Studies in Physical Efficiency of College Students

Step tests of cardiorespiratory fitness suitable for mass testing.

“…The earliest reported step test, which came to be known as the Harvard step test (Brouha et al, 1944), was a single-stage test and was designed for use with undergraduate male students. The test requires the subject to step up and down on a 20" bench at a rate of 120 85 steps per minute (i.e., 30 cycles/min to a four-beat count) for a period of 5 minutes unless the subject stops from exhaustion before 5 minutes.…”

“…The pulse is counted from 1 to 11/2, 2 to 2%, 3 to 3% minutes during the recovery period and performance (Physical Fitness Index, PFI) is assessed by means of a formula which incorporates the duration of stepping and the sum of the three pulse counts. Brouha et al (1944) presented PFI norms which were based on results obtained from over 8,000 male students. In its original form the Harvard step test is a very strenuous test and as such is not suitable for use with untrained and aged people (Ryhming, 1953).…”

“…Michael and Adams, 1964). ii) a score based on the duration of stepping and the sum of three pulse counts during recovery (Brouha et al, 1944). iii) a score based on the ratio of heart rate during recovery to body weight (e.g.…”

Stepping From Belgium to the United States and Back: The Conceptualization and Impact of the Harvard Step Test, 1942–2012

“…e.g., Brouha, Fradd, & Savage, 1944;Brouha, Graybiel, & Heath, 1943;Gallagher & Brouha, 1943a, 1943cHeath, Woods, Brouha, Seltzer, & Bock, 1943;Johnson et al, 1942;Johnson, Brouha, & Gallagher, 1943;, the HST was of immediate practical relevance during the Second World War. The U.S. Army implemented the HST at its training and selection centers to classify men into groups with respect to their ability to perform hard physical work and to select those who turned out to "fit" the profile.…”

Flexibility for What?

“…You may recall that the athletes in training at Harvard dropped in "dynamic fitness," according to Brouha's studies during the war years, when they changed from the crew squad to the body-building and conditioning group (6). High levels of fitness are results of very strenuous, highly motivated work.…”