PASS THE BEEP TESTpassthebeeptest.com/Guide_To_Preparing_For_The_Beep_Test_Revis… · You’ll also require some form of marking cone or indicator along with a timer or beep best

PASS THE BEEP TEST

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How To Beat The Beep Test Page 2

Table Of Contents

Introduction 3

Chapter 1: What Is The Beep Test 3

Chapter 2: Physical Requirements For Success 7

Chapter 3: Cardiovascular Training To Prepare For The Beep Test 8

Chapter 4: Strength Training To Prepare For The Beep Test 12

Chapter 5: Factoring Rest And Recovery In 18

Chapter 6: Your Beep Test Programs 24

Chapter 7: Nutrition Tips For Maximum Performance 32

Chapter 8: Game Day Preparation 37

Chapter 9: Injury Prevention 40

Conclusion 43


Introduction

Just like any other athletic endeavor that you undertake, proper presentation is key to

maximum success. Far too many people set a goal to train for a particular event but then fail to

take into account everything that’s involved in getting ready for that particular event.

Whether you’re training to complete your first half-marathon, prepping for a major hockey

tournament with your team, or looking to complete the beep test with the highest possible

score that you can, you need a plan of action.

That’s precisely what we’re going to provide you here today.

After you get through this guide, you’ll have all the tools and resources that you need to know

to not only successfully complete that Beep test but perform better than you ever imaged

possible.

We’re going to be covering what the beep test entails, the physical characteristics that you

need to possess in order to excel at the Beep test, the best form of cardiovascular training as

well as resistance training to be performing as you go through the beep test, as well as the

importance of rest and recovery along with what you can do to foster each of these.

Then we’ll provide you with some program specific information to ensure that you can get

started on the right foot and there are never any questions as to what you should be doing

throughout your training plan.

We’ll also discuss some important nutrition tips to keep in mind to ensure that you feel your

best both during training as well as on ‘game day’ and then we’ll finish up with some injury

prevention tips.

So without any further delay, let’s get right to it so that you can get started with your training.

Chapter 1: What Is The Beep Test

The beep test is most commonly known as a fitness test that is going to assess your endurance

performance as well as your power and agility levels. Essentially, it’s one of the most well-

rounded fitness tests that allows you to see exactly where you stand in terms of your physical

conditioning level.

Individuals of many different backgrounds can make good use of the beep test. This includes

those who are high level athletes trying to assess and monitor their performance


improvements, those who are of school age who are taking part in gym classes and who need

to measure their physical capabilities, as well as adults who simply want to know where they

stand compared to the norm on their running ability.

Some people may refer to the beep test as the ‘Shuttle Run test’ or the ‘Yo-Yo’ test, so if you

often hear those names, realize that they’re referring to the same testing procedure.

In order to perform the test, you’ll need a flat 20 meter space, preferably done indoors where

the ground is completely level so there are no worries about divots in the ground causing a

rolled ankle or other injury.

You’ll also require some form of marking cone or indicator along with a timer or beep best CD

and a sheet to record the results.

The individual performing the test is going to perform continuous running between the two

cones (or objects) placed 20 miters apart, gradually increasing his or her speed as the test

carries on.

Their objective will be to reach the cone by the time the beep sounds, reverse directions and

then head back to the second cone to hit the next beep that comes about.

With each interval that takes place, the beeps will begin to be placed closer and closer

together, indicating a higher running speed that is required. If the individual does not make it

to the cone for the beeping sound, they are to keep going until they do and then increase their

pace faster to try and reach the next cone for the coming beep.

If they miss the beeps for two consecutive rows, this indicates the end of the test and the

individual must stop. If they happen to reach the cone before the beep sounds, they are to

stop and wait at that cone until it does and they can reverse directions and start again.

So as you can see, this test is just as much about mental preparation and coordination as it is

about physical performance. Obviously you may become limited by your running speeds as the

test carries on, but it’s going to take both good running capabilities as well as the ability to time

your running carefully in order to really perform optimally.

You will be rated on how many successful rounds you are able to complete while keeping up

with the beeps, so both factors will definitely come into play.

So now that you have a firm understand of what the beep test entails, we can look more closely

at physical requirements that you’ll need to possess in order to see the highest level of success

possible.


Chapter 2: Physical Requirements For Success

When most people think of what’s required for the beep test, they may simply believe that you

need to be a fast runner. But, this is far from the case. While being a fast runner will definitely

help and improve your performance, it’s by far the only thing that you need to be concerned

about.

Being able to perform maximally on this test is going to require a number of different physical

characteristics, so making sure your physical training is focused around these will be highly

beneficial to bringing you top results.

