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Gerkin Fitness Test
CHAPTER FOUR: GERKIN FITNESS 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 VO2 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.
Using the
Gerkin Test
The version of the Gerkin
Protocol that True Fitness
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this method over the outdated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.pd
f.
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