Shuttle Run and VO2max | The Formula from Your Shuttle Count, Typical Values, and How It Differs from the Beep Test and Yo-Yo Test
Your 20 m shuttle run count is more than “how many laps you managed” — it is also a way to estimate maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), the standard measure of aerobic fitness. This guide explains what VO2max is, the Léger formula for calculating it from your shuttle count with a table by count, how to compare it with age-based norms and health guidelines, and how the test differs from the “beep test” used overseas and the “Yo-Yo test” used in football and other team sports.
What is maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max)?
Maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) is the most oxygen your body can take in and use per minute during near-maximal exercise. It is usually expressed per kilogram of body weight (ml/kg/min). The higher the number, the more oxygen your heart, lungs, blood and muscles can deliver and use — in other words, the better your aerobic fitness.
Measuring it precisely needs a dedicated lab test, where exercise on a treadmill or bike gets gradually harder while a mask analyses your breath. The shuttle run was designed to test many people at once without such equipment, and the speed you reach at the end has been shown to correspond well with VO2max.
- Units are ml/kg/min: a 60 kg person who can use 3,000 ml of oxygen a minute has 50 ml/kg/min.
- Typical values: adults without an exercise habit are in the 30s to 40s, well-trained people in the 50s to 60s, and elite marathon runners and cross-country skiers can reach the 70s to 80s.
- It declines with age: without training it drops slowly through adulthood. Staying active slows the decline.
The Léger formula: calculating VO2max from your shuttle count
Léger and colleagues, who devised the shuttle run, published formulas that estimate VO2max from the speed (km/h) of the last level you completed. For ages 18 and under the same speed gives different values by age, so a formula that includes age is used.
- 1
Find the level from your count
For example, 80 shuttles falls in level 9 (shuttles 73–83).
- 2
Work out that level’s speed
8.5 + 0.5 × (9 − 1) = 12.5 km/h.
- 3
Put it into the formula
For an adult, −24.4 + 6.0 × 12.5 = 50.6 ml/kg/min. For a 14-year-old, 31.025 + 3.238 × 12.5 − 3.248 × 14 + 0.1536 × 14 × 12.5 ≈ 52.9 ml/kg/min.
Which shuttles belong to each level is listed in the shuttle run level table. The 20 m Shuttle Run (Beep Test) Audio & Practice Timer shows this estimate as soon as you enter your count and age.
VO2max by shuttle count: quick reference table
Using the formulas above, we calculated the estimate for each count (in ml/kg/min). For children, the same count gives a higher value the younger they are. That is because smaller children use more oxygen to run at the same speed (they run less economically).
| Count | Level (speed) | Age 10 | Age 14 | Age 17 | Adult (19+) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 3 (9.5 km/h) | 43.9 | 36.7 | 31.4 | 32.6 |
| 30 | 4 (10.0 km/h) | 46.3 | 39.4 | 34.3 | 35.6 |
| 40 | 5 (10.5 km/h) | 48.7 | 42.1 | 37.2 | 38.6 |
| 50 | 6 (11.0 km/h) | 51.1 | 44.8 | 40.2 | 41.6 |
| 60 | 7 (11.5 km/h) | 53.4 | 47.5 | 43.1 | 44.6 |
| 70 | 8 (12.0 km/h) | 55.8 | 50.2 | 46.0 | 47.6 |
| 80 | 9 (12.5 km/h) | 58.2 | 52.9 | 48.9 | 50.6 |
| 90 | 10 (13.0 km/h) | 60.6 | 55.6 | 51.8 | 53.6 |
| 100 | 11 (13.5 km/h) | 63.0 | 58.3 | 54.8 | 56.6 |
| 110 | 12 (14.0 km/h) | 65.4 | 61.0 | 57.7 | 59.6 |
| 125 | 13 (14.5 km/h) | 67.8 | 63.7 | 60.6 | 62.6 |
| 150 | 15 (15.5 km/h) | 72.5 | 69.1 | 66.5 | 68.6 |
The estimate also depends on how well you turn, how economically you run, how you feel on the day and whether you pushed to the very end. Compared with a lab-measured value it can be off by a few ml/kg/min for some people, so use it as a guide to “roughly where your fitness stands” or to track change before and after training.
Comparing with health guidelines
Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, in its Physical Activity Reference for Health Promotion 2013, gives VO2max reference values by sex and age as the aerobic fitness desirable for lowering the risk of lifestyle diseases. Working backwards with the adult formula gives a rough shuttle run equivalent.
| Age | Reference (men) | Shuttle run equivalent | Reference (women) | Shuttle run equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18–39 | 39 ml/kg/min | Level 6 (42+) | 33 ml/kg/min | Level 4 (24+) |
| 40–59 | 35 ml/kg/min | Level 4 (24+) | 30 ml/kg/min | Level 3 (16+) |
| 60–69 | 32 ml/kg/min | Level 3 (16+) | 26 ml/kg/min | Level 1 (1+) |
For example, a man in his 30s who can complete level 6 (42 shuttles) or more is roughly meeting the reference. However, it is dangerous for adults who do not normally exercise, or who have a medical condition, to suddenly run to exhaustion. Start by practising stopping at a target count, and consult a doctor if you have any health concerns. Adult score tables are in shuttle run score tables and average counts.
