VAMEVAL Test
Designed by Georges Cazorla, this test measures Maximal Aerobic Speed through a progressive run on a track, with one-minute levels paced by audio beeps.
By Jérémie NeubauerSite editor; runner, CrossFit and strength athlete for over 15 years · protocol checked against sources on
About the VAMEVAL test
The VAMEVAL test determines your MAS: the speed at which oxygen consumption reaches its maximum (VO2max). All it requires is an athletics track and an audio track to guide participants through the successive intensity levels.
How the test works
Participants run at progressively increasing speeds, set by pre-recorded beeps. Every minute the speed rises, demanding an ever-greater effort until exhaustion. The distance covered and the level reached allow a precise calculation of MAS.
Calculator
Record your MAS
Select the last level you fully completed before stopping: by definition of the test, its speed is your MAS.
Audio track
The VAMEVAL audio track
Generated by your browser from the protocol: one beep each time you must pass a 20 m cone, a double beep at each change of level (+0.5 km/h), from level 1 at 8.5 km/h to level 24 at 20.0 km/h.
How to use the audio track
Stand at the starting cone, start the player and set off on the long beep. From then on, at each beep you must be level with the next cone: neither ahead nor behind. At level 1 the beeps are about 8.5 seconds apart; at level 15 (15.5 km/h), about 4.6 seconds. The double beep announces that the speed is increasing.
This generator is not the original recording of the protocol: it reproduces its progression, with levels of about one minute rounded to a whole number of cones so that every beep falls on a marker. Keep your phone screen on throughout the test, as some devices mute a page on standby. For a group, connect the phone to a speaker that can be heard all the way round the track.
VAMEVAL stage table
The link between the level reached and MAS is purely arithmetic: level 1 corresponds to 8.5 km/h and each following level adds 0.5 km/h.
MAS (km/h) = 8.5 + 0.5 × (level − 1)
As each level lasts one minute, the distance covered during that level follows directly by dividing the speed in km/h by 60.
| Level | MAS (km/h) | Distance of the level | Level | MAS (km/h) | Distance of the level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8.5 | 142 m | 13 | 14.5 | 242 m |
| 2 | 9.0 | 150 m | 14 | 15.0 | 250 m |
| 3 | 9.5 | 158 m | 15 | 15.5 | 258 m |
| 4 | 10.0 | 167 m | 16 | 16.0 | 267 m |
| 5 | 10.5 | 175 m | 17 | 16.5 | 275 m |
| 6 | 11.0 | 183 m | 18 | 17.0 | 283 m |
| 7 | 11.5 | 192 m | 19 | 17.5 | 292 m |
| 8 | 12.0 | 200 m | 20 | 18.0 | 300 m |
| 9 | 12.5 | 208 m | 21 | 18.5 | 308 m |
| 10 | 13.0 | 217 m | 22 | 19.0 | 317 m |
| 11 | 13.5 | 225 m | 23 | 19.5 | 325 m |
| 12 | 14.0 | 233 m | 24 | 20.0 | 333 m |
A runner whose last completed level is 14 therefore has a MAS of 15 km/h. This value cannot be transferred as such to the 20 m shuttle run (beep test): both tests show the same speeds level by level, but the turns of the shuttle make the effort more costly, so runners usually reach a lower level there.
The VAMEVAL protocol in detail
The VAMEVAL is run on a track marked every 20 metres. The starting speed is 8.5 km/h at level 1 and it increases by 0.5 km/h every minute. Each cone is paced by a beep, and each change of level by a distinct signal.
The instruction is simple to state and demanding to follow: at each beep, the runner must be level with the corresponding cone, neither ahead nor behind. The test ends when the runner can no longer hold the pace. In practice, they are stopped when they fall about 2 metres behind on several consecutive cones (two or three depending on the published protocols). Their MAS is the speed of the last fully completed level.
What sets it apart from the shuttle run is the continuity of the effort: no turns, no braking, no re-accelerating. All the energy spent produces useful movement, which makes the measured speed easier to interpret.
Adapting the VAMEVAL to a track
The simplest option is a 400 m athletics track: 20 cones, one every 20 metres, placed with a tape measure inside lane 1. A 200 m loop also works, with 10 cones; without a track, Georges Cazorla suggests marking one out on a football pitch. The rule is that the loop length must be a multiple of 20 m. On a 250 m ring, for example, the markers would no longer fall in the same place from one lap to the next: mark out a 200 m loop inside it instead.
Equipment needed
- An athletics track marked every 20 metres
- An audio track with the beeps signalling speed changes
- An audio playback device (speakers or earphones)
- A stopwatch to track the one-minute levels
- Cones or visual markers to define the distances
Protocol
How the test unfolds
- Set-upAn athletics track marked every 20 metres, the audio track ready, cones or visual markers in place.
- StartRunners line up behind the start line; on the initial signal, they set off at the pace dictated by the audio.
- ProgressionOn each beep, reach the 20-metre marker. The cadence increases every minute, requiring a speed adjustment.
- End of the testThe test ends when you can no longer keep up with the pace set by the audio track.
Key points: listen carefully to the beeps, keep good running form even at high intensity, and stop immediately if you feel significant pain.
Recommended gear
To run the test in good conditions
- Portable speaker View on Amazon →
- Set of training cones View on Amazon →
- Running shoes View on Amazon →
Amazon affiliate links: if you buy, this site earns a commission at no extra cost to you.
Frequently asked questions
FAQ
Who designed the VAMEVAL test?
It was designed by Georges Cazorla to measure Maximal Aerobic Speed through a progressive run on an athletics track.
How do you calculate your MAS after the test?
The direct method is to note the speed of the last level completed before stopping: that is your MAS. A proportional-correction method also exists to refine the result when a level is left unfinished, but it requires more precision and a coach's input is recommended.
What is the difference with the beep test?
The difference is fundamental and often misunderstood: the Luc Léger test is run as 20-metre shuttles, turning around at every beep, whereas the VAMEVAL is run continuously on a track marked with cones every 20 metres, with no change of direction at all. Both progress in one-minute stages with 0.5 km/h increments, but the absence of turns makes the VAMEVAL less costly at the same speed: the same runner usually reaches a higher MAS on it. Their results are therefore not directly comparable.
How can I improve my sustained running speed?
Threshold work and long intervals (efforts close to your MAS) are the most effective levers for raising the speed you can hold over time, alongside a sufficient volume of easy-pace endurance running.
What speed does the VAMEVAL start at?
At 8.5 km/h at level 1, with an increase of 0.5 km/h every minute. This is also the starting speed set by the French armed forces fitness test instruction, which offers the VAMEVAL as one of its cardio-respiratory endurance tests.
What if I stop partway through a level?
The simple method counts the last fully completed level. If you held a good part of the next level, some coaches apply a proportional correction to refine the estimate. Stay consistent from one test to the next: comparability matters more than the decimal.
Where can I find the VAMEVAL audio track?
This page offers an audio track generated directly by your browser, with no file to download: one beep each time you must reach a 20 m cone, a double beep at each change of level, from level 1 at 8.5 km/h to level 24 at 20 km/h. Keep the screen on and connect a speaker if you are testing a group.
How do you set up the VAMEVAL on a track?
You need a loop whose length is a multiple of 20 metres, so that the cones fall regularly: 20 cones on a 400 m track, 10 on a 200 m loop. Without a track, mark out a 200 m loop on a football pitch. On a 250 m ring the 20 m markers do not line up from lap to lap: mark out a 200 m loop instead.