{
  "slug": "beep-test",
  "title": "Beep Test (20 m Shuttle Run)",
  "category": "Running",
  "category_slug": "running",
  "tier": 2,
  "summary": "Convert a beep test level into estimated VO2max using the Léger 20 m shuttle run equation.",
  "description": "This calculator converts a 20 m multistage shuttle run (beep test) result into an estimated VO2max. It takes the final level reached and the number of shuttles completed at that level, derives the final running speed (8 + 0.5 × level km/h), and applies the adult equation from Léger and colleagues (1988): VO2max = −24.4 + 6.0 × speed. Secondary results report the final speed, an approximate total shuttle count, and the estimated distance covered. The beep test is the standard aerobic field test in team sports, school programmes, and military and police selection.",
  "page_url": "https://fitmetriclab.com/en/tools/running/beep-test/",
  "api_url": "https://fitmetriclab.com/api/tools/beep-test.json",
  "formula": {
    "id": "beep_test",
    "expression": "VO_{2\\max} = -24.4 + 6.0 \\times S, \\quad S = 8 + 0.5L",
    "variables": [
      {
        "symbol": "L",
        "description": "Final level reached"
      },
      {
        "symbol": "S",
        "description": "Running speed at the final level, in km/h"
      },
      {
        "symbol": "VO_{2\\max}",
        "description": "Estimated maximal oxygen uptake in ml/kg/min"
      }
    ]
  },
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "level",
      "label": "Final Level",
      "type": "number",
      "unit": null,
      "default": 10,
      "min": 4,
      "max": 21,
      "step": 1
    },
    {
      "id": "shuttles",
      "label": "Shuttles at Final Level",
      "type": "number",
      "unit": null,
      "default": 5,
      "min": 1,
      "max": 16,
      "step": 1
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": {
      "level": 10,
      "shuttles": 5
    },
    "expected_output": "53.6 ml/kg/min"
  },
  "result_summary_template": "Reaching level {level} with {shuttles} shuttles on the 20 m beep test corresponds to an estimated VO2max of {result} under the Léger adult equation.",
  "methodology": "Final speed S (km/h) = 8 + 0.5 × level, following the standard progression where level 1 corresponds to 8.5 km/h and each level adds 0.5 km/h. Adult VO2max (ml/kg/min) = −24.4 + 6.0 × S, the adult form associated with Léger et al. (1988); the paper's separate child equation (ages 8–19, with an age term) is not used here. Total shuttles are approximated as 60 seconds per level at that level's speed over 20 m lengths, plus the shuttles entered for the final level; distance = shuttles × 20 m.",
  "sources": [
    {
      "label": "Léger LA, Mercier D, Gadoury C, Lambert J. The multistage 20 metre shuttle run test for aerobic fitness. J Sports Sci. 1988;6(2):93–101.",
      "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3184250/"
    },
    {
      "label": "Cooper KH. A means of assessing maximal oxygen intake: correlation between field and treadmill testing. JAMA. 1968;203(3):201–204.",
      "url": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/5694044/"
    }
  ],
  "faqs": [
    {
      "question": "Why doesn't the shuttle count change the VO2max estimate?",
      "answer": "The adult Léger equation maps the final running speed to VO2max, and speed only changes when a new level starts — every shuttle within a level is run at the same speed. A score of 10-2 and a score of 10-8 therefore return the same estimate here, even though 10-8 represents more total work. The shuttle count still matters for the secondary results (total shuttles and distance covered) and for tracking progress between tests, where moving from 10-2 to 10-8 is a real improvement that the VO2max figure alone does not show."
    },
    {
      "question": "Is level 1 really 8.5 km/h if the formula is 8 + 0.5 × level?",
      "answer": "Yes — the two statements are the same thing. Substituting level 1 into 8 + 0.5 × L gives 8.5 km/h, level 2 gives 9.0 km/h, and so on. Some published test versions start at 8.0 km/h instead, and a few use different level durations, which is one reason scores from different audio recordings are not directly comparable. This calculator follows the widely used convention of an 8.5 km/h start with 0.5 km/h increments."
    },
    {
      "question": "How accurate is the beep test compared with laboratory testing?",
      "answer": "Léger's 1988 validation reported correlations around 0.9 between shuttle-run speed and treadmill-measured VO2max in adults, with individual errors typically within about 10%. The turning demand is the main structural difference from laboratory running: athletes who decelerate and re-accelerate efficiently reach higher shuttle speeds at the same aerobic capacity, while heavier or less agile runners stop earlier than their capacity alone would predict. Familiarity also matters — scores commonly rise over the first few attempts without any change in fitness."
    },
    {
      "question": "What happened to the separate equation for children?",
      "answer": "Léger's paper published two regressions. The child equation, for ages 8–19, is VO2max = 31.025 + 3.238 × S − 3.248 × A + 0.1536 × S × A, where A is age in years — it exists because children's running economy and maximal heart rates differ systematically from adults'. This calculator implements only the adult form, VO2max = −24.4 + 6.0 × S. Applying the adult equation to a school-aged tester produces a systematically different figure than the age-adjusted child equation would."
    },
    {
      "question": "How far does a runner travel during the test?",
      "answer": "It depends on the version of the audio protocol, but the approximation used here — one minute per level at that level's speed — puts a level 10-5 finish at roughly 84 shuttles, or about 1.68 km, with a 180-degree turn every 20 m. Higher levels add distance quickly because both the speed and the shuttles-per-level count rise: a level 13 finish approaches 2.5 km of running. Official protocol tables differ by a shuttle or two per level, so the figure is presented as an estimate rather than an exact count."
    }
  ],
  "related_tools": [
    {
      "slug": "cooper-test",
      "title": "Cooper 12-Minute Run Test",
      "api_url": "https://fitmetriclab.com/api/tools/cooper-test.json",
      "page_url": "https://fitmetriclab.com/en/tools/running/cooper-test/"
    },
    {
      "slug": "vdot-calculator",
      "title": "VDOT Calculator (Jack Daniels)",
      "api_url": "https://fitmetriclab.com/api/tools/vdot-calculator.json",
      "page_url": "https://fitmetriclab.com/en/tools/running/vdot-calculator/"
    },
    {
      "slug": "rockport-walk-test",
      "title": "Rockport 1-Mile Walk Test",
      "api_url": "https://fitmetriclab.com/api/tools/rockport-walk-test.json",
      "page_url": "https://fitmetriclab.com/en/tools/running/rockport-walk-test/"
    }
  ],
  "last_updated": "2026-08-08",
  "price": {
    "value": 0,
    "currency": "USD"
  },
  "runs_in_browser": true,
  "disclaimer": "Educational estimate produced from a published formula. Not medical, nutritional, or training advice. Calculations are deterministic — apply the formula to the inputs to reproduce the result."
}