Bruce protocol stress test results by age

How old does your birth certificate say you are? How old do you feel? The best predictor of how long you’ll live? It’s actually a stress test’s ‘estimated age.’

Table of Contents Show

What they examined
This new tool is a better predictor of lifespan
Why this new research is important
VO2Max: Bruce Protocol
Bruce Protocol
Bruce Protocol Calculation
VO2Max Classification Chart
The Modern Platform for Personal Training Operations
What is a good score on the Bruce protocol?
What is a good METs score for a stress test by age?
What is a good score for a stress test?
What is the grade at stage 4 of Bruce protocol?

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Cleveland Clinic researchers have developed a tool to calculate a person’s physiological age based on their exercise performance during a stress test. They found it’s a better predictor of how long they’ll live vs. their actual age.

What they examined

Researchers studied 126,356 patients who were referred for exercise treadmill testing at Cleveland Clinic between Jan. 1, 1991, and Feb. 27, 2015. They evaluated whether a patient’s estimated age based on their exercise performance is a better predictor of mortality than their chronological age.

The average age of study participants was 53.5 years old and 59% were male. The paper was published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

This new tool is a better predictor of lifespan

The study found that the estimated age based on exercise performance was better in predicting survival than the patients’ actual age. This held true for both men and women. Among those included, 55% of males and 57% of females between the ages of 50 and 60 years had an estimated age younger than their chronological age.

The formula to estimate physiological age was developed based on exercise variables that were collected at the time of the patient’s stress test.

Why this new research is important

The study further confirmed that all exercise variables included in estimating physiological age were powerful predictors of survival, including exercise capacity, chronotropic competence (heart rate response to exercise) and heart rate recovery.

“Physiological age based on your exercise performance on stress testing is an even better predictor on how long you will live,” says cardiologist and study’s first author Serge Harb, MD.

The key take-home message for patients is to exercise more ― and for healthcare providers to use this physiological age as a way to motivate their patients to improve their exercise performance. For the first time, we can quantify the impact of your performance level on a treadmill test in adding or subtracting years from your actual age.

According to the CDC, heart disease is the leading cause of death among women and men in the United States. Stress testing is a common diagnostic tool for cardiovascular disease.

It’s important to note that the study analyzed findings from a large population. You should always check with your healthcare provider before starting an exercise program.

VO2Max: Bruce Protocol

Quickly measure and calculate your VO2Max and cardiovascular capacity

VO2Max is a measurement of your body’s ability to process a volume of oxygen and is indexed to your body mass. Achieving and maintaining a healthy cardiovascular system is one of the most important aspects of fitness. Because it measures your body’s capacity to process oxygen, it serves as a good indicator of how much you can safely exert yourself during exercise.

Bruce Protocol

Purpose

Estimate the body’s ability to deliver and extract oxygen to determine cardiovascular fitness level.

Equipment

Treadmill

Procedure

Bruce test is considered a maximal exercise test where the athlete or client runs to complete fatigue as the treadmill speed and incline are increased every three minutes. Record total running time.

Stages

Stage 1 = 1.7 mph at 10% Grade
Stage 2 = 2.5 mph at 12% Grade
Stage 3 = 3.4 mph at 14% Grade
Stage 4 = 4.2 mph at 16% Grade
Stage 5 = 5.0 mph at 18% Grade
Stage 6 = 5.5 mph at 20% Grade
Stage 7 = 6.0 mph at 22% Grade
Stage 8 = 6.5 mph at 24% Grade
Stage 9 = 7.0 mph at 26% Grade

Bruce Protocol Calculation

Calculation Result

DATE	-
VO2Max (mL/kg · min)	-
VO2Max Classification	-

VO2Max Classification Chart

Male: 18-25 y/o

CLASSIFICATION	FROM (mL/(kg · min))	TO (mL/(kg · min))
Superior	60	> 60.0
Excellent	52	59.9
Above Average	47	51.9
Average	42	46.9
Below Average	37	41.9
Poor	30	36.9
Very Poor	0	29.9

Male: 26-35 y/o

CLASSIFICATION	FROM (mL/(kg · min))	TO (mL/(kg · min))
Superior	56	> 56.0
Excellent	49	55.9
Above Average	43	48.9
Average	40	42.9
Below Average	35	39.9
Poor	30	34.9
Very Poor	0	29.9

