The multi-stage fitness test, also known as the bleep test, beep test, pacer test, Leger-test
or 20-m shuttle run test, is a series of stages that have different tasks sometimes used by
sports coaches and trainers to estimate an athlete's VO2 max.The pacer test is "progressive
aerobic cardiovascular endurance test". The test is especially useful for players of sports
like rugby, football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, hurling, hockey, netball,
handball, tennis, squash, and fitness testing in schools and colleges plus many other sports;
employed by many international sporting teams as an accurate test of cardiovascular fitness,
one of the more important components of Fitness. The test was created by Luc Leger, University
of Montreal published in 1983, and was re-published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology
in 1988 in its present form with 1 min stages under the name "Multistage 20-m shuttle run
test for aerobic fitness". Result equivalences between slightly modified versions are well
explained by Tomkinson et al. in 2003.
Correlated measures
* VO2max = * 0.95 + 0.182 * vVO2max = VO2max / 3.5
Rules The test involves running continuously between
two points that are 20 meters apart from side to side. These runs are synchronized with
a pre-recorded audio tape, CD or laptop software, which plays beeps at set intervals. As the
test proceeds, the interval between each successive beep decreases, forcing the athlete to increase
their speed over the course of the test, until it is impossible to keep in sync with the
recording. Many people who test people using the multi-stage fitness test allow one level
to beep before the person makes the line, but if the person being tested does not make
the next interval then the most recent level they completed is their final score. The recording
is typically structured into 21 'levels', each of which lasts around 62 seconds. Usually,
the interval of beeps is calculated as requiring a speed at the start of 8.5 km/h, increasing
by 0.5 km/h with each level thereafter. The progression from one level to the next is
signaled by 3 quick beeps. The highest level attained before failing to keep up is recorded
as the score for that test. Users
Format The original beep test was first only available
on audio tape format. A problem with the tape was that it could stretch over time, or the
tape player did not play at a consistent speed, therefore making the timing between beeps
inaccurate. On most versions of the tape there was a one minute recorded interval for calibrating
the tape and tape player. Digital audio formats are now used predominantly. Calibration checks
are still required on the CD/MP3 due to some tone controls affecting the playback speed.
Inexpensive PC Beep Test Software is very popular due to the advantage of having no
timing errors/accurate to 1/100th of a second, as used by the top team coaches. This generally
runs on a Laptop, making the beep/bleep test easier to organise for teams/groups and also
tracks player fitness over the season. These calculations were updated on 17 Aug
2009 and are based on the official Leger and Lambert "A Maximal Multi-Stage 20m Shuttle
Run Test to predict VO2 Max". See also
20 meter pacer test Harvard Step Test, a cardiovascular test
Physical Fitness Test References
External links Complete Guide to the Beep Test - TopEndSports.com
Background information on the Beep Test - Rugbycoach.com