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[Strax]

For those who don't know what it is

The multi-stage fitness test, also known as the pacer test, is a series of stages that have different tasks sometimes used by sports coaches and trainers to estimate an athlete's VO2 max (maximum oxygen uptake). The most common variation of the multi-stage fitness test is the FitnessGram/Cooper PACER test. The test is especially useful for players of sports such as rugby, association football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, hurling, hockey, netball, handball, tennis, squash, and fitness testing in schools and colleges plus many other sports; employed by many international sporting teams as an accurate test of cardiovascular fitness, one of the more important components of physical fitness. The test was created in 1982 by Luc Léger, University of Montreal and published in 1983 with a starting speed of 8 km/h and stages of 2 min duration.

The test involves running continuously between two points that are 20 m apart from side to side. The runs are synchronized with a pre-recorded audio tape, CD or laptop software, which plays beeps at set intervals. As the test proceeds, the interval between each successive beep decreases, forcing the athletes to increase their speed over the course of the test until it is impossible to keep in sync with the recording (or, on extremely rare occasions, until the athlete completes the test). Many people who test people using the multi-stage fitness test allow one level to beep before the person makes the line, but some middle and grade schools allow two missed laps. If the person being tested does not make the next interval, the most recent level they completed is their final score.

The recording is typically structured into 21 'levels', each lasting around 62 s. Usually, the interval of beeps is calculated as requiring a speed at the start of 8.5 km/h (see format table), increasing by 0.5 km/h with each level thereafter. The progression from one level to the next is signaled by 3 quick beeps. The highest level attained before failing to keep up is recorded as the score for that test.

video

Is this still a thing?

We used to do this at least twice a semester from age 11 until I was 20 years old. We also often did it at football pratice.

I hated it.

 

[shira]

For those who don't know what it is





video

Is this still a thing?

We used to do this at least twice a semester from age 11 until I was 20 years old. We also often did it at football pratice.

I hated it.

Isn't half of America's youth obese?

Not much use in a test where half the people can't even finish the first part.

 

[Killer Queen]

Twice a semester? We did this every week in highschool.

 

[UnemployedVillain]

Twice a semester? We did this every week in highschool.

Were you at some high risk school for obesit or something?

 

[grumble]

Isn't half of America's youth obese?

Not much use in a test where half the people can't even finish the first part.

Honestly think that kids should be pushed much harder in gym class. No child should be unfit if there is a course dedicated to having them fit.

I like the beep test. Great exercise!

 

[Vincent Grayson]

Twice a semester? We did this every week in highschool.

Crazy.

We had one term (9 weeks) of gym in high school. That's it. For four years.

And most of that time was spent playing soccer or dodgeball.

 

[Kuro]

Honestly think that kids should be pushed much harder in gym class. No child should be unfit if there is a course dedicated to having them fit.

I like the beep test. Great exercise!

Child obesity has much more to do with diet. Less than an hour of gym at school a day won't do shit if Johnny comes home and stuffs his face with a bag of chips and twinkies.

 

[Harrison Bergeron]

Yeah we had to do this every year twice a semester as well.

I think in Europe it's called the Leger test.

The U.S. men's soccer team did it in their World Cup 2014 training camp.

Michael Bradley is so fit he "beat" the beep test.

https://youtu.be/dcJ6ueF6C4E

 

[-Pyromaniac-]

We did it every year in high school. It was a waste of time and no one ever took it seriously except the one or two students who were weirdly competitive about something so stupid.

 

[SarcasticRedRover]

I remember this one time I took this test in like 7th or 8th grade, I somehow managed to push myself to doing so many laps that by the time I gave out, I collapsed on the floor with my chest in actual pain.

Was one of the last few to drop out, haven't been able to get myself to do that again.

 

[oreomunsta]

I used to do this in highschool all of the time, especially for varsity basketball. I hated it, but it felt pretty sweet to pass level 14 once

 

[QuiteWhittle]

Isn't half of America's youth obese?

Not much use in a test where half the people can't even finish the first part.

No, not even close. From a quick google search, It's 17% of America's youth.

Which is still way too high, btw, but let's not exaggerate.

 

[Keyouta]

Gym class in school for me wasn't even fitness, really. Mostly sports and dodgeball or other games. A period to slack off in or ignore.

 

[Mr. F]

We did I think weekly as well. I despised it.

Still thinks it was a wasted opportunity not to mix techno music into the beat.

 

[Hierophant]

Twice a week in high school

I still remember how the same dude kept getting the highest score each year

 

[ThisOne]

Does the video posted in the OP not have sound? I don't really understand this test.

 

[buttery fistful]

Grew up in public school in middle America and this is new to me

 

[Jencks]

Ran this every week in school.

There was always that one cross country/soccer player that went to like 200.

 

[Nepenthe]

I remember doing this once in middle school and found it a fun challenge. Don't remember what my score was, though. Pretty sure I was middle of the road. xP

 

[Undefined]

Never did this. Or even heard of it. That's probably why I'm a fat useless piece of shit.

 

[Sheentak]

At the peak of my fitness I'd fall around 14_15

Now I could barely do 9

 

[CSX]

Did it twice a year from elementary to middle school.

 

[Flux]

Never did this. Or even heard of it. That's probably why I'm a fat useless piece of shit.

Never too late.

 

[FyreWulff]

They had us run a mile at least once a year since.. 4th or 5th grade, just timed on how long it took you to finish a mile. I had zero gym class my senior year of high school though.

