Rockport walk test

The Rockport test is one measured mile, walked as fast as you can, with your pulse taken the moment you stop. This times the walk and turns it into an estimated VO₂max.

Get to the start

0:10

Walk one measured mile as fast as you can without running, then take your pulse straight away. A flat route and a known distance matter more than the surface.

Before you start

Walk, do not run: the equation was built on walking and a jog invalidates it.
Take your pulse the moment you stop, because heart rate falls quickly and a late count reads low.
Use a flat, measured mile. Hills change the effort and the result with it.
Gentler than the Cooper test, which is why it suits people returning to exercise. If in doubt about your health, ask a doctor first.

The estimate comes from the same published equation the VO₂max calculator uses, where the method and its source are set out in full. A field test estimates; it does not measure the way a laboratory test does.