Let’s have a look at the main physical requirements that you need to keep in mind as you

prepare to train for this testing procedure.

Running Endurance

The very first physical characteristic that you’ll need to have in place when getting ready to

perform the beep test is a good level of running endurance. Power is definitely important

(which we’ll discuss in a second), but endurance is what will allow you to sustain that intense

running performance with very little fatigue build-up.

Those who become very fatigued quickly when doing the beep test are not going to make it

through many lengths of the 20 meter course at all before they fall behind.

Having a high level of running endurance ability is also going to allow you to accelerate rapidly if

need be when you do need to catch up to the timer.

Those who have poor running endurance would find that upon accelerating, they’d begin to

develop a high amount of lactic acid build-up in the muscle tissues, which would instantly cause

fatigue and discomfort to set in.

When you have good running endurance and thus experience a lower overall level of fatigue,

this will also help to improve your mental focus and clarity as you perform the test, so you’re

less likely to become flustered if you do happen to get off track.

Balance And Agility

The second important physical requirement that you’ll want to possess if you hope to see

maximum results on the beep test is a high degree of balance and agility. Balance training is


going to be important for you to focus on because this is what will enable you to quickly change

directions as you move through the test, reaching each pylon and then quickly progressing to

the next.

Those who don’t have good balance and agility will take more time as they pass each pylon,

which will really hinder their ability to keep up to speed. If you’re fast on your feet and well

balanced, you can create the turn in a very fluid movement, making sure that you don’t waste

any extra time during this process.

Balance and agility skill development is something that some people do have naturally or have

developed through years of previous sports training, but if not, it is something that can be

worked on and learned as well.

For some people it will be slightly slower to develop than some other elements of their fitness,

but if enough hard work is put in, you can still see fantastic results in terms of your progress

with it.

Lower Body Power

The next critical physical characteristic that will help you out when it comes to the beep test is

that you’ll have a high degree of lower body power. Lower body power is something that refers

to how fast you’re able to generate a given level of strength, propelling yourself into the

running activity.

Having a significant amount of lower body power development capability will help you make

those turns very quickly and then rapidly catch up to the timer so that you can hit the next

pylon by the time the beep goes off.

Those who lack this power generation are going to really struggle should they fall behind,

resulting in them garnering a lower overall test score.

Lower Body Strength

In addition to having a good level of lower body power, you also want to work on obtaining a

high amount of lower body strength as well. Your lower body strength level is what will be

necessary to help generate the power in the first place, so the two really do go hand in hand.

If anything, the power generation abilities you have will be fueled by your strength generation

ability, so strength is what you should be focusing on as a foundation to your training.


Since power is defined by how much force you’re able to generate over a specific period of

time, the more force you exert, the greater your power level will be.

Lower body weight training is the perfect way to accomplish greater overall lower body

strength, so what we will be primarily focusing on when we get to the workout routines you’ll

be using.

Core Strength

In addition to having good lower body strength and power, you also need to be strong

throughout the core as well. While the core muscles are not going to directly fuel your running

performance, they will increase or decrease how agile you are as well as how easily you are

able to maintain good running form.

Those who have a weaker core may struggle around the turns and may also find that they

develop lower back pain as they go about their running training and test simulations.

Strong core muscles are important for keeping the spinal column in proper alignment, which

protects the back from injury.

Mental Focus

Finally, the last important physical trait that you must encompass if you are to succeed with

doing the beep test is mental focus. When you’re taking part in the test and hearing the beeps

go off, this can turn into quite the stressful situation.

If the beeping sounds, along with you not making the pylon cause you to become unfocused

and falter in your running abilities, this will without a doubt influence the performance that you

give.

You won’t be mentally as focused to continue to push hard to reach the next pylon for the beep

that’s coming up and before you know it, the test will be over.

Like the balance and agility characteristic, mental focus can take a bit of time to develop, so it’s

important to have some patience with yourself. Some people don’t tend to be thrown off by

the sound of the beeper or falling off course at all, while others will find that it really causes a

large loss of concentration and their performance spirals downhill from there.


Mental focus will be improved with constant practice and being in the position where you are

falling behind and have to keep up. Furthermore, the more practice you have executing the

beep test before testing day, the more confidence you will have in your abilities and that can

also help to assist with maintaining an improved ability to stay focused.

So there you have the primary physical characteristics that will go a long way to enhancing your

performance on the beep test. Those who encompass all of these are going to show far

superior performance compared to those who just possess one or two of these traits, so really

taking the time to zero in and work on each one individually will work to your advantage.

