The Yo-Yo test, also known as the Yo-Yo intermittent test, is a maximal aerobic endurance fitness test developed in the 1990s by Danish soccer physiologist Jens Bangsbo and his colleagues. It is designed to estimate an individuals performance in stop-and-go sports such as football (soccer), cricket, and basketball. The test involves running between markers placed 20 meters apart at increasing speeds until exhaustion.
The most commonly used version of the Yo-Yo test is the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 1 (YYIRT1, IR1). This version is often used by teams to test their athletes' fitness levels. The test is conducted in the following manner:
- Participants run back and forth between the markers, with each shuttle consisting of a 20-meter distance.
- The running speed increases at each level, and participants must complete the required number of shuttles within a specified time.
- There are short recovery periods between each level, during which participants must walk or jog slowly.
- The test continues until the participant can no longer complete the required shuttles within the given time.
The Yo-Yo test is used to evaluate an athlete's ability to perform well in the aerobic and anaerobic spectrum. It has become a popular fitness test for many team sport athletes, and its results are often used as a selection criterion in various sports.
