Balke Treadmill Test
Testing and measurement are the means of collecting information upon which subsequent performance evaluations and decisions are made but in the analysis we need to bear in mind the factors that may influence the results.
Objective
To monitor the development of the athlete's general endurance (VO2 max).
Required Resources
To undertake this test you will require:
- Treadmill where speed and grade of slope can be adjusted
- Stop watch
- Assistant
How to conduct the test
The athlete walks on a treadmill to exhaustion. At timed stages during the test the grade of slope (%) of the treadmill is increased as follows:
- Active and sedentary men
- Treadmill speed set at 3.3 mph
- Start - Grade is 0%
- After 1 minute - Grade set at 2%
- After 2 minutes and each minute thereafter the grade is increased by 1%
- Active and sedentary women
- Treadmill speed set at 3.0 mph
- Start - Grade is 0%
- After 3 minutes and every 3 minutes thereafter the grade is increased by 2.5% (1.4°)
The assistant starts the stopwatch at the start of the test and stops it when the athlete is unable to continue - this ideally should be between 9 and 15 minutes.
Analysis
Analysis of the result is by comparing it with the results of previous tests. It is expected that, with appropriate training between each test, the analysis would indicate an improvement.
Active and sedentary men - Pollock et al. 1976
From the total time an estimate of the athlete's VO2 max can be calculated as follows:
- VO2 max = 1.444 × T +14.99
"T" is the total time of the test expressed in minutes and fractions of a minute e.g. 13 minutes 15 seconds = 13.25 minutes
Active and sedentary women - Pollock et al. 1982
From the total time an estimate of the athlete's VO2 max can be calculated as follows:
- VO2 max = 1.38 × T + 5.22
"T" is the total time of the test expressed in minutes and fractions of a minute.
For an analysis of your VO2 max score see the VO2 max page.
Target Group
This test is suitable for active and sedentary individuals but not for those where the test would be contraindicated.
Reliability
Reliability would depend upon how strict the test is conducted and the individual's level of motivation to perform the test.
Validity
There are published VO2max tables and the correlation to actual VO2max is high. For an assessment of your Vo2 max see the VO2 max normative data tables.
Free Calculator
- Balke Treadmill VO2 max Calculator - a free Microsoft Excel spreadsheet which you can download and use on your computer.
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Associated Pages
The following Sports Coach pages should be read in conjunction with this page:
Associated Books
The following books provide more information related to this topic:
- Advanced Studies in Physical Education and Sport, P Beashel et al., ISBN 0 17 4482345
- Physical Education and the Study of Sport, B. Davis et al., ISBN 0 7234 31752
- Essentials of Exercise Physiology, W.D. McArdle et al., ISBN 0 683 30507 7
- Physical Education and Sport Studies, D. Roscoe et al., ISBN 1 901424 20 0
- The World of Sport Examined, P. Beashel et al., ISBN 0 17 438719 9
- Advanced PE for Edexcel, F. Galligan et al., ISBN 0 435 50643 9
- Examining Physical Education, K. Bizley, ISBN 0 435 50660 9
- Sport and PE, K Wesson et al., ISBN 0 340 683821
- PE for you, J. Honeybourne, ISBN 0 7487 3277 2