step test

(graphic arts) A series of exposures made to determine the optimum exposures of either film or paper prints.

A test of cardiovascular fitness involving a period of stepping on and off a bench or chair and comparing pulse rates before and after the exercise. The quicker the pulse returns to its normal resting rate, the fitter the individual. There are a number of variations. The Harvard step test was devised at Harvard University during the Second World War. In this test, you step on and off a 20 inch (50.8 cm) bench with alternate feet, repeating the sequence at a steady rhythm of 30 times a minute for up to 5 minutes or until exhausted. Your pulse is taken before the exercise and again 1 minute, 2 minutes, and 3 minutes after the exercise. Fitness levels are estimated from the rate at which the pulse returns to its resting level. Although cheap and easy to do, the step test is not very reliable as a medical test of cardiovascular fitness, and has been largely superseded by other exercise tests (see graded exercise test). However, its beneficial effects on the heart and vascular system have been recognized and incorporated into step aerobics, a very popular type of exercise usually performed to music.

A test of cardiorespiratory fitness that evaluates changes in pulse rate in response to standard workloads. The step test is based on the ability of the subject to recover from the workload as determined by the time required for the pulse rate to return to a predetermined percentage of the resting pulse rate. There are several different step tests, each with its own protocol, but one of the first to be used on a wide scale was the Harvard step test.