Each person will bring a different mix of these traits to the table. Some people will have terrific

muscular endurance levels but be very weak in terms of their overall strength. Others may

have the strength element down and will be incredibly strong, but yet have no endurance at all

and really have to work hard if they hope to improve this element of their fitness level.

The nice thing is that by taking part in a beep test, you will have the chance to work all these

various elements of your fitness level, thus developing a well-rounded physically fit body.

Now let’s move on to our next chapter and begin talking about the cardiovascular training that

you’ll be doing in order to prepare for the beep test.

Chapter 3: Cardiovascular Training

To Prepare For The Beep Test

The very first place to start when preparing for the beep test protocol is with your

cardiovascular training. Having that excellent cardiovascular base behind you is what will

enable you to put forth full effort with any leg power that you do possess and carry on with the

test despite the build-up of fatigue.

Cardiovascular endurance is something that will be developed

at a relatively quick rate, but also something that is lost quite

rapidly as well. For that reason, it’s imperative that once you

attain a certain level of cardiovascular fitness, you keep up

with your training on a regular basis if you hope to maintain it.

Let’s begin by going over the various types of cardio training

that you can perform and indicate how each is going to help

you excel when it comes to the beep test performance.


Steady State Endurance Focused Cardio Training

The very first type of cardio training that you might want to consider performing is steady state

endurance focused cardio training. This form of training is going to be great for those who are

just getting started with their beep test training and who are new to fitness overall.

Since it doesn’t require as high of a fitness background to perform it and you can easily go at

your own pace that’s comfortable for you, it’s a good place to start.

The primary objective of steady state endurance focused cardio training is to perform

continuous activity that gets the heart rate up and holds it there for a period of time. Most

steady state cardio sessions will last anywhere from 20 minutes all the way up to an hour, but

for the beep test training, 20-30 minutes will be more than sufficient.

While there’s nothing to stop you from doing 60 minutes if you really desire, you don’t need

that level of endurance to complete the beep test optimally.

The good thing about using the slightly shorter end of the scale for your steady state cardio

session is that you will be able to work at a slightly higher intensity level (although it will still be

considered ‘moderate’ in nature), giving you greater overall fitness benefits.

Steady state cardio training done for endurance building purposes should be performed at

about a six or seven out of ten in terms of total exertion (ten being maximum effort) so that

should give you a good idea of precisely how hard you should be working.

Steady state endurance cardio training isn’t all that taxing on the body, so it is a form of cardio

that can be done on a regular basis, so don’t let yourself belief that you need extended periods

of time off.

If there’s one exercise that you can do for multiple days in a row, this would be it.

Interval Cardio Training

The second type of cardio training that you should be including to help build up your

cardiovascular base level is interval cardio training. Interval cardio training is what will help to

push your fitness level up a notch, really introducing the concept of fatigue to the body and

teaching you how to push through it.


Interval cardio training is also going to work on your speed and power development as well, as

you’ll rapidly have to accelerate quickly when doing each interval. This form of training is going

to be much more similar to what you’ll actually be doing during the later stages of the beep

test, so is going to allow you to see some very direct benefits.

What you’ll be doing during interval cardio training is performing an all-out ‘work’ interval

that’s supplement with an active rest interval that’s two to three times the length of that work

interval.

So for example, if you were going to do intervals of 30 seconds in length, your rest interval

would then become 60 to 90 seconds in length. If you were doing 20 second intervals, your rest

interval would be 40-60 seconds. Those who are more physically fit will typically be more

comfortable using the shorter rest period length while those who aren’t should start with the

longer interval length and work their way downwards.

Also note that the shorter the interval is, the harder you should be pushing yourself as you

move through it. If you’re just doing very short fifteen second intervals, you really want to be

pushing your body to the limit, while if you’re using longer intervals, you can bring down the

pace slightly so that you can sustain the interval for the intended period of time.

Note however that at no time will interval training be considered to be a moderate intensity

activity, so you always should be pushing yourself hard.

Aim for an exertion level of between eight and ten on a ten point scale. The active rest

intervals that are added between the work intervals should have you at around a three to four

on that same ten point scale.

Interval training is going to be far more stressful on the body compared to steady state cardio

training, therefore you won’t be able to complete as many workouts total each week. One to

two workouts should be sufficient and will be all that most people will be able to handle.

These sessions should also only last for about 15-20 minutes or so, enough time for you to

complete six to twelve intervals (depending on the interval and rest period lengths).

Always make sure that you begin each session with a five minute warm-up as well as a five

minute cool-down.

