Tactical occupations around the world (including the military, police, and firefighters) must undergo some form of aerobic fitness test. Most of these tests involve running, and the most common running test is a 1.5-mile or 2.4-kilometer timed run.

However, the 20-meter multi-stage physical fitness test (MSFT) or "beep test" is becoming more and more popular in some countries and groups. These are usually physical fitness tests required for entry, but military personnel will see some form of running test every six months.

Different service branches test different distances. For example, the Navy, Coast Guard, and Air Force conducted a 1.5-mile test. The Army still runs the two-mile run, although the service recently switched from Army Fitness Test to Army Combat Fitness Test. The Marine Corps has the longest timed run of three miles.

If you can choose between a simple timed run or a beep test at any distance, which run test do you prefer? Which one do you think has more applications in the tactical profession?

If you have not heard of the "Beep Test", it works as follows:

Signaled by a specific timing "beep", you will run back and forth on a 20-meter-long field or court, and mark the distance with a cone. There is a useful application that can be used with your phone and speakers. Or you can follow this YouTube.com video.

Note: Some countries call it the "beep test".

As you can see, it starts as easy as jogging, and then turns into a suicide sprint, with almost no rest between higher-level beeps.

You will hear a beep every time you run for 20 meters. The contestants run and stop at a distance of 20 meters from the starting point. You will be able to start slowly at a jogging speed, and you will have a few seconds before the beep asks you to run back to the starting line 20 meters away.

Every minute (or level), the beeps will decrease in time intervals, which means that you will have less and less rest time between the beeps, and the pace for a 20-meter run will increase.

If participants arrive on the line before the next beep, they must wait until the beep sounds to continue. However, if participants do not reach the 20-meter line before the beep sounds, they will be warned for the first time. If they cannot keep up and keep pace during the next 20-meter beep, they have completed the test. The longer you run, the better your performance in the test.

MSFT Beep Test measures aerobic fitness, and can be converted into a maximum VO2 (maximum oxygen consumption) value using a calculator (or equation) like a 1.5-mile timing running test calculator.

MSFT also requires participants to change direction and increase speed every 20 meters until they reach an unsustainable speed. The test may have more work-related applications, not just running at a steady speed.

Depending on your abilities, the beep test should take longer than the 1.5-mile timed run. In the VO2 maximum calculator, to get the same score as the 9-minute 1.5-mile fast running in the VO2 maximum calculator, it should take more than 13 minutes in the beep test. However, if you are a little slower during a 1.5-mile run (11 minutes), you can pass the beep test in just 10 minutes to get the same VO2 maximum level.

Don't be fooled by the distance of 20 meters. The MSFT Beep test "begins like a lamb and ends like a lion", and its heart rate is usually much higher than that of a 1.5-mile run. If you never like suicide training on the basketball court, you won't like the last few minutes of MSFT.

If you absolutely cannot tolerate a 1.5 to 2 mile run, then the buzzer test is definitely a change in rhythm. However, the 20-meter MSFT buzzer test is not a substitute for running within a three-mile range because the time associated with excellence in the buzzer test is lower than the maximum oxygen uptake score for a three-mile run.

In other words, maximizing MSFT will take less time than maximizing a three-mile run, and getting an average score in a three-mile run can be done with similar effort and score in half the time of MSFT.

MSFT is not an ideal substitute for 1.5-mile running, but as tactical fitness testing develops in the military, police, and firefighter communities, it is an alternative method. Compared with the 1.5-mile time running, the buzzer test provides a moderate agility test (start, stop, and change direction), while producing a similar VO2 maximum test verification.

References: The relationship between the 20-meter multi-segment physical fitness test and the 2.4-kilometer run for recruits in law enforcement. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 35(10), 2756-61, 2021. Lockie RG, Dawes JJ, Moreno MR, Cesario KA, Balfany K, Stierli M, Dulla JM, Orr RM.

Stew Smith (Stew Smith) is a former Navy SEAL and fitness writer, certified by the National Fitness Association (CSCS). If you want to start an exercise program to create a healthy lifestyle, please visit his Fitness e-bookstore. Send your fitness questions to stew@stewsmith.com.

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