Male: 36-45 y/o

CLASSIFICATION	FROM (mL/(kg · min))	TO (mL/(kg · min))
Superior	51	> 51.0
Excellent	43	50.9
Above Average	39	42.9
Average	35	38.9
Below Average	31	34.9
Poor	26	30.9
Very Poor	0	25.9

Male: 46-55 y/o

CLASSIFICATION	FROM (mL/(kg · min))	TO (mL/(kg · min))
Superior	45	> 45.0
Excellent	39	44.9
Above Average	36	38.9
Average	32	35.9
Below Average	29	31.9
Poor	25	28.9
Very Poor	0	24.9

Male: 56-65 y/o

CLASSIFICATION	FROM (mL/(kg · min))	TO (mL/(kg · min))
Superior	41	> 41.0
Excellent	36	40.9
Above Average	32	35.9
Average	30	31.9
Below Average	26	29.9
Poor	22	25.9
Very Poor	0	21.9

Male: 66-100 y/o

CLASSIFICATION	FROM (mL/(kg · min))	TO (mL/(kg · min))
Superior	37	> 37.0
Excellent	33	36.9
Above Average	29	32.9
Average	26	28.9
Below Average	22	25.9
Poor	20	21.9
Very Poor	0	19.9

Female: 18-25 y/o

CLASSIFICATION	FROM (mL/(kg · min))	TO (mL/(kg · min))
Superior	56	> 56.0
Excellent	47	55.9
Above Average	42	46.9
Average	38	41.9
Below Average	33	37.9
Poor	28	32.9
Very Poor	0	27.9

Female: 26-35 y/o

CLASSIFICATION	FROM (mL/(kg · min))	TO (mL/(kg · min))
Superior	52	> 52.0
Excellent	45	51.9
Above Average	39	44.9
Average	35	38.9
Below Average	31	34.9
Poor	26	30.9
Very Poor	0	25.9

Female: 36-45 y/o

CLASSIFICATION	FROM (mL/(kg · min))	TO (mL/(kg · min))
Superior	45	> 45.0
Excellent	38	44.9
Above Average	34	37.9
Average	31	33.9
Below Average	27	30.9
Poor	22	26.9
Very Poor	0	21.9

Female: 46-55 y/o

CLASSIFICATION	FROM (mL/(kg · min))	TO (mL/(kg · min))
Superior	40	> 40.0
Excellent	34	39.9
Above Average	31	33.9
Average	28	30.9
Below Average	25	27.9
Poor	20	24.9
Very Poor	0	19.9

Female: 56-65 y/o

CLASSIFICATION	FROM (mL/(kg · min))	TO (mL/(kg · min))
Superior	37	> 37.0
Excellent	32	36.9
Above Average	28	31.9
Average	25	27.9
Below Average	22	24.9
Poor	18	21.9
Very Poor	0	17.9

Female: 66-100 y/o

CLASSIFICATION	FROM (mL/(kg · min))	TO (mL/(kg · min))
Superior	32	> 32.0
Excellent	28	31.9
Above Average	25	27.9
Average	22	24.9
Below Average	19	21.9
Poor	17	18.9
Very Poor	0	16.9

The Modern Platform for Personal Training Operations

What is a good score on the Bruce protocol?

A good maximum METs value for a 30-year-old woman is 14 and for a man 15. Elite athletes can reach maximum METs of up to 22 (women) and 25 (men).

What is a good METs score for a stress test by age?

A healthy 50-year-old man should have a capacity of at least 9.2 METs; a healthy 50-year-old woman should clock in at 8.2 METs or higher, according to a recent study on women's fitness in the New England Journal of Medicine. For men age 20, 13.5 METs; age 30, 11.4 METs; age 40, 10.3 METs.

What is a good score for a stress test?

Low risk (score > 5) indicates a 5-year survival of 97%. Intermediate risk (score between 4 and -11) indicates 5-year survival of 90%. High risk (score < -11) indicates 5-year survival of 65%. In high-risk patients, 74% had 3-vessel or left main occlusive coronary disease on angiography.