Pathology Associates Of Lexington, P.A.

Cardiopulmonary Fitness

It is hard to find normal ranges for these parameters...I've tried to give at least some info. But do online searches for these parameters or markers...and I'm thinking in terms of performance ranges for those age 50 or older...and for those whose true resting pulse rate (after awakening in the morning and while still in bed) is greater than 50 and less than 100. If yours is less than 50 or greater than 100, see a doctor.

stair climbing test of Van Norstrand: people who cannot make it up two flights of stairs (about 44 steps) have about a 50% risk of dieing after major surgery. If you can't make it up two flights of stairs, see a doctor...if you are not already under the close care of a doctor.
12 minute walk test...a distance test: this is a field test to see how much distance you can cover in 12 minutes, walking, jogging, or running.
6 minute walk test (6MWT)...a distance test: see how far you can walk in 6 minutes.
6 minute step test: an indoor, step in place test, being the number of full steps (knee coming up halfway between knee height & waist height) one can take in place, counting each leg as a step, sort of as in military marching cadence).
talk test: This is subjective rating. The talk test is useful in determining your safe & effective comfort zone of exercise intensity (how hard to exercise), especially if you are just beginning an exercise program. If you are able to talk during your workout without a great deal of strain, you’re most likely in your comfort zone. Work at an intensity that allows you to breathe comfortably and rhythmically throughout all phases of your workout. This will ensure a safe and comfortable level of exercise during treadmill, biking, walking or other steady exercise at a rate where you can still comfortably "talk".
And it allows you to know your "training heart [pulse] rate zone" if you take your pulse rate at your comfort zone during the talk test.

Borg scale Ratings of Perceived Exertion (RPE): This is a "how hard should I exercise?" subjective rating. On a scale of 0 - 10, rate how you’re feeling in terms how strenuous & fatiguing, including how you feel both physically and mentally, you feel your exercising is...how "hard" you are having to "put out". You should be exercising between an RPE of 4 (somewhat strong) and an RPE of 5 or 6 (strong) as judged by the following table (to determine the intensity level of your exercise session):

RPE level	how I'm doing
0	not feeling anything
0.5	very, very weak effort
1	very weak effort
2	weak
3	making moderate effort
4	somewhat strong
5	strong
6
7	very strong
8
9
10	striving hard as I can go!

Kasch one minute pulse recovery test: Step up and down on a bench of height 12 inches for three minutes. Perform the test at a pace of 24 complete steps per minute or a 96 rate on a metronome. At the end of three minutes sit down on the bench and don't talk. Beginning with 5 seconds after sitting down, count your pulse for a full minute. Compare your one minute heart rate with the following chart for middle aged males (***I suppose that you could use the pulse rate, as above, but after any exercise session in which you were at a correct "talk test" or RPE level). [website with more complete table]

Your condition status	your pulse rate @ 1 minute after exercise session
Excellent	75-80
Good	85-90
Average	95-115
Fair	120-125
Poor	130-135

Karvonen target heart rate: This is a heart rate reserve formula, & the formula takes into consideration your morning in-bed resting heart rate and your age. Now, 220 minus your age = maximum heart rate. Then, maximum heart rate minus resting (baseline) heart rate gives the heart rate reserve (HRR) that you have to exercise with...that you can boost into. Then you figure your "exercise training heart rate" range by taking the fractions of that reserve in the below table and add them back to your baseline or resting heart rate. [on-line calculator]
Now here are the intensity of workout target zones:
- beginner or low/poor fitness person: 50-60% of HRR.
- average fitness: 60-70% of HRR.
- high fitness level: 75-85% of HRR.
You pick your fitness level & note the % range (for example, "average fitness has a % range of 60-70%). And, here is the formula to calculate a "training heart rate".
[maximum heart rate minus resting heart rate] x [lower %]= the training heart rate, lower limit.
[maximum heart rate minus resting heart rate] x [higher %]= the training heart rate, higher limit.
As you exercise, you want to keep your heart rate between the above-calculated upper & lower heart rates. Here is a website example of calculations by Vicki R. Pierson, ACE Certified Personal Trainer.
The Rockport Fitness Walking Test:

References:

internet...searching with Google.

(posted 19 Sept. 2004)