How to take the Course Navette Test?

But how beneficial is this test to our overall fitness levels? Why is this beep test done when we are teenagers?

What is?

The Course Navette Test has other more well-known names such as the Beep Test or the test of the beeps. It is a multi-stage fitness test, developed by Professor Luc A Leger of the University of Montreal in Canada in the 1970s. It is presented as a way to determine a person’s aerobic capacity (VO2max).

The beep test requires participants to run back and forth between two points located 20 meters apart . Participants must maintain a running speed determined by a preset audio tone, which sounds like a “beep,” throughout the test. The speed or race pace required increases as the test progresses.

The beep test begins with a ” triple beep ” audio tone. This indicates to the participants that the test has begun, at which point the participants will run to the opposite 20 meter endpoint and arrive there at the latest when the tone sounds again. The tone that sounds again indicates that the participants should return to the opposite end point.

The speed that the participants must maintain remains constant throughout the “level”. The duration of each level is approximately one minute. At the end of a level, a triple beep will sound to indicate that a new level is starting. At the start of a new level, the required running speed increases .

These beep test levels typically go up to 23 and last 1-2 minutes each, depending on the test variation we run. This factor must be taken into account before the initial sound signal, since knowing when it is time helps to determine the estimated speed and the total duration of the test.

In addition, it should also be noted that there are many different variations of the beep test, but the most widely used protocol is to start with an initial speed of 8.5 km/h, before increasing the speed by 0.5 km/h every minute.

How is it done?

The Couse Navette Test can be divided into levels and shuttles. There are 21 levels in total and each level contains shuttles. Transfers can be measured by the number of times the participant must run back and forth between endpoints within a given level.

The number of shuttles required per level increases as the beep test progresses. As there is approximately one minute per level, and the required running distance remains constant (20 meters) throughout the beep test, the time between audible beeps reduces each level, requiring the participant to run faster to maintain the required rhythm set by the audio.

The longer the participant remains in the test, the faster they must run, the greater the accumulated distance they will cover and the higher the level (score) they will reach. The objective of the whistle test is for the participants to remain in the test as long as possible until they cannot reach the finish line with two consecutive whistles or voluntarily stop the test due to exhaustion.

Level	shuttles	Speed (km/h)	Transfer time (s)	Total level time (s)	Distance (m)	Accumulated distance (m)	Cumulative time (min and seconds)
one	7	8.0	9.00	63.00	140	140	1:03
two	8	9.0	8.00	64.00	160	300	2:07
3	8	9.5	7.58	60.63	160	460	3:08
4	9	10.0	7.20	64.80	180	640	4:12
5	9	10.5	6.86	61.71	180	820	5:14
6	10	11.0	6.55	65.50	200	1020	6:20
7	10	11.5	6.26	62.61	200	1220	7:22
8	eleven	12.0	6.00	66.00	220	1440	8:28
9	eleven	12.5	5.76	63.36	220	1660	9:31
10	eleven	13.0	5.54	60.92	220	1880	10:32
eleven	12	13.5	5.33	64.00	240	2120	11:36
12	12	14.0	5.14	61.71	240	2360	12:38
13	13	14.5	4.97	64.55	260	2620	13:43
14	13	15.0	4.80	62.40	260	2880	14:45
fifteen	13	15.5	4.65	60.39	260	3140	15:46
16	14	16.0	4.50	63.00	280	3420	16:49
17	14	16.5	4.36	61.09	280	3700	17:50
18	fifteen	17.0	4.24	63.53	300	4000	18:54
19	fifteen	17.5	4.11	61.71	300	4300	19:56
twenty	16	18.0	4.00	64.00	320	4620	21:00
twenty-one	16	18.5	3.89	62.27	320	4940	22:03

Benefits

The beep test is widely accepted as a standardized and reliable cardiovascular endurance test. For these reasons, many organizations use the test for its specific purpose. It can be used to evaluate candidates for certain career paths. Sports groups may use the whistle test for training purposes or to evaluate players for certain grade or level qualifications.

Many fitness groups and coaches use the beep test to assess a player’s Vo2max or cardiovascular conditioning progress . Amateur athletes may use the whistle test as a way to establish a simple and effective method of measuring their progress, particularly given its simplicity and lack of specialized equipment required to run the test.

One of the advantages of multi-stage fitness testing is that it is often used in sports that rely on aerobic exercise due to the fact that we can measure aerobic power. The whistle test will be used to train soccer, basketball, hockey or rugby athletes.

In short, the Course Navette Test is a challenge that measures the aerobic power of athletes through a series of increasing time constraints. This is one of the basic and easy to handle fitness tests out there.

Tips

There are some recommendations that we must take into account to perform the Course Navette Test flawlessly.

Necessary material

One of the advantages of the beep test is its ease of practice. To perform the Couse Navette Test we will only need:

• The beep test audio file.
• A device to play the audio tone, taking into account the location and number of participants.
• Some kind of markers to indicate the end points, like training cones.
• A 20-meter tape measure for greater precision.
• A flat and safe area of 20 meters.
• The number of participants can be few or many, depending on the space available to take the Couse Navette Test. It can be indoors or outdoors, but it must be flat and on firm ground.

Rules

The Course Navette Test rules may vary a bit from organization to organization, but generally speaking, they should be fairly similar. The accepted standards for the beep test are:

• Participants line up at the same end of the area where the Course Navette Test will take place.
• Participants must place at least one foot on or more behind the line.
• The audio tone will start with a warning countdown announcement, “Beep test will start in 5 seconds, ready.” 5 seconds later, a triple beep will appear indicating the start of the test.
• Competitors must run the 20-meter (shuttle) distance to the finish line and arrive on time at the next single whistle.
• After approximately one minute, a triple beep will sound indicating the next level of the test begins.
• The running speed required to maintain a level remains constant throughout the level. When the next level starts, the required running speed increases.
• Each time a new level is reached, the time between the beeps decreases, so the participant’s running speed must increase.

How to improve the result?

To improve your Course Navette Test score, your training routine must be geared toward more than just increasing cardiovascular endurance. It is necessary to also address a strategy, technique, physical fitness and mentality.

Like any test, whether related to fitness or not, you need to have a clear strategy on how to do the preparation and the test. The beep test is no different than the rest. It is important to understand the rules of the beep test thoroughly. In addition, we will work to be as efficient as possible with the technique and energy consumption during the test. Correct running technique, timing, foot placement and turning technique are all elements that will improve performance.

After all of this, we can focus on building fitness to help improve performance.

A foundation of cardiovascular fitness should be your starting point. Longer runs , of low to moderate intensity, will help us develop the cardiovascular base. It will also give us a chance to focus on a smooth and efficient race pace, which is important during the whistle test.

Short interval training sessions at a higher intensity won’t be much fun, but they are necessary to push the cardiovascular systems to higher levels. Specific interval exercises that address beep test movement patterns are far more beneficial than general interval training exercises. Tap and turn drills, tube sprints, and beep test relays can be very effective.