The Rockport walking test was developed in 1986 by physiologists and cardiologists at the Department of Exercise Science at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and can be used to determine VO2 Max. VO2 Max is the maximum amount of oxygen you can utilize during intense exercise, measured in milliliters of oxygen used per kilogram of body weight per minute (ml/kg/min).
To perform the Rockport walking test:
Warm up for 5 to 10 minutes with easy walking.
Start your stopwatch and immediately start walking as fast as you can. Make every effort to push yourself, but avoid jogging.
At the end of the 1 mile, stop your stopwatch and record your time in decimals. For example, 11 minutes plus (30 seconds ÷ 60 seconds) = 11.5 minutes.
Take your heart rate immediately. If taking your own pulse, count the heartbeats for 15 seconds and multiply by four. For example, if there are 40 heartbeats in 15 seconds, your heart rate would be 160 beats per minute (bpm).
