Yo-yo test
The yo-yo test, played on your phone: the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 1 with its beeps, the level you are on and your distance, free and with nothing to download. Then see how it compares with professional forwards and backs.
Part of our rugby fitness tests.
Yo-Yo IR1, from 10 km/h
5.1speed levels 5 to 23, 3,640 m if you run it all
Press Start and put the phone down near the start line. Five seconds, then the first beep sends you off.
How to set up the yo-yo test
Three lines
5 m + 20 mA start line, a turn line 20 m in front of it and a recovery line 5 m behind it, on flat ground that does not slip. Measure with a tape, not your stride.Out and back on the beeps
40 mStart behind the start line. Run to the 20 m line, turn as it beeps, and be back over the start line by the next beep.Ten seconds to recover
10 sWalk or jog to the recovery line and back, then come to a complete stop. No rolling start.Out on the second warning
2 warningsA warning for starting early, not reaching a line by the beep, turning short of the line or not stopping. The second one ends the test, and the shuttle you were on does not count.
Using your phone for the beeps
- Turn the volume up. On an iPhone, turn the silent switch off, or a web page plays no sound.
- For a squad, connect a speaker: one phone runs everyone, and you press Out as each runner drops.
- Keep the page open. The screen stays awake while the test runs.
- Scores stay on your phone. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Yo-yo test levels
The test starts at 10 km/h, jumps to 12 and then 13, and from there gets half a km/h faster each level. The early levels are short; from 14.5 km/h every level is eight shuttles. Speed level 23, shuttle 8 is the end of the table: 91 shuttles and 3,640 m.
| Speed level | Speed | Shuttles | Each 20 m in | Distance at the end |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 10.0 km/h | 1 | 7.20 s | 40 m |
| 9 | 12.0 km/h | 1 | 6.00 s | 80 m |
| 11 | 13.0 km/h | 2 | 5.54 s | 160 m |
| 12 | 13.5 km/h | 3 | 5.33 s | 280 m |
| 13 | 14.0 km/h | 4 | 5.14 s | 440 m |
| 14 | 14.5 km/h | 8 | 4.97 s | 760 m |
| 15 | 15.0 km/h | 8 | 4.80 s | 1,080 m |
| 16 | 15.5 km/h | 8 | 4.65 s | 1,400 m |
| 17 | 16.0 km/h | 8 | 4.50 s | 1,720 m |
| 18 | 16.5 km/h | 8 | 4.36 s | 2,040 m |
| 19 | 17.0 km/h | 8 | 4.24 s | 2,360 m |
| 20 | 17.5 km/h | 8 | 4.11 s | 2,680 m |
| 21 | 18.0 km/h | 8 | 4.00 s | 3,000 m |
| 22 | 18.5 km/h | 8 | 3.89 s | 3,320 m |
| 23 | 19.0 km/h | 8 | 3.79 s | 3,640 m |
What is a good yo-yo test score for rugby?
These are the average distances professional squads ran, from studies we have read in full. Backs ran further than forwards in every one, as they did in all three yo-yo studies a 2026 review of 37 studies took in.
New Zealand Super Rugby
39 New Zealand Super Rugby players, end of pre-season
- forwards
- 1,517 m
- about 17.2
- backs
- 2,238 m
- about 19.4
An international squad
29 players from an international rugby union squad, 2014-15 season
- forwards
- 1,429 m
- about 16.8
- backs
- 1,683 m
- about 17.7
French Pro D2
19 French Pro D2 players, before and after a 12-week pre-season
Start of pre-season
- forwards
- 1,622 m
- about 17.5
- backs
- 2,042 m
- about 18.8
After 12 weeks
- forwards
- 2,072 m
- about 18.8
- backs
- 2,600 m
- about 20.6
A yo-yo score is not the whole player. At Lincoln University in Canterbury, first-year forwards who went on to turn professional ran less than the forwards who stayed amateur (1,593 m against 1,751 m), but they were heavier and stronger. In the international squad, the forwards who ran further made more tackles and were more often among the first three players to a ruck.
Sources
- Posthumus L, Macgregor C, Winwood P, et al. Physical and fitness characteristics of elite professional rugby union players. Sports. 2020;8:85.
- Cunningham DJ, Shearer DA, Drawer S, et al. Relationships between physical qualities and key performance indicators during match-play in senior international rugby union players. PLoS ONE. 2018;13:e0202811.
