The Yo-Yointermittent test is aimed at estimating performance in stop-and-go sports like football (soccer), cricket, basketball and the like. It was conceived around the early 1990s by Jens Bangsbo,[1] a Danish soccer physiologist, then described in a 2008 paper, "The Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test".[2] Like many other tests of fitness, it involves running at ever-increasing speeds, to exhaustion. However, a crucial difference is that the Yo-Yo Intermittent test has periodic rest intervals, thus simulating the nature of exertion in stop-and-go sports.
The four tests
There are four versions of the Yo-Yo Intermittent test:
Recovery Level 1 (Yo-Yo IR1). This is the most popular version focusing "on the capacity to carry out intermittent exercise leading to a maximal activation of the aerobic system".[3]
Recovery Level 2 (Yo-Yo IR2). This is a tougher version of "Recovery Level 1". It "determines an individual's ability to recover from repeated exercise with a high contribution from the anaerobic system.[3]"
Endurance Level 1 (Yo-Yo IE1). This may be used to test participants in less vigorous sports that usually last longer.
Endurance Level 2 (Yo-Yo IE2). This is a tougher version of "Endurance Level 1".
The tests, described below, are largely similar to each other in principle. Coaches and individuals are free to select the one that best suits their sport and the individuals they are training.
Basic features
Set-up
All tests use the same 25-meter track (shown). Markers are placed at 0, 5 and 25 meters on a flat surface that has suitable traction to allow for significant acceleration and deceleration.
Procedure
The set-up for all four versions is identical.[4] Prior to the test commencing, runners line up at the 5 m marker, facing the 25 m marker. Following a countdown, a double beep signals the start.
Runners commence running towards the 25 m marker
At or before the following beep, runners must reach the 25 m marker. Touching with a single foot is acceptable
At or after, but not before, the same beep, runners commence running back to the 5 m marker
At or before the next beep, runners must reach back to the 5 m marker
The rest period now commences: 10 seconds in the Recovery tests, 5 seconds in the Endurance tests. Runners stroll to the 0 m marker, then return to the 5 m marker
A beep indicates the end of the rest period and the start of the next circuit (back to Step 1)
After a predetermined number of circuits at a speed level (which varies with each version of the test), the speed level changes. This is signaled, usually, by a double beep or, possibly, a voice cue. The required speed at the new speed level will be faster.
A runner who fails to reach the relevant marker in time is cautioned; if they want to continue, they must touch the marker before turning back. Two consecutive failures terminates their attempt. Their most recent successful circuit is marked as their score.
Scoring is usually done using "Speed Level.Circuits" terminology; for example, 15.2, which means "completed 2 circuits at level 15". Alternatively, scores may be recorded as distance; for example, 840 m. The two methods correlate exactly, meaning that given one, it is possible to determine the other (see the tables below).
Note that scores in one version of the test do not correlate with scores in other versions. That is, a score of 15.2 in Yo-Yo IR1 is not the same as 15.2 in Yo-Yo IR2.
Recovery Level 1 (Yo-Yo IR1)
Yo-Yo IR1 appears to be the most popular test, primarily because it is a considered a good indicator of the aerobic capacity of athletes in intermittent sports.[5]
Speed
Level
Shuttles
at Level
Running
speed
(km/h)
Seconds
per Shuttle
Seconds
at Level
Cumulative
Time (incl.
recovery)
(mm:ss)
Cumulative
Shuttles
Cumulative
Distance
5
2
10.0
7.20
14.4
00:24
2
40
9
2
12.0
6.00
12.0
00:46
4
80
11
4
13.0
5.54
22.2
01:29
8
160
12
6
13.5
5.33
32.0
02:31
14
280
13
8
14.0
5.14
41.1
03:52
22
440
14
16
14.5
4.97
79.4
06:31
38
760
15
16
15.0
4.80
76.8
09:08
54
1080
16
16
15.5
4.65
74.3
11:42
70
1400
17
16
16.0
4.50
72.0
14:14
86
1720
18
16
16.5
4.36
69.8
16:44
102
2040
19
16
17.0
4.24
67.8
19:12
118
2360
20
16
17.5
4.11
65.8
21:38
134
2680
21
16
18.0
4.00
64.0
24:02
150
3000
22
16
18.5
3.89
62.3
26:24
166
3320
23
16
19.0
3.79
60.6
28:45
182
3640
Note: A circuit consists of running two shuttles followed by a 10 second rest period
Table derived from "The Yo-Yo Intermittent Tests: A Systematic Review and Structured Compendium of Test Results"[4] and ESPNCricinfo[6]
As a side note, "Speed Level" correlates exactly with "Running Speed (km/h)" using the formula: (Running Speed – 7.5) * 2. This applies to all versions of the test.
