The Bleep Test

What's The Point?

VO2 max measures maximum oxygen uptake, and is widely considered the best way to assess an athlete's overall cardio fitness.

Many sports teams use the Multistage Fitness Test or Bleep Test to monitor their athletes VO2 max it features a series of short sprints and turns, making it ideal as an assessment tool for footballers, hockey players, rugby players and the like. However, due to the agility required for the short turns, it is not so well suited for runners, cyclists, or other pure endurance racers.

What You Need

• A flat, non-slip surface of at least 20 metres
   
• A 30-metre tape measure
   
• Marking cones
   
• An assistant
   
• The Multi-Stage Fitness Test CD
   
• CD Player
   
• Recording sheets

How Do You Perform The Test?

The test has 23 levels, each of which lasts approximately one minute. Each level is a series of 20m shuttles. The starting speed is 8.5km/hr and increases by 0.5km/hr at each level.A single beep on the CD indicates the end of a shuttle, while 3 beeps indicate the start of the next level.

The test is conducted as follows:

• Warm up thoroughly
   
• Measure out a 20 metres section and mark each end with a cone
   
• Start with one foot behind the cone the end of each shuttle
   
• If you arrive at the end of a shuttle before the beep, wait for the beep before you resume running
   
• Continue running for as long as possible until you can longer keep up with the speed set by the CD.
   
• The test ends at this point.
   
• Record the level, and number of shuttles completed at that level
   
• Cool down

What Results You'll See

By taking the test at regular intervals (e.g. every 6 to 8 weeks), you can monitor the development of your fitness.

You can also use the Multistage Fitness Test Table to convert your test score into a VO2max.

What's Being Measured Again?

This is a measure of VO2 max.