 

[Lynd7]

Used to do it at soccer training, think I got up to the late teens or early 20s on the test.

 

[Shinypogs]

I remember this we had it once or twice a year from I think grades 5-8. Most kids dropped out on purpose early on so they could sit on the gym stage and talk while the competitive kids played for real. except this one kid who dropped out early one year and then like wrecked the next next track and field day. I imagine he might have cared more about the test if prizes were on the line.

Do they still do jump rope for heart in schools? Spending the better part of a day skipping to music while having raised money for charity seems like a better way to motivate kids to be active during school hours. I have fond memories of this practice.

 

[Switch Back 9]

I broke my ankle in grade 12, and by the time it healed the only other gym/fitness class was the grade 10 girls. Had to run the beep test to get my credit, so I did it with them.

I got my ass kicked, super humiliating.

 

[jvm]

My kids memorized the spiel that precedes the test. It's a running joke in our household. 😁

 

[disappeared]

I'll always remember the collective groan from the class when the phys ed teacher would surprise us with that shit.

 

[InertiaXr]

My kids memorized the spiel that precedes the test. It's a running joke in our household. 😁

This is a relatively common recent meme, its not just your household

 

[ZBR]

This was all part of the PT Test we had to do once every semester in public school. It comprised of a mile run, sit-ups, push-ups, the thing the OP mentioned were called 'suicides', pull-ups, jumping jacks, the wall-sit, and a couple of stretches to show our flexibility. We did it over the course of a week and I hated every single day.

 

[NewGame]

Every time I hear that beep I get triggered.

 

[AlteredBeast]

Never even heard of this. Nebraska public schools here. I would have probably enjoyed it, though. Love competition of any sort and would have relished taking on people in class to see who could post the best numbers.

 

[MegaManTrigger]

Absolutely hated this in middle school, and was piss poor at it. I think I was somewhere at levels 7-9 before stopping. All the more funnier considering I trashed competitive kids at track (especially long distance).

 

[Aquavelvaman]

I wish we had done distance running in P.E. instead of having to sprint all the time. I love running now but I didn't know that until after I left school because we were constantly made to do suicides and other painful shit.

I should have just joined the cross country team

 

[Deraldin]

Absolutely hated this in middle school, and was piss poor at it. I think I was somewhere at levels 7-9 before stopping. All the more funnier considering I trashed competitive kids at track (especially long distance).

Meh. The very best I ever did on this thing was level 7. Only managed that once and that was at the end of semester. Start of the year I was just trying not to be the first person to drop out. After that I just tried to do at least a little better than I did the previous attempt.

 

[Dead Guy]

Did this once in my junior year of high school. Absolutely hated it and I gave up after level 6 or 7

We also had to do a 12 minute run about 4 times every year. That's where you get 12 minutes to run as many laps around the gym as you could. Hated that shit too

 

[Verelios]

We did this twice a year from MS to HS. Was a bit annoying taking away time from actual sports but I understand the need.

 

[LegitMcfalls]

In phys-ed my teacher was a short French man with a temper. One day he was absent from class and we had a sub who never ran a high school boys gym class before. We were total assholes that day and made the subs life a living hell.

The following day we get to the gym class and our normal gym teacher had returned. He doesnt say a word and pulls out the big black speaker which only means we got a beep test today.

So we run the test and everyone is exhausted. My teacher who hasnt said a word yet then yells "line up!". Everyone looks confused, he couldnt be serious making us run the beep test twice in a row?! Sure enough were made to run it again.

After we had finished again almost everyone in the class was laying down or so tired they couldn't move. My teacher then looks to us and says "If you ever piss off a substitute teacher again, Ill run you until you die".

Sorry for the rant. Mentioning the beep test gives me Nam like flashbacks to that day.

 

[RandomExpletive]

Oh my god I remember this... We didn't do this very often, was super tiring even though I was in really good shape at that age

 

[Aeana]

We did this several times over the years at the different schools I attended. I'll never forget how I could barely breathe upon finishing, the cold dryness of my throat. Ugh.

 

[IceBringer]

I loved the pacer test. So much better than running a mile

 

[Jeremy]

Never experienced this but it was prolly one of my favorite Facebook memes, does that make me 15

 

[Sakura]

Had to do a test like this a few months ago in PE. Didn't get a very good score. Thought I was going to die. Never again.

 

[Maddrical]

Applied for the police earlier this year and had to reach a score of 10.1 in the beep test as a minimum. I've never been fit, when I ran it in school I probably got no better than 2 or 3. I ran every day for months and managed to run a 10.5, was pretty proud considering how unfit I've been all my life.

I really, really hate the sound of it now. I still enjoy cardio, running or cycling, but the sound of the beeps triggers me.

 

[PaulExcellent]

I think I've heard high-quality rips on Soundcloud with this incorporated into them.

 

[KdotIX]

The sound of nightmares. Used to dread doing this sodding beep test every term in school. Was even worse for me since my school was a "sports academy".

 

[jiggles]

I actually enjoyed doing it. There's something about everybody pushing themselves gradually towards their limits, while participants fall off, that really appeals to me.

 

[Nickle]

Every single person in my class cheated on that thing.

 

[MarkMclovin]

Never did this. Or even heard of it. That's probably why I'm a fat useless piece of shit.

Well that escalated.

You could change things around ya know.