1 The Department of Pediatrics and Physiology, University of California School of Medicine, Los Angeles 24, California
We have attempted to define fitness for the purposes of this symposium as medical or health fitness. In this context, our main interests include cardiovascular, respiratory and chemical fitness. Various tests which measure these factors in different ways have been mentioned.
The measurement of maximal oxygen uptake gives the best indication of exercise capacity. Tests have been described which allow estimation of maximal oxygen uptake by performance of sub-maximal work loads and measurement of heart rate response. Extrapolation of the heart rate up to 180 beats per minute can be used to reliably estimate maximal oxygen uptake.