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Bjornsson Deadlifted 1,026 pounds On The Elephant Bar To Win 2020 Arnold Classic
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How To Conduct An At-Home Heart Health Test

The equipment you need is stair-ing you in the face. - by Ben Jhoty
  • 30 Dec 2020
How To Conduct An At-Home Heart Health Test
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As fitness tests go it doesn’t get much simpler. If you live in an apartment block you don’t even need to leave home. Just head out the front door, give the side-eye to the elevator and head to the stairwell (don’t live in an apartment? Try it at your office). 

 

Now, walk as quickly as you can up four flights of stairs. If you can do it in less than a minute, you’re in good heart health, according to research presented to the European Society of Cardiology.

Jump Running GIF by SoulPancake - Find & Share on GIPHY

"The stairs test is an easy way to check your heart health," says study author Dr Jesús Peteiro, a cardiologist at University Hospital A Coruña, Spain. 

On the verge of collapse by the second or third flight? "If it takes you more than one-and-a-half minutes to ascend four flights of stairs, your health is suboptimal, and it would be a good idea to consult a doctor," Peteiro adds. 

The study was designed to examine the relationship between a daily activity, such as stair climbing and fitness results gleaned from more traditional, lab-based exercise testing. Participants had previously displayed symptoms of coronary heart disease, such as chest pain or shortness of breath during exercise. 

Initially the researchers had the participants walk or run on a treadmill, gradually increasing the intensity until exhaustion. Exercise capacity was measured as metabolic equivalents (METs). After resting for 20 minutes, patients then climbed four flights of stairs (60 stairs) at a fast pace without stopping, but without running. 

College of Lake County GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

Results of the METs achieved during exercise testing and the stairs were compared, with patients who climbed the stairs in less than 40-45 seconds achieving more than 9-10 METs.  Scoring 10 METs during an exercise test is linked with a low mortality rate (1 per cent or less per year, or 10 per cent in 10 years). In contrast, patients who took 1.5 minutes or longer to climb the stairs achieved less than 8 METs, or a mortality rate of 2-4 per cent per year, or 30 per cent in 10 years. 

Needless to say, regularly taking the stairs is likely to improve results on both tests. Think of it as your stairway to (heart) heaven... sorry, we had to. 

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Ben Jhoty
Ben Jhoty
Ben Jhoty, Men’s Health’s Deputy Editor, attempts to honour the brand’s health-conscious, aspirational ethos on weekdays while living marginally larger on weekends. A new father, when he’s not rocking an infant to sleep, he tries to get to the gym, shoot hoops and binge on streaming shows.

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