Cartwright Fitness provides practical, evidence-led resources for professionals carrying out physical fitness and occupational fitness assessments.
Our resource library brings together testing protocols, research, expert guidance, assessment methodology, software guidance and professional training.
The aim is simple: help practitioners choose the right assessment, administer it consistently, interpret the result correctly and understand the evidence behind the measurement.
Professional Assessment Guides
Our professional assessment guides explain how common physical-performance tests should be administered and interpreted.
Topics include:
Aerobic fitness · Strength testing · Power · Flexibility · Body composition · Occupational fitness · Heart-rate monitoring
Each guide is designed to support professional practice rather than general consumer fitness.
Where appropriate, resources include:
Test protocol · Required equipment · Calculation method · Reference data · Limitations · Supporting research
Chester Step Test Resources
The Chester Step Test is one of the most established assessment methods within the Cartwright Fitness ecosystem.
Our Chester Step Test resources cover:
Test protocol · Equipment · Heart-rate monitoring · RPE · CST2 software · Training · Research and validation · Occupational application
The test was developed by Professor Kevin Sykes, Professor Emeritus of Occupational Health & Workplace Fitness at the University of Chester.
Selected Chester Step Test guidance is authored or reviewed by Professor Sykes where stated.
Research and Validation
Professional fitness assessment should be supported by appropriate evidence.
Our research resources help practitioners understand the studies, methods and reference data behind commonly used assessment protocols.
We aim to make research easier to apply in practice by explaining:
What was measured · How the test was performed · Who was studied · What the results mean · Important limitations
Where available, we link directly to peer-reviewed publications, DOI records and original research.
Professor Kevin Sykes
Professor Kevin Sykes is Professor Emeritus of Occupational Health & Workplace Fitness at the University of Chester and designer of the Chester Step Test and Chester Treadmill Tests.
Professor Sykes contributes to Cartwright Fitness through professional guidance, training, technical review and Chester Test development.
Content involving Professor Sykes is clearly labelled as:
Written by · Reviewed by · Developed with · Endorsed by
so practitioners can understand the exact nature of his involvement.
Heart Rate Monitoring Guidance
Heart rate is an important measurement in many professional fitness assessments.
Our heart-rate resources cover the practical use of chest straps, optical sensors and other monitoring methods during exercise testing.
Guidance considers:
Measurement reliability · Device placement · Motion artefact · Exercise suitability · Hygiene · Participant privacy · Practical use in occupational-health settings
This includes specific guidance for heart-rate monitoring during the Chester Step Test.
Occupational Fitness Resources
Occupational fitness assessment requires more than simply selecting a fitness test.
The assessment must reflect the physical demands of the role, use a consistent protocol and produce results that can be interpreted appropriately.
Our occupational fitness resources cover areas including:
Aerobic capacity · Strength · Physical capability · Emergency-service fitness · Workplace testing · Assessment batteries · Professional reporting
These resources are designed for occupational-health professionals and organisations responsible for physical-capability assessment.
Assessment Methodology
A result is only useful when the measurement behind it is understood.
Cartwright Fitness assessment resources aim to make methodology transparent.
Where appropriate, we identify:
What is being measured
Whether the result is measured or estimated
The protocol used
The calculation method
The relevant reference population
Known limitations
Supporting evidence
This approach helps practitioners distinguish between a useful professional assessment and a simple online calculation.
Free Professional Assessment Tools
Our free Professional Assessment Tools make established fitness tests easier to score and interpret.
Current tools include:
Grip Strength · Forestry Step Test · Beep Test · Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test · Vertical Jump · Back & Leg Strength · Sit & Reach · Skinfold Body Fat
Each tool is designed around published protocols, equations or reference data where appropriate.
Training and Certification
Correct administration is essential when professional assessment results may influence health, fitness or occupational decisions.
Cartwright Fitness provides training and professional guidance for selected assessment methods, including the Chester Step Test.
Training can cover:
Test setup · Participant preparation · Equipment use · Protocol administration · Heart-rate monitoring · RPE · Stopping criteria · Result interpretation · Common errors
Cartwright Assess
Professional organisations often need more than individual tests and calculators.
Cartwright Assess is being developed to bring participant records, multiple physical assessments, assessment batteries, evidence-based scoring, progress tracking and professional reporting into one platform.
The intended workflow is:
Measure → Record → Interpret → Compare → Report
The platform will connect the assessment methodology, participant data and result in one professional record.
Professional Fitness Assessment Support
If you are unsure which assessment, protocol, equipment or software is appropriate for your organisation, Cartwright Fitness can help.
We work with professionals across occupational health, fitness testing, sports science, healthcare and human performance.
Our focus is helping organisations build assessment processes that are practical, consistent and based on appropriate measurement methods.