Recovery Cardio Training

Finally, the last form of cardio training that you can perform as part of your training program is

referred to as recovery cardio training. The idea behind this form of training is not to bring


about a huge improvement in your fitness level, but rather the goal is to simply improve the

recovery that you receive after all the other, more intense workouts that you perform.

Depending on your conditioning level prior to starting this program, you are likely going to

notice some degree of muscle soreness developing as well as resulting fatigue from the

workout sessions, so this form of cardio training can help to reduce the intensity of this.

What recovery training refers to is very light physical activity done at a recreational pace at

best. Think a light walk around the block or a 10 minute walk on a treadmill. Or, if you happen

to enjoy cycling, you might hop on a bike and go for a short twenty minute easy ride.

You are not trying to push the body at all during this time, but rather enhance the overall

circulation to the muscle tissues, which is what will help to deliver nutrients and oxygen,

speeding recovery while reducing any knots that have developed due to your training.

Recovery cardio training can be performed at any point throughout the week, either between

your workout sessions or after a workout has been completed.

Many people find that after a strength based workout for instance, especially when their legs

are quite fatigued, doing a 10-15 minute walk can really help out with how they feel afterwards.

While initially walking may feel like the last thing on earth that you want to be doing, give it a

try. You might just be surprised at the positive influence this will have on how you feel later on

in the day.

At no point should this recovery cardio tax your system and add to the recovery process, so just

stay constantly aware of what influence it’s having on your body and making sure that you are

able to keep up to your normal training schedule despite its implementation in your workout

routine.

So putting all this information together, how should you go about devising a cardio program to

prepare for the beep test?

The program that you develop will highly depend on where your fitness level is right now and

what elements of your fitness you most want to work on.

Some people may have good cardio endurance but have horrible performance at higher

intensities, as such, a higher focus on interval training will need to be used.

Others may find that they have good short-term performance but if they try and run for more

than two minutes straight, fatigue quickly sets in and their performance drops off significantly.


This individual would want to place more emphasis on the moderate paced cardio sessions in

their workout routine, leaving the interval training to just once per week for maintenance

purposes.

Evaluating where you are now and where you need to be is going to put you in the base

possible place to make physical improvements.

Keep in mind that at most you’ll want to be doing cardio training four to five days per week. It’s

important that you do allow for a few days off each week for full recovery as this is what will

get you coming back stronger than you were before.

Push too hard for too long and you aren’t going to see performance improvements, but instead

likely wind up overtrained.

As you add more the other elements of your training program your cardio workouts may also

need to get shifted as well as these will take up additional time and physical energy.

Following the proper nutritional strategies that we’ll briefly touch upon later on as well can

help to further enhance your recovery so that you can get more of the training you need to be

doing in.

So now that we’ve covered the cardio element of things, let’s move on and discuss the strength

training that you’ll want to be doing when preparing to take the beep test.

Chapter 4: Strength Training To Prepare

For The Beep Test

The second key component to a good beep test prep program is strength training. Just as you

need the cardiovascular capability to sustain your running performance, you also need a good

degree of strength behind you in order to make sure that you can power through your run as

intensely as possible.

Those who are lacking in strength may not be able to run nearly as quickly, or control their body

around the tight corners and turns that they’ll be making.

When designing a strength training program for the beep test, there’s no question that the

predominant focus needs to be around the lower body. These are the muscles that you will be

using to carry out each run that you do, thus they are the ones being called most into play.


That said, this doesn’t mean that you should completely neglect the upper body or core region

either. As we pointed out earlier, having good core strength is also a top physical characteristic

of those who excel at the beep test, so not something that you can afford to overlook either.

Let’s first talk a little about the exercise selection that you’ll use as you prepare for the beep

test and then move into a discussion about the specifics to keep in mind when performing each

of the various exercises.

Exercise Selection For The Beep Test

The very first thing that you need to get correct as you go about preparing for the beep test is

your exercise selection. Exercise selection can really make or break a strength training workout

program because it will have a direct influence on the primary muscles that you’re working as

you go about your plan as well as the level of strength that you receive.

Choose the wrong exercises and you might find that

you are hardly noticing strength gains at all, partly

due to the lack of ability to generate any serious

power with the exercises that you’re choosing to

use.

So what exercises will deliver you the best results as

you move on with your beep test strength

workouts?

Compound exercises will. These will be the movements that are going to call as many muscle

fibers into play as possible, ensuring that you get a full muscle contraction and therefore

resulting strength gain.

Contrast this to isolation exercises that will only have you working just a single muscle group at

once and you can see the stark difference. Isolation exercises won’t allow you to lift very much

weight at all, but rather just cause you to exhaust a small muscle group.

