Stopping too early
Your result hangs on your last full stage. Bailing out a minute early to be safe costs you 3% of vVO₂max in one go. Keep going until you genuinely can't hold the pace.
RunningRunning fitness testsIntermediate 43 min
VAMEVAL test: vVO₂max in one-minute stages
The VAMEVAL test measures your vVO₂max with no pacing to manage: the speed rises by 3% of your vVO₂max every minute until you can't keep up. Your last full stage gives your new vVO₂max. About 40 minutes with the warm-up, for runners who already train regularly.
Session profile21 blocks
At a glance
- Duration
- 43 min
- Main target
- 76–121%vVO₂max7 Z7 · Neuromuscular
- Time at target
- 16 min
- Estimated load
- 55
- Structure
- 18 steps of 1′, 70 → 121% vVO₂max
- Level
- Intermediate
- Equipment
- GPS watch · Track (optional)
The session in detail
vVO₂max
Time in zone
- Z120 min
- Z27 min
- Z32 min
- Z44 min
- Z53 min
- Z65 min
- Z72 min
What the targets mean
| Target | Zone | Time | vVO₂max 14 km/h | vVO₂max 16 km/h | vVO₂max 18 km/h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 121% | 7Neuromuscular | 1 min | 3:33/km 282 m per rep | 3:06/km 323 m per rep | 2:45/km 363 m per rep |
| 118% | 7Neuromuscular | 1 min | 3:38/km 275 m per rep | 3:11/km 315 m per rep | 2:49/km 354 m per rep |
| 115% | 6Anaerobic | 1 min | 3:44/km 268 m per rep | 3:16/km 307 m per rep | 2:54/km 345 m per rep |
| 112% | 6Anaerobic | 1 min | 3:50/km 261 m per rep | 3:21/km 299 m per rep | 2:59/km 336 m per rep |
| 109% | 6Anaerobic | 1 min | 3:56/km 254 m per rep | 3:26/km 291 m per rep | 3:03/km 327 m per rep |
| 106% | 6Anaerobic | 1 min | 4:03/km 247 m per rep | 3:32/km 283 m per rep | 3:09/km 318 m per rep |
| 103% | 6Anaerobic | 1 min | 4:10/km 240 m per rep | 3:38/km 275 m per rep | 3:14/km 309 m per rep |
| 100% | 5VO₂max | 1 min | 4:17/km 233 m per rep | 3:45/km 267 m per rep | 3:20/km 300 m per rep |
| 97% | 5VO₂max | 1 min | 4:25/km 226 m per rep | 3:52/km 259 m per rep | 3:26/km 291 m per rep |
| 94% | 5VO₂max | 1 min | 4:34/km 219 m per rep | 3:59/km 251 m per rep | 3:33/km 282 m per rep |
| 91% | 4Threshold | 1 min | 4:43/km 212 m per rep | 4:07/km 243 m per rep | 3:40/km 273 m per rep |
| 88% | 4Threshold | 1 min | 4:52/km 205 m per rep | 4:16/km 235 m per rep | 3:47/km 264 m per rep |
| 85% | 4Threshold | 1 min | 5:03/km 198 m per rep | 4:25/km 227 m per rep | 3:55/km 255 m per rep |
| 82% | 4Threshold | 1 min | 5:14/km 191 m per rep | 4:34/km 219 m per rep | 4:04/km 246 m per rep |
| 79% | 3Active endurance | 1 min | 5:25/km 184 m per rep | 4:45/km 211 m per rep | 4:13/km 237 m per rep |
| 76% | 3Active endurance | 1 min | 5:38/km 177 m per rep | 4:56/km 203 m per rep | 4:23/km 228 m per rep |
| 73% | 2Base endurance | 1 min | 5:52/km 170 m per rep | 5:08/km 195 m per rep | 4:34/km 219 m per rep |
| 70% | 2Base endurance | 1 min | 6:07/km 163 m per rep | 5:21/km 187 m per rep | 4:46/km 210 m per rep |
Put this session on your watch
Do the test from your watch, guided block by block. Then enter your new reference speed and every session follows.
What this session is for
This test doesn't make you fitter: it measures. It gives you your vVO₂max, the speed at which you reach your maximal oxygen uptake, which anchors every session set as a % of it. The principle is a lab incremental test taken out onto the track: the speed rises in small steps, and the speed at which you crack sits very close to your vVO₂max. Because the pace is imposed, your result depends little on how well you pace an effort, unlike self-paced tests.
Who it's for
Runners who already train regularly and want a more reliable vVO₂max than a self-paced test gives, especially if they tend to go off too fast. Think of it as a bleep test run around a track rather than in shuttles: the original uses cones every 20 m, a soundtrack and someone to judge, which makes it a club session. The session here is a 'watch' version, with stages set as a % of your current vVO₂max. With no track or group, the half Cooper test is simpler to organise.
