a really good way to assess how you’re doing and continue to challenge yourself.”
