Reliability of heart rate maximizer test using jumping jack in assessing cardiovascular fitness

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability of a heart rate maximizer test using jumping jack to evaluate cardiovascular fitness in young adults. Materials and methods: Twenty healthy young adults (mean age 21.20±0.95 years) underwent two minutes of the heart rate maximizer test, followed by 10 minutes of seated rest on two occasions separated by seven days. Variables included resting heart rate (HRrest), peak heart rate (HRpeak), heart rate after testing at 1st and 2nd minute, heart rate recovery at 1st and 2nd minute (HRR1 and HRR2), systolic blood pressure (SBP) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were evaluated. Reliability of the test was analyzed by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), standard error of measurements (SEMs) and coefficient of variation (CV). Results: All HR variables were excellent reliable (ICC = 0.90-0.98; SEMs = 1.14%-7.89%) as well as SBP variables (ICC = 0.90-0.91; SEMs = 2.87%-3.70%) with less than 15% of CV except HRR1 (CV = 29.8%). RPE measurements were slightly less reliable (ICC = 0.62-0.75; SEMs = 3.13%-7.42%; CV = 5.1%-14.8%) than HR and SBP measurements. Therefore, both HR and SBP variables can be reliably applied in the heart rate maximizer test. Conclusion: Heart rate maximizer test using jumping jack showed high reliability and it could be useful for accessing cardiovascular fitness in healthy young adults.