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CS Treadmill Owner’s Guide
34
Gerkin Fitness Test
:
About the
Gerkin Test
One way to measure your overall fitness is to take a Gerkin
fitness test. Named after the Arizona researcher who designed
this test, this submaximal treadmill test (submaximal means
you work below maximum effort) is used to predict VO
2
max:
the volume of oxygen you can consume while exercising at
your maximum capacity. This particular test has gained great
popularity in the firefighter and law enforcement community.
Like most fitness tests, it is classified as a graded exercise test
(GXT). The test is stopped at the point your heart rate reaches
85% of your age-predicted maximum.
Select the Gerkin test under the Advanced Options key.
Enter your age, which is used to calculate your test termination
point.
The Gerkin protocol starts
at 4.5 miles per hour at a
0% incline. It then increases
speed or incline every 60
seconds. For example, at
the seven-minute mark, the
speed increases to 6 miles
per hour while the incline
raises to 8%.
When your heart rate
reaches 85% of your age-
predicted maximum, the
test waits for your heart rate
to exceed the target for 15
seconds, then terminates the test.
The version of the Gerkin
Protocol that TRUE uses in its
exercise machines is the new
equation of 205.8 – 0.685*age.
To better understand why we
selected this method over the
outdated “220 – age” maximal
heart rate equation, you can
review the scientific paper in
Journal of Exercise Physiology,
a PDF document located
at http://www.asep.org/
Documents/Robergs2.pdf.
Using the
Gerkin Test