Measuring your fitness level regularly is one way to find out if you're making progress. Most fitness centers have trained staff who can evaluate your body composition, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, and cardiovascular endurance, but it can be pricey. If you don’t have access to all the toys and This One-Mile Walking Test measures your aerobic (cardiovascular) fitness level based on how quickly you are able to walk a mile at a Equipment Needed: Comfortable clothing and sturdy walking or running shoes; a stopwatch or a clock with a second hand; a flat one-mile walking surface, such as a standard quarter-mile track (four laps equals one mile) or a flat road where you've measured the one-mile distance with your car's odometer. Goal: Walk one mile as quickly as possible. Execution: We suggest that youdo not attempt this test until you are routinely walking for 15 to 20 minutes several times per week. Do not perform this test on a treadmill, as it will skew your results. Warm up by walking slowly for three to five minutes. When you are ready to begin, start the clock and begin walking as fast as you can while maintaining a steady pace. You can slow down and speed up as you wish, but the goal is to complete the mile as quickly as possible. Stop your watch or check your time at the end of the mile to the nearest second. When finished, keep walking for a few minutes to cool down. Follow up with a few stretches. Ratings for Men, Based on Age Ratings for Women, Based on Age Maybe you’ll find that you’re doing really well. But even if you weren't able to register on the chart, that's OK. Everyone starts somewhere! Just try to improve gradually over time from where you started. Remember, you are looking for improvement in yourself, regardless of what a chart says or how well someone else does. How to improve: To improve your scores on this test, develop a regular cardio (aerobic) exercise routine and stick to it. Increase your intensity and duration gradually and you'll boost your endurance over time. Use the SparkPeople resources below for more tips to improve your aerobic fitness. This will build a good aerobic base and over time, your heart will become more efficient, which means that it will be able to do the same amount of work without working as hard. If your exercise of choice is walking, think about incorporating a little bit of higher intensity intervals, such as hills or light jogging. How to know its working: When you're done testing, you can track your results to have a visual representation of your progress! Over time, you should be able to walk faster without getting as tired. Retest yourself at least twice a year. This test is a great tool to see how you are doing. If you don’t score as well as you like, just remember to focus on improving your own scores periodically. As long as you are improving, your fitness plan is working. If you find you aren’t making the progress that you feel you should be seeing, it may be time to change your workout routine.
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Scoring: Here are the age-adjusted standards (listed in minutes and seconds) for men and women, which are based on information collected from the Cooper Institute, American Council on Exercise and other sources.Age 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70+ Excellent <11:54 <12:24 <12:54 <13:24 <14:06 <15:06 Good 11:54-13:00 12:24-13:30 12:54-14:00 13:24-14:24 14:06-15:12 15:06-15:48 Average 13:01-13:42 13:31-14:12 14:01-14:42 14:25-15:12 15:13-16:18 15:49-18:48 Fair 13:43-14:30 14:13-15:00 14:43-15:30 15:13-16:30 16:19-17:18 18:49-20:18 Poor >14:30 >15:00 >15:30 >16:30 >17:18 >20:18 Age 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70+ Excellent <13:12 <13:42 <14:12 <14:42 <15:06 <18:18 Good 13:12-14:06 13:42-14:36 14:12-15:06 14:42-15:36 15:06-16:18 18:18-20:00 Average 14:07-15:06 14:37-15:36 15:07-16:06 15:37-17:00 16:19-17:30 20:01-21:48 Fair 15:07-16:30 15:37-17:00 16:07-17:30 17:01-18:06 17:31-19:12 21:49-24:06 Poor >16:30 >17:00 >17:30 >18:06 >19:12 >24:06
FAQs
What is the 1 mile Cooper test? ›
The Cooper Test is a maximum effort, 12-minute run designed by Kenneth Cooper, MD to test your cardiorespiratory fitness. The test has a very high correlation with VO2 max lab testing, which makes the 12-minute run or the 1.5-mile run version of the Cooper Test the most accurate self-test for VO2 max (1, 3).