How it differs from the beep test and the Yo-Yo test
The “beep test”, “bleep test”, “multi-stage fitness test (MSFT)” and “PACER” you see in articles and videos are all the same family of test as Japan’s 20 m shuttle run. However, the way speed increases and the way results are written differ slightly by country and organisation.
| Test | Main use | Difference from Japan’s shuttle run |
|---|---|---|
| 20 m shuttle run (Japan’s New Physical Fitness Test) | Japanese schools and fitness testing | Starts at 8.5 km/h, rising 0.5 km/h per level, up to level 21 / 247 shuttles. The result is the total count |
| Beep test / Bleep test / MSFT | Schools in the UK, Australia and elsewhere; police, fire and military recruitment | Results are often written as level and shuttle, e.g. “9.8” for level 9 shuttle 8. Some versions differ in starting speed or increments |
| PACER | US schools (FitnessGram) | Has 20 m and 15 m versions. The result is the count |
| Yo-Yo test (Intermittent Recovery) | Team sports such as football and basketball | A 10-second rest (a light jog) after each 20 m out-and-back measures the ability to sprint repeatedly |
The Yo-Yo test is “intermittent”, raising the speed with rests in between, which suits measuring the fitness for repeated sprints and recovery in team sports. It measures something slightly different from the continuous shuttle run, so the results cannot be compared directly. When comparing an overseas beep test result with a Japanese count, check which version was used and compare by level and speed.
FAQ
- Can I calculate VO2max from my shuttle run count?
- You can estimate it. Use the speed of the last level you were running: for age 19 and over, −24.4 + 6.0 × speed; for ages 6–18, the Léger formula that also includes age. An adult with 80 shuttles (level 9, 12.5 km/h) gets about 50.6 ml/kg/min.
- What is an average VO2max?
- It varies widely with age, sex and exercise habits, but adults without an exercise habit are roughly in the 30s to 40s ml/kg/min. Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare suggests at least 39 for men and 33 ml/kg/min for women aged 18–39.
- Are the beep test and the shuttle run the same?
- They are the same family of test. The beep test (bleep test, MSFT) also runs 20 m back and forth in time with beeps, but the starting speed, level increments and the way results are written (as level and shuttle, such as “9.8”) can differ by version.
- What is the difference between the Yo-Yo test and the shuttle run?
- The Yo-Yo test (Intermittent Recovery) adds a 10-second rest after each 20 m out-and-back, measuring the fitness for repeated sprints and recovery in team sports. It measures something slightly different from the continuous shuttle run, so the results cannot be compared directly.
- Why do children get a higher VO2max estimate than adults?
- Children are smaller and run less economically, so they use more oxygen to run at the same speed. That is why Léger’s formula for ages 6–18 gives a higher estimate for the same count the younger the child is.
Tools in this article
Related articles
How to Calculate Your One Rep Max (1RM) | 100 kg for 10 Reps Is What Max? 7 Formulas Compared, Charts, Rep Max Table, %1RM and Training Loads by Goal
“I benched 80 kg for 8 reps, so what is my max?” “My 1RM is 100 kg, so what should I load for sets of 10?” You don’t have to attempt a true max to know your one rep max (1RM): you can estimate it from a weight you lifted and how many reps you got. This guide covers the most common formula, Epley (1RM = weight × (1 + reps ÷ 30)), how the seven well-known formulas (Brzycki, O’Conner and others) and the NSCA chart differ, why they drift apart as reps go up, a weight × reps chart, a rep max table that works backward from your 1RM, how to adjust with RIR and RPE when you didn’t go to failure, loads for strength, hypertrophy and endurance, and how to warm up and load the bar when you test a real max. Every number was calculated, not copied.
Read article →How to Calculate a JAN / EAN-13 Barcode Check Digit | Multiply by 3 and 1, Then Add — Worked Example, Excel Formula, ITF-14 and ISBN
The last digit of a JAN code (the Japanese name for EAN-13) is the “check digit”, a verification number calculated from the first 12 digits. Being able to work it out yourself helps when you only know 12 digits for a product listing, or when you want to confirm that a 13-digit code from a supplier is correct. This guide walks through the calculation — multiply from the right by 3, 1, 3, 1…, add, then subtract the last digit of the total from 10 — one digit at a time on a real 13-digit code. It also covers what the 13 digits mean (the 45/49 prefix, company prefix and item reference), how the same method works for 8-digit EAN-8, UPC-A, ITF-14 case codes, Japanese book barcodes and in-store codes, why ISBN-10 divides by 11 and uses X, Excel and Google Sheets formulas, which errors a check digit can and cannot catch, and the most common calculation mistakes.
Read article →What Size Portable Power Station Do You Need for a Power Outage? | How Many Days a Fridge, Electric Blanket and Phones Last, and How to Choose the Capacity
When a typhoon or earthquake knocks out the power, a portable power station can keep your phones charged, your lights on and even your fridge running. But stores sell everything from 300 Wh to over 3,000 Wh, and the spec sheet will not tell you how many days a given size lasts in your home. This guide starts from how long real blackouts have lasted to decide how many days to prepare for, then works out the daily energy use and required capacity for four setups: phones and lights only, an electric blanket in winter, keeping the fridge running, and a CPAP machine. It also covers the rated and surge output a fridge needs, recharging with solar panels and a car, whether an air conditioner or electric kettle will work, how to store the unit day to day, and what to watch out for during an outage — all with worked numbers.
Read article →