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Purpose

The 20 Meter Shuttle Run is a fitness test to estimate VO2max

Acronym 20 m SRT

Assessment Type

Performance Measure

Cost

Free

Actual Cost

$0.00

Key Descriptions

  • Participants repeatedly run a 20-meter distance at increasing speeds until they can no longer keep pace. A number of equations are available to predict VO2max from assessment performance.
    Administration instructions: (Léger et al., 1998)
    ▪ Distance of 20 meters is marked
    ▪ Subjects will complete the following sequence of runs in stages
    1. The participant will run the 20m, beginning with an audible beep
    2. The audible beep begins at a rate of 8.5km/h
    3. The audible beep is incrementally increased by 0.5km/h every 1 minute
  • The test continues until failure or fatigue occurs on 2 consecutive runs
    Note that variations and modifications to the test exist such as the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test, PACER test, and the 15m Test

Number of Items

1

Equipment Required

  • Marked distance of 20 meters on a flat, non-slip surface
  • An audio source able to produce an audible beep at an initial rate of 8.5km/h and able to increase 0.5 km/h every minute (● Various resources for audio include online video and audio files and smartphone applications)

Time to Administer

8-12 minutes

Required Training

No Training

Instrument Reviewers

Brian Gerlach MS, ATC, CSCS and Molly Jennings MA, AT, LAT

Considerations

  • Numerous individuals can be tested concurrently in the same testing session
  • There are several modifications and variations to the test that are population specific such as Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Tests for athletes (Bangsbo et al, 2008)
  • Other methods exist to calculate VO2max values such maximal effort treadmill assessments (Aziz et al, 2005; Stickland et al, 2003)
  • This test fills a need for a feasible VO2max test that can be completed in a non-laboratory environment (Stickland et al, 2003)
  • Participant motivation and environmental factors such as ambient temperature, relative humidity and elevation can influence performance (Kim et al, 2011)

Non-Specific Patient Population

back to Populations

Standard Error of Measurement (SEM)

Healthy adults (calculated from Kim et al, 2011; n=119)

  • SEM for males (n=90): 2.0 shuttles
  • SEM for females (n=29): 0.6 shuttles
  • SEM for males and females (n = 119): 1.4 shuttles

Athletes (Aziz et al, 2005; n=12 professional male soccer players; mean age=27.2)

  • SEM: 2.3 shuttles

Military personnel (Calculated from statistics in Aandstad et al, 2011; Home Guard: n= 38; mean age = 38 years)

  • SEM: 1.0 shuttles
  • SEM: 0.1 last half laps completed

Minimal Detectable Change (MDC)

Healthy adults (Kim et al, 2011; n=119)

  • MDC95 for males (n=90): 5.5 shuttles
  • MDC95 for females (n=29): 1.7 shuttles
  • MDC95 for males and females (n = 119): 3.9 shuttles

Athletes (Calculated from statistics in Aziz et al, 2005)

  • MDC95 for entire group (n=12): 6.7 shuttles

Military personnel (Calculated from statistics in Aandstad et al, 2011)

  • MDC95 for entire group (n=38): 2.86 shuttles
  • MDC95 for entire group (n=38): 0.35 last half laps completed

Test/Retest Reliability

Healthy adults

  • Excellent test-retest reliability among males in shuttle counts (r = 0.87) (Kim et al, 2011)
  • Excellent test-retest reliability among females in shuttle counts (r = 0.97) (Kim et al, 2011)
  • Excellent test-retest reliability among males and females in shuttle counts (r = 0.93) (Kim et al, 2011)
  • Excellent test-retest reliability for completed stages (r = 0.95) (Léger et al, 1988; n = 81, age 20-45 years)

Athletes (Aziz et al, 2005)

  • Excellent test-retest reliability in shuttle counts (ICC = 0.97)

Healthy children (Léger et al, 1998; n = 139, age 6-16 years)

  • Excellent test-retest reliability for completed stages  (r = 0.89)

Military personnel (Aandstad et al, 2011)

  • Excellent test-retest reliability in shuttle counts (ICC = 0.96)
  • Excellent test-retest reliability in half laps completed (ICC = 0.95)

Criterion Validity (Predictive/Concurrent)

Concurrent validity:

Healthy males (Stickland et al, 2003)

  • Excellent concurrent validity compared with treadmill V02max in males (r = 0.88)

Healthy females (Stickland et al, 2003)

  • Excellent concurrent validity compared with treadmill V02max in females (r = 0.81

 

Predictive validity:

Healthy adults

  • Excellent predictive VO2max (r = 0.90) with input of speed [km/hr] (Léger et al, 1988; n = 77 men and women 18-50 years old)

Healthy children (Léger et al, 1988; n=188, boys and girls 8-19 years old)

  • Excellent predictive VO2max (r = 0.71) with inputs of speed [km/h] and age [years]

Military personnel (Aandstad et al, 2011)

  • Excellent predictive value for VO2max (ICC = 0.62) using input of last half level completed
    • r=0.80-0.82

Bibliography

Aandstad, A., Holme, I., Berntsen, S., & Anderssen, S. (2011). Validity and reliability of the 20 meter shuttle run test in military personnel. Military Medicine, 176 (5), 513-518. https://doi.org/10.7205/MILMED-D-10-00373

 

Aziz, A. R., Tan Hun Yau, F., & Teh Kong, Chuan. (2005). The 20m Multistage Shuttle Run test: Reliability, Sensitivity and its Performance Correlates in trained soccer players. Asian Journal of Exercise & Sports Science, 2(1), 1–7.

 

Bangsbo, J., Iaia, F., & Krustrup, P. (2008). The yo-yo intermittent recovery test: A useful tool for evaluation of physical performance in intermittent sports. Sports Medicine, 38(1), 37-51. https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-200838010-00004

 

Gillespie, M. (2009). Reliability of the 20 metre shuttle run in children with intellectual disabilities. European Journal of Adapted Physical Education, 2(2), 7-13. Retrieved from  https://eujapa.upol.cz/artkey/euj-200902-0001_reliability-of-the-20-metre-shuttle-run-for-children-with-intellectual-disabilities.php

 

Kim, J., Jung, S., & Cho, H. (2011). Validity and reliability of shuttle-run test in Korean adults. International Journal of  Sports Medicine, 32(8), 580-585. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0031-1277179

 

Léger, L. A., Mercier, D., Gadoury, C., & Lambert, J. (1988). The multistage 20 metre shuttle run test for aerobic fitness. Journal of Sports Sciences 6, 93-101. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640418808729800

 

Stickland, M. K., Petersen, S. R., & Bouffard, M. (2003). Prediction of maximal aerobic power from the 20-m multi-stage shuttle run test. Canadian Journal of Applied Physiology, 28(2), 272+.  https://doi.org/10.1139/h03-021

 

Verschuren, O., Bosma, L., & Takken, T. (2011). Reliability of a shuttle run test for children with cerebral palsy who are classified at Gross Motor Function Classification System level III. Developmental Medicine and Clinical Neurology, 53 (5), 470-472. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8749.2010.03893