What is the Rockport 1 mile walking test used to evaluate? ›The Rockport Walk Test (RWT) is a 1-mile walk used to estimate the maximal volume of oxygen uptake (V(O2)max). The purpose of this study was to validate the RWT on a nonmotorized curved treadmill (CT).
What is the mile run walk test? ›The one-mile endurance run or walk test is a commonly used walk/run test of aerobic endurance. The aim is to complete one mile in the fastest possible time. Many other variations of running and walking tests are described elsewhere on this website.
What is the FitnessGram mile walk test? ›The 1-Mile Walk Test requires the participant to walk one mile in the quickest possible time, and using post exericse heart rate to estimate VO2max. This is a walking test of aerobic fitness which is an alternative to the PACER test for FitnessGram participants.
How to do a 1 mile 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. ...
- Take your heart rate immediately.
The one-mile walking test is an evaluation of cardiovascular fitness, that seeks to predict an individual's aerobic capacity, which is also known as VO2 max, or maximal oxygen consumption.
How accurate is the 1 mile walk test? ›In conclusion, the 1-mile walk test is a valid predictor of VO(2max) and can be used as an alternative fitness test to the 1.5-mile run in assessing cardiovascular fitness in Air Force males. Content may be subject to copyright. prevention since its inception in 1947. who are medically exempt from running.
What should your heart rate be for the 1 mile walk test? ›Walk the 1.0 mile course at a brisk, steady pace (the exercise heart rate at the end of the test should be above 120 beats per minute).
How many minutes is a 1 mile walk? ›Between 11 to 15 minutes, ideally. If you walk at a more relaxed pace, are new to fitness or are older, your average mile time may be closer to 20 minutes.
What is the Pacer 1 mile test? ›Students are tasked with running at the specified pace as long as possible until they fail to reach the finish line twice before the next lap starts. In the one-mile run test, the students were asked to complete the one mile run as fast as they can and the time they finished the run was recorded by the teacher.
What is the formula for the walk test? ›
The resulting gender-specific regression equations explained about 40% of the variance in the distance walked for healthy adults: for men, 6MWD = (7.57 x heightcm) - (5.02 x age) - (1.76 x weightkg) - 309 m, and for women, 6MWD = (2.11 x heightcm) - (2.29 x weightkg) - (5.78 x age) + 667 m.
How to improve 1 mile walk time? ›The single best way to walk a mile faster than you are currently walking is to walk more and improve your fitness. You can do walking workouts or follow a walking training program that improves your walking distance and intensity.
Is the Rockport walk test reliable? ›Conclusion. The Rockport Walking Test is the most accurate walking-based fitness test to estimate your VO2 max. Using the methods described in this article, you can get a reliable fitness measurement to compare to healthy standards for your age group.
What should your heart rate be after walking a mile? ›For the high end of your target heart rate, multiply 220 bpm minus your age by 0.85 (85 percent). For example, for a 40-year-old it'd be 180 bpm x 0.85 = 153 bpm. For this person, their target heart rate while walking would be between 90 and 153 beats per minute.
What is a good score for the Cooper Test? ›| Age | Excellent | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Male 20-29 | over 2800 meters | 2200-2399 meters |
| Females 20-29 | over 2700 meters | 1800-2199 meters |
| Males 30-39 | over 2700 meters | 1900-2299 meters |
| Females 30-39 | over 2500 meters | 1700-1999 meters |
The Cooper Test is a running test designed to measure an individual's aerobic fitness and estimate their VO2 max (maximum oxygen consumption). It involves running as far as possible within a set time of 12 minutes.
What are the Cooper Test standards in miles? ›| rating | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|
| Fair | 14:00-12:01 | 18:30-15:55 |
| Good | 12:00-10:46 | 15:54-13:31 |
| Excellent | 10:45-9:45 | 13:30-12:30 |
| Superior | < 9:44 | < 12:29 |
Here's one simple test of 'fitness'. Another test you can use is the 1.5 mile run test? Developed in the 1960s by Dr Cooper, the 12-minute run test measures how far a person can cover (run, walk, jog) in 12 minutes. Simple.