Bruce Protocol Treadmill Test

The information in this article is under construction and has not been confirmed!
THESE TABLES AND FORMULAS ARE UNDER CONSTRUCTION NOT READY FOR USE

The Bruce Protocol Treadmill test is used in Cardiac Stress Testing and is used for Maximal Exercise Tolerance Testing. The test begins at 10% incline or grade and 1.7 mph speed. Workload increases every 3 minutes until arrhythmias or symptoms abort the test or until subject reaches a predetermined goal such as Target Heart Rate or Stage Goal.
 
STAGE   TIME     SPEED   GRADE    PACE (min/mile)  METs/VO2
  1    0 min   1.7 mph     10%       00:35:17       4/16
       1 min                                      
       2 min                                      
  2    3 min   2.5 mph     12%       00:24:00       7/25
       4 min                                      
       5 min                                     
  3    6 min   3.4 mph     14%       00:17:38      10/36
       7 min                                     
       8 min                                      
  4    9 min   4.2 mph     16%       00:14:17      12/42
      10 min                                   
      11 min                                    
  5   12 min   5.0 mph     18%       00:12:00      14/52
      13 min                                    
      14 min                                     
   6  15 min   5.5 mph     20%       00:10:54      17/59
      16 min                                     
      17 min                                     
   7  18 min   6.0 mph     22%       00:10:00      19/68

The treadmill calculations below give the relative oxygen consumption for walking and running. The changeover from walking to running occurs between 3.0 and 3.5 mph and there is a different formula for running than walking.

             
             
calculator              
O2 CONSUMPTION TREADMILL WALK
What is the relative oxygen consumption of walking 3.4 mph at a 14% treadmill grade?
In the expression below we are adding a resting component, horizontal component and a vertical component of oxygen consumption.

In the formula below can replace ‘3.4’ (both mph) and .14 (percent grade) with your numbers.   
        

           
 
Resting component = +3.5 ml O2/kg/min also known as 1 MET
Horizontal component =  Speed (meters/min) X .1 ml (O2/kg/min)/(m/min)
Vertical component = Grade X speed m/min X 1.8 ml O2/kg/min
1 mph = 26.8224 meters/minute.
Horizontal component oxygen consumption = .1 ml (O2/kg/min)/(m/min)
Vertical component oxygen consumption = 1.8 ml O2/kg/min/(m/min)

3.5 + (3.4 *26.8224)*.1 +.14 * (3.4 *26.8224) * 1.8 = 35.60 …

EXAMPLE answer in the equation should read
35.60 … (ml O2/kg/min)

                           
             
  calculator                                         
O2 CONSUMPTION RUN/JOG TREADMILL
What is your relative oxygen consumption for a run/jog on treadmill?
               
In the expression below you can replace the ‘6.0’ (mph in horizontal and vertical component) and the ‘.03’ (grade).

 

             

Resting component = 3.5 ml O2/kg/min also known as 1 MET.
Horizontal component = Speed (meters/min) X .2 ml (O2/kg/min)/(m/min)
Vertical component = Grade X speed (m/min) X .9 ml O2/kg/min
1 mph = 26.8224 meters/minute.
Horizontal component oxygen consumption = .1 ml (O2/kg/min)/(m/min)
Vertical component oxygen consumption = 1.8 ml O2/kg/min/(m/min)
             
3.5 + (5.0 * 26.8224 * 0.2) + (.18 * 5.0 * 26.8224 * 0.9) = 52.04 … ml O2/kg/min             
             

EXAMPLE answer in the equation should read
52.04 … ml O2/kg/min

             

 

 

For more information on this topic, check Chapter 5 in

ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescriptions, 6th ed.
 (Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2000), 98.