Qualifications and affiliations: PhD; MSc; DASE; DPE; CertEd; FBAPT; MIBiol; CBiol.

Dr Sykes devised the Fitech and Chester Step Test, acts as expert witness, has published widely in scientific, professional, educational & the popular press and is a regular broadcaster and conference speaker worldwide.

Sykes is author of 9 books, including a successful Penguin paperback and the Chester Step Test, now widely used in workplace medico-fitness assessments.

He is Principal Lecturer & Director of the Postgraduate Centre for Exercise & Nutrition Science at Chester College, a College of the University of Liverpool. He is an External Examiner at Edinburgh, Sheffield & Cardiff Universities and adviser to the Home Office’s Fire & Police Service Colleges and to a number of Police Forces, Health & Education Authorities, Corporate Organizations and Fire Brigades throughout Britain, Europe and Asia.

Some Publications

  • Sykes K. Chester step test; resource pack (Version 3). Cheshire, UK: Chester College of Higher Education, 1998.
  • Sykes K and Roberts A, The Chester step test—a simple yet effective tool for the prediction of aerobic capacity, Physiotherapy, Volume 90, Issue 4, December 2004, Pages 183-188.
  • Sykes K. Fitness for Fire and Rescue. Standards, Protocols and Policy. In: Stevenson R, Wilsher P, eds. United Kingdom: Firefit Steering Group, 2009.
  • Sykes K. The Chester Treadmill Police Walk Test. United Kingdom: Cartwright Fitness, 2015.