The Bruce treadmill test is used worldwide to assess cardiovascular disease. However, because of the high increments of intensity between the stages of this test, it is not best suited to a number of populations. Therefore, the aim of the study was to determine the difference between physiological outcomes of the arm crank test and Bruce treadmill test and to provide a regression equation to account for this. Thirty subjects (16 men and 14 women) performed both an arm crank test and the Bruce treadmill test, on two separate days, in a random order. Peak values of oxygen uptake (VO2), respiratory exchange ratio (RER), ventilation rate (VE), heart rate (HR) and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were recorded. Arm crank VO2peak and peak VE were significantly lower compared with treadmill VO2peak and peak VE, in both men and women (P<0·001). Arm crank HRpeak was significantly lower than treadmill HRpeak in men (P<0·001). The following is the regression equation to estimate treadmill: VO2peak = 0·8*arm crank VO2peak + 0·019*body weight + 2·025*gender−0·038*gender*body weight + 0·852, with gender being ‘0’ for males and ‘1’ for females. This model has a r2 of 0·832 (SEE = 0·471). This strong correlation indicates that an accurate prediction of treadmill VO2peak can be made by arm crank VO2peak, which is a good estimate of a person’s maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max). Therefore, the arm crank test can be of great importance for evaluation of cardiovascular disease in many people.