Bleep Test – October 2009
On
Thursday 29 October we staged a bleep test.
The science in a
nutshell. The
bleep test predicts your maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max),
the capacity of your body to transport and use oxygen during incremental
exercise (calculated as millilitres of oxygen per kilogram of bodyweight
per minute – ml/kg/min). VO2max
is accepted as the best measure of cardiovascular fitness and aerobic
power.
Now the practical.
The bleep test involves shuttling continuously between two points that
are 20 metres apart. These runs are synchronized with a pre-recorded CD
which plays bleeps at set intervals. As the test progresses, the
interval within each set of bleeps reduces, which forces the runner to
increase speed until they are no longer able to keep up.
Here’s how it went.
Of the 25 of us who took part, very few had done a bleep test
before. The test has a reputation for being tough and a number of us,
although keen to find out what we could do, approached the session with
some trepidation. The VO2
tables at the very bottom of this piece show how to interpret your
scores. As you will see, many WACers recorded very decent results.
Unfortunately those tables don’t show statistics for under-13s. Our
youngest athlete on the night was just 10 years-old, James Hughes.
The class of the field were Guy
Thompson, whose predicted VO2max
was 56.557, and Maddy Vaughan-Johncey, recording an excellent 47.716 (VO2max
values are typically 40-60% higher in men than in women), but there were
many other impressive performances. There was a little moisture on the
track, so those fast turns became a little tricky. Although the bleep
test is ultimately about measuring fitness, there is definitely a
technique to it, and it seems reasonable to expect that all our bleep
test rookies will improve the next time around.
Kelly Williams is not shown in the
results. Kelly tweaked a knee during the week and although she started
the test, those turns at the end of each 20m shuttle meant she had to
pull out before she was able to reach her cardiovascular limits were.
Thanks go to Elaine Vaughan-Johncey who
organized this superb session for us.
Wave One
|
Name |
Score |
Predicted VO2
max |
|
Anthony Clark |
11/9 |
52.907 |
|
Craig Dixon |
11/8 |
52.613 |
|
Derek Evans |
11/7 |
52.319 |
|
Paul Teck |
9/8 |
45.880 |
|
Guy Thompson |
12/10 |
56.557 |
|
Dave Wild |
9/7 |
45.562 |
Wave Two
|
Name |
Score |
Predicted VO2
max |
|
Kevin Elliott |
8/10 |
43.186 |
|
Rich House |
9/6 |
45.245 |
|
James Hughes |
8/4 |
41.202 |
|
Robin Hughes |
10/1 |
47.105 |
|
Niki Roe |
8/3 |
40.871 |
|
Graham Whiffen |
10/3 |
47.716 |
Wave Three
|
Name |
Score |
Predicted VO2
max |
|
Dave Black |
9/7 |
45.562 |
|
Georgie Hougham |
7/2 |
37.109 |
|
Paul Hougham |
9/5 |
44.927 |
|
Callum Kennedy |
11/2 |
50.848 |
|
Paul Mallett |
9/2 |
43.975 |
|
Maddy Vaughan-Johncey |
10/3 |
47.716 |
Wave Four
|
Name |
Score |
Predicted VO2
max |
|
Tim Box |
8/10 |
43.186 |
|
Jon Braund |
10/7 |
48.937 |
|
Kim Jolliffe |
6/9 |
36.203 |
|
Ian Kennedy |
9/8 |
45.880 |
|
Nick Solomon |
9/5 |
44.927 |
|
Alexandra Vaughan-Johncey |
9/3 |
44.292 |
So what do those numbers
mean? The following tables give some indication of how well you have
done. For example Tim Box’s predicted
VO2max
was 43.186, which would place him as ‘excellent’ in his age group (men
50-59).
So, how did you do?
Before you get too
big-headed remember that
five time Tour de
France winner Miguel Indurain is reported to have had a VO2max
of 88.0 at his peak, and
Siberian dogs running in the Iditarod Trail sled race have VO2
values as high as 240!
VO2 Tables
Women (values in ml/kg/min)
|
Age |
Very Poor |
Poor |
Fair |
Good |
Excellent |
Superior |
|
13-19 |
<25.0 |
25.0 - 30.9 |
31.0 - 34.9 |
35.0 - 38.9 |
39.0 - 41.9 |
>41.9 |
|
20-29 |
<23.6 |
23.6 - 28.9 |
29.0 - 32.9 |
33.0 - 36.9 |
37.0 - 41.0 |
>41.0 |
|
30-39 |
<22.8 |
22.8 - 26.9 |
27.0 - 31.4 |
31.5 - 35.6 |
35.7 - 40.0 |
>40.0 |
|
40-49 |
<21.0 |
21.0 - 24.4 |
24.5 - 28.9 |
29.0 - 32.8 |
32.9 - 36.9 |
>36.9 |
|
50-59 |
<20.2 |
20.2 - 22.7 |
22.8 - 26.9 |
27.0 - 31.4 |
31.5 - 35.7 |
>35.7 |
|
60+ |
<17.5 |
17.5 - 20.1 |
20.2 - 24.4 |
24.5 - 30.2 |
30.3 - 31.4 |
>31.4 |
Men (values in ml/kg/min)
|
Age |
Very Poor |
Poor |
Fair |
Good |
Excellent |
Superior |
|
13-19 |
<35.0 |
35.0 - 38.3 |
38.4 - 45.1 |
45.2 - 50.9 |
51.0 - 55.9 |
>55.9 |
|
20-29 |
<33.0 |
33.0 - 36.4 |
36.5 - 42.4 |
42.5 - 46.4 |
46.5 - 52.4 |
>52.4 |
|
30-39 |
<31.5 |
31.5 - 35.4 |
35.5 - 40.9 |
41.0 - 44.9 |
45.0 - 49.4 |
>49.4 |
|
40-49 |
<30.2 |
30.2 - 33.5 |
33.6 - 38.9 |
39.0 - 43.7 |
43.8 - 48.0 |
>48.0 |
|
50-59 |
<26.1 |
26.1 - 30.9 |
31.0 - 35.7 |
35.8 - 40.9 |
41.0 - 45.3 |
>45.3 |
|
60+ |
<20.5 |
20.5 - 26.0 |
26.1 - 32.2 |
32.3 - 36.4 |
36.5 - 44.2 |
>44.2 |
Table Reference:
The Physical Fitness Specialist Certification Manual, The Cooper
Institute for Aerobics Research, Dallas TX, revised 1997 printed in
Advance Fitness Assessment & Exercise Prescription, 3rd Edition, Vivian
H. Heyward, 1998.p48