Recovery Level 2 (Yo-Yo IR2)
The Yo-Yo IR2 test is usually used to evaluate elite level athletes, specifically aimed at determining the athlete's ability to perform well in the aerobic and anaerobic spectrum.[7]
Speed
Level
Shuttles
at Level
Running
speed
(km/h)
Seconds
per Shuttle
Seconds
at Level
Cumulative
Time (incl.
recovery)
(mm:ss)
Cumulative
Shuttles
Cumulative
Distance
11
2
13.0
5.54
11.1
00:21
2
40
15
2
15.0
4.80
9.6
00:41
4
80
17
4
16.0
4.50
18.0
01:19
8
160
18
6
16.5
4.36
26.2
02:15
14
280
19
8
17.0
4.24
33.9
03:29
22
440
20
16
17.5
4.11
65.8
05:55
38
760
21
16
18.0
4.00
64.0
08:19
54
1080
22
16
18.5
3.89
62.3
10:41
70
1400
23
16
19.0
3.79
60.6
13:01
86
1720
24
16
19.5
3.69
59.1
15:21
102
2040
25
16
20.0
3.60
57.6
17:38
118
2360
26
16
20.5
3.51
56.2
19:54
134
2680
27
16
21.0
3.43
54.9
22:09
150
3000
28
16
21.5
3.35
53.6
24:23
166
3320
29
16
22.0
3.27
52.4
26:35
182
3640
Note: A circuit consists of running two shuttles followed by a 10 second rest period
Table derived from "The Yo-Yo Intermittent Tests: A Systematic Review and Structured Compendium of Test Results"[4]
Endurance Level 1 (Yo-Yo IE1)
Speed
Level
Shuttles
at Level
Running
speed
(km/h)
Seconds
per Shuttle
Seconds
at Level
Cumulative
Time (incl.
recovery)
(mm:ss)
Cumulative
Shuttles
Cumulative
Distance
1
4
8.00
9.00
36.0
00:46
4
80
3
4
9.00
8.00
32.0
01:28
8
160
5
4
10.00
7.20
28.8
02:07
12
240
6
16
10.50
6.86
109.7
04:37
28
560
6.5
16
10.75
6.70
107.2
07:04
44
880
7
16
11.00
6.55
104.7
09:28
60
1200
7.5
6
11.25
6.40
38.4
10:22
66
1320
8
6
11.50
6.26
37.6
11:14
72
1440
8.5
12
11.75
6.13
73.5
12:58
84
1680
9
12
12.00
6.00
72.0
14:40
96
1920
9.5
12
12.25
5.88
70.5
16:20
108
2160
10
12
12.50
5.76
69.1
18:00
120
2400
10.5
12
12.75
5.65
67.8
19:37
132
2640
11
12
13.00
5.54
66.5
21:14
144
2880
11.5
12
13.25
5.43
65.2
22:49
156
3120
12
12
13.50
5.33
64.0
24:23
168
3360
12.5
12
13.75
5.24
62.8
25:56
180
3600
13
12
14.00
5.14
61.7
27:28
192
3840
13.5
12
14.25
5.05
60.6
28:58
204
4080
14
12
14.50
4.97
59.6
30:28
216
4320
Note: A circuit consists of running two shuttles followed by a 5 second rest period
Table derived from "The Yo-Yo Intermittent Tests: A Systematic Review and Structured Compendium of Test Results"[4]
Endurance Level 2 (Yo-Yo IE2)
Speed
Level
Shuttles
at Level
Running
speed
(km/h)
Seconds
per Shuttle
Seconds
at Level
Cumulative
Time (incl.