When to do it
At the end of a training cycle, or every 4 to 8 weeks: a common guideline. Do it fresh, after one or two easy days, never the day after a hard session, and avoid heat and strong wind. Stick with the same version each time: a soundtrack VAMEVAL and a watch VAMEVAL don't compare perfectly. Once your vVO₂max is updated, every pace set as a % of it moves too.
How to do it
Warm-up
15 min10′ at 60–65% vVO₂max + 5′ at 66–72% vVO₂max
10 minutes of easy running at 60–65% of vVO₂max, then 5 minutes a little brisker, at 66–72%. No need for more: the first stages are easy enough to finish the warm-up.
Test
18 min18 steps of 1′, 70 → 121% vVO₂max
One-minute stages, starting at 70% of vVO₂max and rising by 3% of it every minute: with a vVO₂max of 16 km/h, each step is about 0.5 km/h, as in the original. Your watch's live pace jumps around a lot over a minute: on a track, go by markers instead, such as a 400 m in 1:30 at 16 km/h. Keep going until you can no longer hold the pace. If your current vVO₂max is right, that happens around 100%; the stages go up to 121% to leave headroom. Note the % of your last full stage.
Cool-down
10 min10′ at 55–65% vVO₂max
10 minutes of very easy running at 55–65% of vVO₂max, starting with a few steps of walking. Then the maths: your new vVO₂max is your current one multiplied by the % of your last full stage. With 16 km/h and a last full stage at 106%, your new vVO₂max is 17 km/h.
How it should feel
The first stages feel like a jog, then every minute bites a little more. The last two or three stages are maximal: you can feel the moment coming when you won't keep up. Guide: 10 out of 10 at the end. If you stop with something left, your result underestimates your vVO₂max.
Common mistakes
Chasing your watch's live pace
Over a minute, a GPS watch's live pace swings a lot, and you spend the stage speeding up then braking. On a track, go by your lap time or markers every 100 m instead. An even pace costs less than a jagged one.
Running ahead on the early stages
The early stages are slow on purpose. Banking time is pointless in a test with an imposed pace: it tires you out without changing the result.
Comparing the two versions
A soundtrack VAMEVAL and a watch VAMEVAL don't follow exactly the same protocol. To track your progress, stick with one version.
When to skip it
Before you start
- Several months of regular running, and 15 minutes of easy running without difficulty.
- A track, or a flat route where your watch shows a reliable pace.
Skip it if
- You have pain or a recent injury.
- You did a hard session yesterday.
- You are ill, coming back from a break, or unsure about your health: get medical advice before a maximal effort.
Origin and evidence
Level of evidence
Moderate evidenceLevel 3 of 5
VAMEVAL: Cazorla and Léger (1993), designed to make the Léger and Boucher test (Université de Montréal, 1980) more accessible and more precise, with one-minute stages instead of two. Start at 8 km/h, 0.5 km/h more every minute, cones every 20 m; the test ends when the runner is more than 2 m behind a cone at the signal. The Léger and Boucher test was compared with laboratory-measured VO₂max when it was published. The watch version here is a Wattson adaptation: the 70% start, the 3% steps, the warm-up and the cool-down are Wattson choices, and a watch's pace is less precise than cones. Bottom line: France's reference vVO₂max test; the watch version is more practical, less precise than the soundtrack version.
Sources
- Léger L., Boucher R., Can J Appl Sport Sci 1980;5(2):77-84
- Cazorla G., Léger L., Comment évaluer et développer vos capacités aérobies, AREAPS, 1993
Frequently asked questions
How do you work out your vVO₂max from a VAMEVAL test?
In the original version, your vVO₂max is the speed of your last full stage. In the watch version, multiply your current vVO₂max by the % of your last full stage. With 16 km/h and a last stage at 106%, your new vVO₂max is 17 km/h (16 × 1.06 = 16.96).
How does the original VAMEVAL work?
On a track marked with cones every 20 m, a soundtrack beeps to set the rhythm. It starts at 8 km/h, then adds 0.5 km/h every minute. You need to be level with a cone at each beep; the test ends when you are more than 2 m behind. It needs the recording and someone to judge, which is why it's a staple of French clubs and school PE.
Is the VAMEVAL the same as the bleep test?
Not quite. The bleep test, Léger's 20-metre shuttle run, goes back and forth over 20 m, with stages of about a minute. The VAMEVAL is run around a track, with no turns, which suits runners better: the speed you reach is closer to the speed you actually run at. Both come from Luc Léger's work.
VAMEVAL or half Cooper test?
The VAMEVAL sets the pace, so your result depends less on how well you pace an effort: its big advantage if you tend to go off too fast. The half Cooper needs only a track and a stopwatch, but the pacing is up to you. Both measure your vVO₂max; stick with the same one from test to test.
How long does a VAMEVAL test take?
About 40 minutes with the warm-up and cool-down. The test itself lasts as long as you do: if your current vVO₂max is right, you crack around 100%, after roughly ten minutes of stages. The full session, up to 121%, runs to 43 minutes.
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