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Assessment

Rockport 1-Mile Walk Test

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vo2maxwalk-testrockportsubmaximalcardiorespiratorylow-intensity

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DefinitionA short reference note, not a full lesson.
Definition

Walk one mile as briskly as you can, record your time and your immediate post-walk heart rate, and plug them with age/sex/weight into the Rockport equation for estimated VO2max — a gentle option for the less fit.

Detail

The Rockport Fitness Walking Test (Kline et al., 1987) estimates VO2max from a brisk 1-mile (1.609-km) walk on a flat course. It suits deconditioned adults, older adults, and beginners for whom a run test is inappropriate.

Protocol: warm up; walk 1 mile as fast as possible (steady brisk pace, no jogging); record total time (minutes, decimal) and heart rate in the final ~15 s / immediately on finishing (bpm).

Equation (Kline et al., 1987): VO2max (mL·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹) = 132.853 − (0.0769 × weight_lb) − (0.3877 × age) + (6.315 × sex) − (3.2649 × time_min) − (0.1565 × HR_bpm)

  • sex: male = 1, female = 0
  • weight in pounds, time in decimal minutes, HR = ending heart rate.

Derived from 343 adults aged 30–69; accuracy ~±10–15% vs. lab VO2max. Requires an honest brisk pace and an accurate ending HR (use a monitor or count quickly). Less valid in very fit people who can't elevate HR enough at walking pace.

Key facts

  • Walk 1 mile briskly; record time and ending HR.
  • VO2max = 132.853 − 0.0769·wt(lb) − 0.3877·age + 6.315·sex − 3.2649·time(min) − 0.1565·HR; sex: M=1, F=0.
  • Validated in adults 30–69; accuracy ~±10–15%.
  • Good for deconditioned/older adults; weak for the very fit.

Connections

Sources

Cited in text — not yet linked
Kline et al., "Estimation of VO2max from a one-mile track walk, gender, age, and body weight," Med Sci Sports Exerc 19:253–259 (1987); ACSM's Guidelines (10th/11th ed.).

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Atlas Connections

Cardiorespiratory Fitness Norms (VO2max)Closely related
Reference tables (Cooper Institute / ACSM) place a person's VO2max into percentile/category by age and sex — the basis for calling a score poor, average, or excellent and for tracking change.
Exercise & Recovery Heart Rate
Heart rate during exercise indexes intensity; how fast it falls afterward (heart-rate recovery) indexes fitness and autonomic health.
1.5-Mile Run & Cooper 12-Minute Run TestsClosely related
Two maximal-effort distance-running field tests — run 1.5 miles as fast as possible, or cover as much ground as possible in 12 minutes — converted to estimated VO2max by regression equations.
Estimating VO2max — Methods OverviewClosely related
When direct gas analysis isn't available, VO2max is estimated from submaximal HR responses, maximal field-test performance, or step-test recovery — trading accuracy for practicality.
Walking (Cardio Modality)
The most accessible, lowest-impact aerobic modality — brisk walking reaches moderate intensity and is the default starting point for most beginners.
Seniors (Redirect → Older Adults)
"Seniors" content lives in the canonical Older Adults / Seniors module.