recovery)
(mm:ss)
Cumulative
Shuttles
Cumulative
Distance
8
4
11.50
6.26
25.0
00:35
4
80
10
4
12.50
5.76
23.0
01:08
8
160
12
4
13.50
5.33
21.3
01:39
12
240
13
16
14.00
5.14
82.3
03:42
28
560
13.5
16
14.25
5.05
80.8
05:43
44
880
14
16
14.50
4.97
79.4
07:42
60
1200
14.5
6
14.75
4.88
29.3
08:26
66
1320
15
6
15.00
4.80
28.8
09:10
72
1440
15.5
12
15.25
4.72
56.7
10:37
84
1680
16
12
15.50
4.65
55.7
12:02
96
1920
16.5
12
15.75
4.57
54.9
13:27
108
2160
17
12
16.00
4.50
54.0
14:51
120
2400
17.5
12
16.25
4.43
53.2
16:15
132
2640
18
12
16.50
4.36
52.4
17:37
144
2880
18.5
12
16.75
4.30
51.6
18:58
156
3120
19
12
17.00
4.24
50.8
20:19
168
3360
19.5
12
17.25
4.17
50.1
21:39
180
3600
20
12
17.50
4.11
49.4
22:59
192
3840
20.5
12
17.75
4.06
48.7
24:17
204
4080
21
12
18.00
4.00
48.0
25:35
216
4320
Note: A circuit consists of running two shuttles followed by a 5 second rest period
Notable records:
Ryan Ferguson - completed 2009. 21.12
Table derived from "The Yo-Yo Intermittent Tests: A Systematic Review and Structured Compendium of Test Results"[4]
Yo-Yo tests and VO2 max
VO2 max, or milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body mass per minute (e.g., mL/(kg·min)), is considered an excellent proxy for aerobic fitness.[8] Consequently, attempts have been made to correlate Yo-Yo test scores with VO2 max. There are conflicting reports about such a correlation. Two studies [9][10] reported only a weak correlation. Another study[11] reported strong correlation (R2=0.89) but the author acknowledged that most previous studies showed weak correlation.
Formula
There are sources that have published formulae for the relationship:[12][13]
However, an eyeball review indicates minimum scores for Yo-Yo IR1 and Yo-Yo IR2 of 36.4 and 45.3 respectively—that is, the score if the runner does not complete a single circuit. Both scores are reasonably respectable VO2 max scores;[14] clearly, the formulae apply with additional caveats (which are not mentioned).
Yo-Yo IR1 standards
A selection of standards, across sports, from around the world.
Note that these may be affected by selection bias. An open-access publication on reference values for different sports and activity levels for individuals > 16 years of age has been published in 2018.[4] A reference list for children is also available [15]
^Bangsbo J, Lindquist F. Comparison of various exercise tests with endurance performance during soccer in professional players. Int J Sports Med. 1992;13(2):125-132. doi:10.1055/s-2007-1021243
^ abBangsbo J, Iaia FM, Krustrup P. The Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test : a useful tool for evaluation of physical performance in intermittent sports. Sports Med. 2008;38(1):37-51. doi:10.2165/00007256-200838010-00004
^ abcdefSchmitz B, Pfeifer C, Kreitz K, Borowski M, Faldum A, Brand SM. The Yo-Yo Intermittent Tests: A Systematic Review and Structured Compendium of Test Results. Front Physiol. 2018;9:870. Published 2018 Jul 5. doi:10.3389/fphys.2018.00870
^Krustrup P, Mohr M, Amstrup T, et al. The yo-yo intermittent recovery test: physiological response, reliability, and validity. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2003;35(4):697-705. doi:10.1249/01.MSS.0000058441.94520.32
^Krustrup P, Mohr M, Nybo L, Jensen JM, Nielsen JJ, Bangsbo J. The Yo-Yo IR2 test: physiological response, reliability, and application to elite soccer. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2006;38(9):1666-1673. doi:10.1249/01.mss.0000227538.20799.08
^Howley ET, Bassett DR Jr, Welch HG. Criteria for maximal oxygen uptake: review and commentary. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1995;27(9):1292-1301.
^Martínez-Lagunas V, Hartmann U. Validity of the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 1 for direct measurement or indirect estimation of maximal oxygen uptake in female soccer players. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2014;9(5):825-831. doi:10.1123/ijspp.2013-0313
^Schmitz B, Pfeifer C, Thorwesten L, Krüger M, Klose A, Brand SM. Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Level 1 Test for Estimation of Peak Oxygen Uptake: Use Without Restriction? Res Q Exerc Sport. 2020;91(3):478-487. doi: 10.1080/02701367.2019.1684432
^Bangsbo, J., Iaia, F.M., and Krustrup, P. The Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test : a useful tool for evaluation of physical performance in intermittent sports. Sports. Med. 38: 37-51, 2008
^Schmitz B, Pfeifer C, Kreitz K, Borowski M, Faldum A, Brand SM. Normative Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Level 1 and Yo-Yo Intermittent Endurance Level 1 test values of boys aged 9-16years. J Sci Med Sport. 2019;22(9):1030-1037. doi: 10.1016/j.jsams.2019.05.016
