Multi-stage fitness test

The multi-stage fitness test, also known as the bleep test, beep test, pacer test, or 20-m shuttle run test, is used by sports coaches and trainers to estimate an athlete's VO₂ max (maximum oxygen uptake). The test is especially useful for players of sports like Cross Country, football, hockey, rugby, cricket netball or tennis and is employed by many international sporting teams as an accurate test of Cardiovascular fitness, one of the all-important "Components of Fitness". It was created by Dr. Luc Leger (not "Maximillion G. Endowed Leadger as previously written and quoted like that so many times...) in 1982, and was published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology (vol 49 pp1-12) and in J Sports Sciences in its actual format under the name "Multistage 20-m shuttle run test for aerobic fitness" (vol 6 pp 93-101). Modified slightly under other names, results equivalences could be found in Tomkinson et al. Sports Medicine, 33:285-300, 2003.

Rules

The test involves running continuously between two points that are 20 m apart. These runs are synchronized with a pre-recorded audio tape or CD, which plays beeps at set intervals. As the test proceeds, the interval between each successive beep reduces, forcing the athlete to increase velocity over the course of the test, until it is impossible to keep in sync with the recording.

The recording is typically structured into 23 'levels', each of which lasts around 63 seconds (the shortest level is level 16, lasting 60.45 seconds, the longest is level 2, lasting 67.8 seconds). Usually, the interval of beeps is calculated as requiring a speed at the start of 8.0 km/h, increasing by 0.5 km/h with each level. The progression from one level to the next is signaled by 3 rapid beeps. The highest level attained before failing to keep up is recorded as the score for that test.

Uses

Uses for the multi-stage fitness test extend far and wide, not just from sporting organisations but into various operational organisations as well, as a measure of basic fitness. It allows the organisation to determine whether an employee (or potential employee) possesses a degree of fitness to be able to perform his or her duties. Examples of this include police officers, community support officers, fire fighters or soldiers. As a result, to be deemed sufficiently able to perform such duties, the multi-stage fitness test is used to determine whether an individual is capable of performing such duties (or training for those duties) based on what level they achieve.

Organisation	Type of organisation	Minimum level attained	Comments
Western Australia Police	State Police	10.1 male, 7.1 Female
Australian Army	Military	7.5
Royal Australian Air Force	Military	6.5
Royal Australian Navy	Military	6.5
Metropolitan Fire Brigade	Fire/Emergency Response	9.6
New South Wales Fire Brigade	Fire/Emergency Response	9.6
New South Wales Police Force	State Police	minimum of 5.11
Queensland Police Service	State Police	9.4
British Army	Military	10.2 Male, 8.1 Female	Varies by age - values quoted are for under-30s
Ontario Provincial Police	Provincial Police	6.5
Royal Air Force	Military	9.10	Changes with Sex and Age
Royal Navy	Military	Variable2
Royal Marines	Military	11.0	Minimum level to achieve
Royal New Zealand Navy	Military	7.1	Minimum Fitness Level
British Police	Police	5.4, 8.1	General and specialist roles, respectively. Level is an example of the majority, varies from area to area
S. League	Sports League	13.1	All players (with the exception of goalkeepers) must meet the minimum level or they will not be allowed to play
Canadian Forces	Military	6.0 Male, 4.0 Female	Varies by age - values quoted are for under-35

¹ The physical testing performed by the New South Wales Police Force is based on achieving points. As a minimum, a student must achieve 44 out of a possible 110 points (accumulated from each physical test) in order to pass the physical testing day. The better a student performs in a physical test, the more points they achieve. As an example: reaching 5.1 under this system entitles the student to five points. A level of 6.1 is rewarded by ten points, 7.1, fifteen points and so on.

² The Royal Navy has a varying level dependent on age and gender, and is only used a base level during the Admiralty Interview Board with the main test, a 2.4km run to be completed upon arrival at BRNC Dartmouth.

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. The compact disc or MP3 format is now used predominantly, and does not have the above problems with calibration. Downloadable software is also used because it has no timing errors, no calibration errors, and is accurate to 1/100th of a second.

Calculations

Level	Shuttles	Speed (km/h)	Seconds per shuttle	Total level time (s)	Distance (m)	Cumulative Distance (m)	Cumulative Time (min and seconds)
1	7	8.0	9.0	63	140	140	1:03
2	8	8.5	8.47	67.8	160	300	2:11
3	8	9.0	8	64	160	460	3:15
4	9	9.5	7.58	60.64	160	620	4:15
5	10	10.0	7.2	64.8	180	800	5:20
6	10	10.5	6.86	61.74	180	980	6:22
7	10	11.0	6.55	65.5	200	1180	7:27
8	10	11.5	6.26	62.6	200	1380	8:30
9	11	12.0	6.0	66.0	220	1600	9:36
10	11	12.5	5.76	63.36	220	1820	10:39
11	11	13.0	5.54	60.94	220	2040	11:40
12	12	13.5	5.33	63.96	240	2280	12:44
13	12	14.0	5.14	61.68	240	2520	13:46
14	13	14.5	4.97	64.61	260	2780	14:51
15	13	15.0	4.8	62.4	260	3040	15:53
16	13	15.5	4.65	60.45	260	3300	16:53
17	14	16.0	4.5	63.0	280	3580	17:56
18	14	16.5	4.36	61.04	280	3860	18:57
19	15	17.0	4.24	63.6	300	4160	20:00
20	15	17.5	4.11	61.65	300	4460	21:02
21	16	18.0	4.0	64	320	4780	22:06

The multi-stage fitness test incurs a total distance of 4780 metres in a time of twenty two minutes and six seconds (22:06).

References

See also==

• Harvard Step Test, a cardiovascular test
• Physical fitness test

External links

• Beep Test (audio) - Australian Defence Force