PACER test (Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run)

Presentation of Luc Léger’s test

Luc Léger’s test is a physical test designed to calculate the maximum aerobic speed, more commonly known as the VMA, as well as to estimate the maximum oxygen consumption, also known as VO2Max, of a person. Used extensively by the army to test its new recruits, Luc Léger’s test is also part of the selection tests imposed on future firefighters.

Principle

The principle of Luc Léger’s test is rather simple since it is a question, within the framework of a continuous race, of working on your endurance while increasing your running speed by 0.5km/h every minute. It is therefore necessary to be extremely regular in your training to be able to hope to progress in cardio-training quickly.

Do the test yourself

To carry out Luc Léger’s test in good conditions, it is necessary to have at your disposal a 400m track, enough pads to place one every 20m as well as a tape recorder with a test cassette or, if necessary, a stopwatch with a whistle to indicate the sound signals to the participants.

Luc Léger's test is done continuously around an athletics track
Luc Léger’s test is done continuously around an athletics track

Conduct of Luc Léger’s test

To be able to submit to Luc Léger’s test, it is essential to know, even if only approximately, his VMA, by doing a Cooper test for example, to be able to determine his initial speed which corresponds to his VMA – 4km/h. The first step is to maintain this speed for 2 minutes, then gradually accelerate every two minutes to the rhythm of the increasingly close sound signals. When the subject can no longer accelerate fast enough to reach the marker before the signal, he has reached his VMA.

Luc Léger test bearings

 

Temps (min)
Paliers
Km/h
m/min
m/sec
VO2 max
VMA (en km/h)
0
1
8
133,3
2,22
16,2
1
2
8,5
141,7
2,36
2
3
9
150,0
2,50
19,2
3
4
9,5
158,3
2,64
8.5
4
5
10
166,7
2,78
22,1
9.1
5
6
10,5
175,0
2,92
23,9
9.7
6
7
11
183,3
3,06
25,8
10.2
7
8
11,5
191,7
3,19
28,7
10.8
8
9
12
200,0
3,33
30,6
11.5
9
10
12,5
208,3
3,47
32,6
12.1
10
11
13
216,7
3,61
34,9
12.8
11
12
13,5
225,0
3,75
36,2
13.3
12
13
14
233,3
3,89
37,4
13.7
13
14
14,5
241,7
4,03
41,2
14.1
14
15
15
250,0
4,17
43,7
14.7
15
16
15,5
258,3
4,31
46,1
15.2
16
17
16
266,7
4,44
49
15.9
17
18
16,5
275,0
4,58
51,8
16.3
18
19
17
283,3
4,72
54
16.7
19
20
17,5
291,7
4,86
59,6
17.1
20
21
18
300,0
5,00
64,2
17.5
21
22
18,5
308,3
5,14
67,5
18.18
22
23
19
316,7
5,28
70,1
18.46
23
24
19,5
325,0
5,42
73,2
19.05
24
25
20
333,3
5,56
75,2
19.87