You train hard. You lift weights. But how healthy is your heart? Once you hit 40, that’s a crucial question worth asking.
And according to high-performance health coach Dan Go, there’s a simple way to find out.
The YMCA 3-Minute Step Test measures your heart rate recovery: how quickly your heart rate falls after exercise. It’s widely recognised as a marker of cardiovascular fitness, with research linking faster heart rate recovery to better cardiorespiratory health and a lower risk of future cardiovascular disease.
‘Fitness is not just what you see in the mirror,’ Go says. ‘It’s what your heart can handle.’
How to Do the YMCA 3-Minute Step Test
The test itself couldn’t be simpler.
Grab a 12-inch step or sturdy bench and set a metronome to 96 beats per minute. Step up, up, down, down in time with the beat for exactly 3 minutes.
What to read next
As soon as you finish, sit down and count your pulse for 60 seconds – or use your smartwatch to record your heart rate one minute after finishing.
According to Go, that one-minute heart rate recovery offers a useful snapshot of how efficiently your cardiovascular system is recovering after exercise.
‘A fast drop means your nervous system is recovering efficiently,’ he explains. ‘A slow recovery means your heart is working harder than it should just to keep up.’
What if Your Score Isn’t Great?
Before you panic, Go says there’s good news.
‘You’re not broken. You’re just missing a major piece of the puzzle, which is a conditioned heart.’
His advice is to add three to four dedicated cardio sessions each week, combining steady-state Zone 2 training with interval sessions, before repeating the test after around 12 weeks.
If there’s one thing Kori Sampson knows, it’s how to optimise your body composition for performance. To tap into his knowledge as an elite athlete and coach, we asked him to create a 4-week plan to help you move faster, recover quicker and keep pushing when the fatigue sets in – all while improving your muscle-to-fat ratio.
Ready to build muscle, burn fat and come out the other side looking, feeling and performing better? Click here to get 14 days of free access to the plan via the Men’s Health app.
Isaac Williams is Site Editor for both Women’s Health UK and Men’s Health UK, guiding and supporting the content teams to create content across all platforms. Isaac’s love of health and fitness began at Loughborough University, where he graduated with a History and English degree in 2014. His first job was at Men’s Running magazine, where he progressed from Staff Writer to Editor. Among his highlights of those four years include completing a 24-hour track race (never again), just about finishing a multi-day ultramarathon in the Azores, and chugging his way around a ‘beer mile’. Isaac ventured into the world of freelance journalism in 2018, interviewing some of the biggest names in sport – like Anthony Joshua and Ben Stokes – and writing features for the likes of The Guardian, Red Bull, ShortList and BBC Countryfile. He was also a regular contributor to an adventure series called ‘The Man Who’: speaking to some of the world’s most extreme explorers from the wilds of Caffè Nero. In late-2019, Isaac became Editor of Men’s Fitness UK. In his five years there, Isaac was responsible for editing the monthly magazine and managing website content, ultimately helping the brand transition to a ‘digital-first’ approach. He joined Hearst UK as Multiplatform Editor in December 2024, where he manages day-to-day digital output, edits content and writes articles on all things health and fitness. When he’s not hammering at his keyboard, Isaac enjoys exercise and trying – unsuccessfully, so far – to teach his baby son to kick a football. You can follow Isaac on Instagram @isaacw1993.
