Effective future research on the significance of ventricular premature beats (VPB) and their therapeutic suppression require improved and simpler methods for arrhythmia detection, characterization, and measurement. This study considers the comparative yield, repeatability, and validity of several methods of VPB detection and induction in a sample of the general population of middle-aged men. Isometric exercise inducers VPB. Treadmill exercise both induces and suppresses VPB. Cartotid sinus pressure and cold stress provide a small extra yield of VPB.