Owner's Guide Treadmill Excel Series
The scientific journal, Occupational Medicine, published a study in 
2004 on the accuracy of the Gerkin test. The conclusion: 
“The Gerkin treadmill protocol overpredicts VO2max in healthy 
men and women and, therefore, should not be used for predicting 
VO2max in individual firefighters, particularly if VO2max is a 
criterion for inclusion or exclusion from duty. At this time, a valid 
treadmill running test is needed for predicting the VO2max value of 
individual firefighters.” 
However, for the fitness enthusiast who is interested in monitoring 
their fitness level, the Gerkin test can be used to measure progress 
over time. 
Accuracy of 
the Gerkin 
Test
E X C E L  S E R I E S  O W N E R ’ S  G U I D E
 Accuracy of the Gerkin Test
CHAPTER FOUR: GERKIN FITNESS TEST 
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