Aerobic fitness is the ability to perform prolonged periods of exercise, such as running or cycling, where the oxygen that is breathed in is used and transferred to the muscles in order to meet the demands of the exercise.  A step test can be used as a simple, cost-efficient, and practical method to predict aerobic fitness levels.  The step test, also known as the Modified Canadian Aerobic Fitness Test (mCAFT) involves the participant to lift their own body weight up and down a set of double stairs at a rate that is predetermined.  This maximal heart rate that the step test produces is approximately 85% of the predicted maximum heart rate, which can be linearly related to an individual’s maximum oxygen uptake.  Please find below the values recorded from a step test, as well as interpretations of each health benefit zone.