- Hu X, Baba NT, Philippe K, et al. Effects of preseason training on body composition, running performance, biochemical markers and workload variation in professional rugby union players. Heliyon. 2023;9:e16250.
- Hamlin MJ, Deuchrass RW, Elliot CE, Manimmanakorn N. Short and long-term differences in anthropometric characteristics and physical performance between male rugby players that became professional or remained amateur. J Exerc Sci Fit. 2021;19:143.
- Czyż K, Kasicki K, Rydzik Ł, et al. Position-specific differences in physical fitness characteristics among adult male rugby players: systematic review. J Funct Morphol Kinesiol. 2026;11:313.
- Owen C, Till K, Weakley J, et al. Testing methods and physical qualities of male age grade rugby union players: a systematic review. PLoS ONE. 2020;15:e0233796.
- Bennett H, Garrett J. The dreaded beep test: outdated or still a valid assessment of your fitness? The Conversation.
- Wood R. Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 1: procedure and table of speeds and distances. theyoyotest.com, 2018, adapted from Bangsbo J, Iaia FM, Krustrup P. Sports Med. 2008;38:37-51.
Yo-yo test vs Bronco vs beep test
| What | Yo-yo test | Bronco | Beep test |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you run | 20 m out and back, faster each level | 20, 40 and 60 m out and back, five times | 20 m shuttles, faster each level |
| Rest | 10 s after every 40 m | None | None |
| Score | Level and shuttle, or metres | Time for 1,200 m | Level and shuttle |
| Kit | Three lines and the beeps | Four cones and a stopwatch | Two lines and the beeps |
Rugby stops and starts, and so does the yo-yo. Sports like that have moved from the beep test towards the yo-yo because it is closer to the game, and a 2020 review of age-grade rugby union testing found the yo-yo in 7 studies and the beep test in 6. Time your Bronco test or play the beep test here too.
How to get your yo-yo score up
In France, 19 Pro D2 players went from 1,821 m to 2,322 m as a squad over a 12-week pre-season: three weeks of strength endurance, four of high-intensity running and small-sided games, then three of conditioning with short rests, with a week of rest between blocks. Forwards gained 450 m and backs 558 m.
Elite Rugby App’s fitness programmes include the pitch sessions and the gym work around them, built with professional players and coaches.
Use the full rest
Walk the recovery properly and stop on the line. Rushing it costs you a warning; using it is the point of the test.Turn on the line
Touch or cross the 20 m line every time. A short turn is a warning, and two warnings end your test.Train the repeats
Hard runs with short rests are what the test measures. Our rugby fitness drills and pre-season plan build exactly that.Retest the same way
Same field, same boots, same time of day, so the change you see is you and not the conditions.
Yo-yo test questions
What is the yo-yo test?
The yo-yo test is a running test of how well you keep repeating hard efforts. In the most used version, the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 1, you run 20 m out and back on the beeps, get 10 seconds to recover, and go again, a little faster each level, until you cannot keep up.
How is the yo-yo test scored?
The yo-yo test is scored as the last level and shuttle you finished, like 16.3, or as the total distance you covered. The shuttle you drop out of does not count: pulled out during 16.4, your score is 16.3. Every shuttle is 40 m, so 16.3 is 1,200 m.
What is a good yo-yo test score for rugby?
A good yo-yo test score for rugby depends on your position. In a New Zealand Super Rugby squad at the end of pre-season, forwards averaged 1,517 m and backs 2,238 m. In an international squad, forwards ran 1,429 m and backs 1,683 m. The score that matters most is your own last one.
How long is the rest in the yo-yo test?
The rest in the yo-yo recovery test is 10 seconds after every 40 m run. In that time you walk or jog to a line 5 m behind the start and back, then come to a complete stop before the next beep. The yo-yo intermittent endurance test gives 5 seconds instead.
How far is the yo-yo test?
The yo-yo test has no set distance: you run until you cannot keep up. The Level 1 table goes to speed level 23, shuttle 8, which is 91 shuttles and 3,640 m. Professional rugby squads in published studies averaged between about 1,400 m and 2,600 m.
What is the difference between the yo-yo test and the beep test?
The difference between the yo-yo test and the beep test is the rest. The yo-yo gives you 10 seconds after every 40 m, while the beep test runs 20 m shuttles with no rest at all. Rugby is stop-start, which is why stop-start sports have moved towards the yo-yo.
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