Chester step test

[bobthefatfish]

I have my medical coming up soon and am trying to find information on the "Chester Step Test" but there seems to be very little info out-there.

Can anyone offer some words of advice???

Thanx
Jonah

[Andy Cole]

What do you need to know?

Basically it's a step of about 30cms(I think) and you have to go up and down it in time with the beep on a tape/cd. The beep gets progressively quicker as the time goes by, you are wired up to a hearyt monitor and the person taking the test draws a graph of your heart rate, you have to reach a certain level which is determined by your age and Brigade standards.

In my opinion it is an out of date unfair measure of fitness levels!!

[Fireguy1230]

I also believe that when you reach 80% of your MHR (Max Heart Rate) they will stop the test.

 You can calculate your MHR by subtracting your age from 220. ie for a 20 year old, their MHR would be 200 beats per minute. So when the candidate reaches 180 beats per minute, the doctor will stop the test. During the test your heart rate is taken at regular intervals and the readings are plotted on a graph. The doctor then calculates your Aerobic Capacity using these readings.

 I would advise you to build up your leg muscle endurance, as the stepping motion can be quite tiring. And avoid tea, coffee and cigarettes 2-3 hrs before the test, as they will elevate your heart rate.

 Good luck.

[Pitters79]

I work for the company Fitech, we are the people that devise these fitness tests and record the information.

If anybody has any questions or would like some advice on fitness assessment I would be happy to answer your questions. Please email me at r.pitkin@fitech.co.uk.

To answer some of your questions, the chester step test is a very good indication of a person fitness. Some people may fail the test, this is only because they are not aerobically fit.

To gain entry into the fire service you have to reach a minimum VO2 max of 40ml/kg/min which is tested by the chester step test. This level is well above a normal persons fitness, to reach this level you must be fit, a good guide to how fit you must be would equate to being able to run a mile in under 7 minutes.

This test was selected as it mimics the job stresses a firefighter may endure, ie climbing steps or ladders.

Regards

Robin Pitkin

BSc, Msc (Sports Science)