An exercise stress test is performed by qualified medical personnel. The person undergoing the test will run on the treadmill for up to 15 minutes including a warm-up and cool-down period. The test is used to detect heart, coronary artery disease.
The exercise stress test is measure in METs which stands for “metabolic equivalent tasks” and is a measure of the person’s aerobic capacity and an indicator of overall health. Essentially the test will measure a persons peak aerobic capacity.
From reading about the exercise stress test and METs, if the person reaches 13 METs then the exercise stress test is considered adequate. Apparently the test is controlled by the person undergoing the test and can be adjusted accordingly to accomidate the person’s age or fitness level. In some cases the exercise stress test may be performed on an exercise bike rather than a treadmill thus accomidating persons who are incapable of moving on the treadmill.
1 MET = 3.5 mL/kg/min aerobic capacity
Some interesting reading on exercise stress testing
http://health.drgily.com/walking-test-peak-aerobic-capacity.php - This site has an interesting calculator that will tell you your overall fitness level with a 1 mile walking test.
http://www.myfooddiary.com/resources/ask_the_expert/exercise_stress_test.asp - some basic info
http://www.postgradmed.com/issues/1999/05_01_99/driggers.htm - some more in-depth info
stress & anxiety…
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