How to Measure Your Cardiorespiratory Endurance – Life Orientation Grade 11

This page is a critical practical component of the Physical Fitness and Health Programme for Grade 11 Life Orientation Term 1. Understanding how to test your heart and lung capacity is essential for tracking your progress toward your prioritised life goals and ensuring your long-term well-being.

How to Measure Your Cardiorespiratory Endurance: Grade 11 LO Term 1

In Physical Education, cardiorespiratory endurance is defined as your body’s ability to deliver oxygen and nutrients to its tissues and to remove waste over sustained periods. Simply put, it is your ability to exercise for long periods without running out of breath or getting exhausted.

1. Why Cardiorespiratory Endurance Matters

Having high cardiorespiratory fitness indicates two things:

• A Strong Heart: Indicated by a slow pulse rate because your heart is efficient and doesn’t need to beat as often.
• Large Lung Capacity: Allowing more oxygen to be taken up into your bloodstream to fuel your muscles.

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2. Skills Focus: How to Take Your Pulse

To measure your fitness, you must know how to check your heart rate (pulse).

1. Locate the artery on the inside of your wrist, just below your thumb.
2. Place two fingers (index and middle) on the artery. Do not use your thumb, as it has its own pulse.
3. Count the beats for 30 seconds.
4. Multiply by two to get your beats per minute (bpm).

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3. Four Fitness Measures for Grade 11

You can choose any of these tests to assess your current fitness level during Term 1.

Test 1: The Step Test

1. Find a step or bench 30 cm high.
2. Step up and down at a steady pace (one step every two seconds) for three minutes.
3. Take your pulse rate exactly five seconds after finishing.
4. The Goal: The lower your pulse rate, the better your endurance.

Test 2: The 12-Minute Run Test

1. Run for exactly 12 minutes and measure the distance covered.
2. The Goal: Compare your distance to the norms below (Table 2).

Test 3: The 1.6 km Run Test

1. Run 1.6 km as fast as you can.
2. Time your run.
3. The Goal: Faster times indicate higher cardiorespiratory endurance.

Test 4: The Run-on-the-Spot Test

1. Run on the spot for two minutes at a pace of 120 steps per minute.
2. Rest for one minute.
3. Count your pulse for 30 seconds. A count of 60 or lower is considered good.

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4. Health-Related Fitness Norms

Compare your results from the Step Test or 12-Minute Run to these Grade 11 standards.

Table 1: Step Test Norms (Pulse rate after exercise)

Gender	Age	Great	Good	Below Average	Very Weak
Female	15–16	95 or less	96–105	106–125	125+
Male	15–16	85 or less	86–95	96–114	115+

Table 2: 12-Minute Run Norms (Distance in meters)

Gender	Age	Great	Good	Below Average	Very Weak
Female	15–16	2100m+	1900m	1700m	1500m or less
Male	15–16	2800m+	2500m	2300m	2200m or less

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5. How to Improve Your Endurance

If your score was “below average” or “very weak,” you can improve by making specific choices to stay active:

• Aerobic Sports: Participate in soccer, netball, swimming, or long-distance running.
• Gradual Increase: Slowly increase the intensity and duration of your workouts while following safety measures.

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Next Lesson: Moving from the heart to the muscles: Measure Your Muscular Strength and Endurance.

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