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8.2.1: Rockport Walk Test Calculation

  • Page ID
    100905
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    Part B1- Rockport Walk Test Calculation

    132.853 - (0.0769 × Weight) - (0.3877 × Age) + (6.315 × Gender) - (3.2649 × Time) - (0.1565 × HR)

    Where:

    · Weight is in pounds (lbs)

    · Gender Male = 1 and Female = 0

    · Finish time is in minutes and 100ths of minutes. Every 6 seconds is a 0.1, every 15 is 0.25 minutes

    · Heart rate is in beats/minute. Make sure to take the HR for 10 seconds and multiply by 6 to get beats/min. If you had 20 beats in 10 seconds, it would be 20*6 = 120 bpm

    · Age is in years

    We will now figure out what % of your VO2max you did the walk in. Using the example previously, the VO2 was 14.23 for a person who walked a mile in 15 minutes. If that person was a 30 year old male, weighing 160 pounds, and had a 110 bpm heart rate for the walk- then estimated VO2max from the Rockport is:

    · 132.853- (0.0769 x 160) – (0.3877 x 30) + (6.315 x 1) – (3.2649 x 15.0)- (0.1565 x 110)

    · 132.853 - 12.304 - 11.631 + 6.315 - 48.974 - 17.215=

    · 139.168 – 90.124= 49.0 ml/kg/min

    So- 14.23/ 49= 29% of the VO2max. Which is about right for a moderate intensity walk. The percentage of heart rate reserve was 34%. These two values are relatively close to each other. If we used % of Max HR it would be 110/187 or 59% no where near the other values.

    Calculation of VO2 from Walking Speed (on the Rockport test)

    VO2= [0.1 (ml/kg/min) * walking speed (meters/min)] + 3.5 (ml/kg/min)

    1) Find out your finishing time. 1609.3 meters/mile so if you did the mile in 15 minutes

    2) 1609.3/15= 107.3 meters/min

    3) So .1 * 107.3 = 10.73 + 3.5= 14.23 ml/kg/min is the metabolic cost to walk that speed (no incline).

    4) The grade (% incline) was eliminated from this equation because we were on a flat surface. You would add the term [1.8 x speed (m/min) x grade (%)].


    This page titled 8.2.1: Rockport Walk Test Calculation is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Mark Kelly.

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