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You are in: In the Gym: Workouts |  |
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How can I test my fitness? | |
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Around the Academy: |
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Beckham: Can complete all 23 levels of the test
A good way to test your fitness is by putting yourself through the bleep test.
So what is the bleep test? It is a multi-stage fitness test in which you must do 20 metre shuttle runs in time with the bleeps until the bleeps get too quick for you. It is a maximal test which means it will take you to your fitness limit. The shuttle runs are done in time to bleep sounds on a pre-recorded audio cassette. The time between the recorded bleeps decreases every minute as the level goes up. How many levels are there? The test usually consists of 23 levels.
Only elite athletes can expect to reach the top three. Cyclist Lance Armstrong and footballer David Beckham are two of the few people who can manage it. Each level lasts 60 seconds. A level is basically a series of 20 metre runs. The starting speed is normally 8.5 kilometres (km/hr) an hour and then increases by 0.5km/hr with each new level. The tape used for this test gives a single 'bleep' at intervals. This indicates the end of a shuttle, and three bleeps means you move onto the next level. It's also called the 'beep' or 'shuttle run' test. What purpose does the bleep test serve? The bleep test is used by sports coaches to estimate an athlete's VO2 Max (maximum oxygen uptake). The test is often recommended for players of sports which involve a lot of stop-start sprinting, such as tennis, rugby, football or hockey. Click on the above buttons to see how Tim Henman and co. got on with the test.
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