Compound movements will have you generating plenty of force, moving forward with your

strength building program.

Of particular importance when training for the beep test will be the lower body muscles

including the glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calves. Exercises for these muscles will form the

foundation of your program and be what you focus on the most.

The best exercises to be performing for these muscle groups include:


Squats

Lunges

Leg presses

Deadlifts

Split squats

Step-ups

If you can add two of these moves in to each workout that you perform, you will be right on

track for seeing serious strength gains.

In addition to training the lower body, you will also want to train the core. When core training

is the goal, an exercise ball is a great piece of equipment to use. This ball is going to cause the

entire body to become instable, which is then going to get those muscle fibers deep within the

core contracting as hard as they possibly can.

Since the ab muscles are the dynamic stabilizers in the body, when you find yourself off

balanced, they’ll be the prime movers to get you back on track once again.

Good ab moves to include in your strength program will be (not all will use the exercise ball):

Crunches on the ball

Lying leg raises with the ball

Plank on the ball

Side crunches on the ball

Reverse crunches

Decline crunches

The bicycle

The ab muscles are quite fast to adapt to any program that you’re doing, so one of the most

important things that you need to be doing with them is making sure that you’re continuously

changing your program around, adding new moves into the mix.

This will keep them responding and ensure that you continue on moving forward.

Finally, you do still want to be doing some upper body workout simply for balance purposes and

to help to round out your strength level. It would be unwise to neglect your upper body

entirely, so the key is to know the most effective movements to use that will work as many

muscle fibers at once, reducing the total time that you have to devote to these muscle groups.

The best exercises to consider here include:

The bench press


Bent over rows

Pull-ups

Push-ups

Pull-downs

Horizontal rows

Shoulder press

Incline bench press

Each of these exercises is going to work more than one muscle group at a time, which is what

will produce the accelerate results that you’re after. As long as you have one exercise that hits

each main muscle group into the program, this will be sufficient for the beep test training

procedure.

So there you have the information to consider when selecting your exercises. With careful

selection, you can choose 4-5 different exercises to include in each workout program and it

should yield you terrific strength gains and help to reduce the total time commitment that you

have to devote to each session that you complete.

You’ll notice that most of these exercises will be requiring you to use dumbbells as well as

barbells, which will be the most ideal way to train for maximum strengthening gains. While

there are other options that you can use such as resistance bands or bodyweight training, they

won’t be nearly as effective when it comes to boosting your overall levels of strength due to the

fact that they aren’t going to be providing nearly the same level of resistance as heavier weight

training would.

Unless you have some nagging injuries that prevent you from lifting as heavy of a weight as

possible, it’s going to be imperative that you do attempt to push yourself, using as much total

weight as you can to ensure optimal results.

Now let’s move on and talk a little more about some of the important factors to keep in mind

with regards to the number of reps, sets, and rest ranges you should be using with your

strength training program.

Reps

The very first thing that you’ll need to be taking into account is the rep range that you utilize as

you move through your lifting program. Your rep range is going to be a primary determinant of

the type of strength and fitness conditioning benefits you receive.


Use the lower rep range with the heaviest weight possible and you’ll be focusing on building up

as much total strength as possible.

On the other hand, use the higher rep range, lightening the load slightly and you’ll be focusing

on muscular endurance.

When training for the beep test, you’ll ideally want to be using a good combination of each rep

range. This will allow you to see maximum strengthening benefits while still ensuring that you

get a good degree of muscular endurance taking place.

Since the beep test is going to be a test where your endurance capability is strongly influencing

the results you get, you need to approach both elements of your fitness level. Be sure to alter

the amount of weight you lift to corresponding with the rep range that you’re using.

Sets

The next thing that you need to consider is the number of sets that you should be performing.

The total number of sets completed is going to be influenced by how many exercises you’re

doing as part of the workout program (the more exercises you’re doing, the fewer sets you’ll

want to include), as well as what your own individual recovery rate is like.

Those who have very good recovery systems can complete more sets total since they won’t

take as much down time to repair their muscles from each set completed.

At minimum you’ll want to be aiming for at least two sets for each exercise as this is the

amount that will best allow you to see adaptations in strength taking place.

There’s also no real need to take the set range beyond the 5 set mark as this is the maximum

one should be doing or you could risk overtraining taking place.

You may wish to perform more sets total for your lower body lifts as these are going to be the

primary focus in your workout program and then reduce back on the number of sets that you’ll

use for the isolation exercises later on.

Balance will be key with your program and preventing overtraining so by ensuring that you

keep the total volume where it needs to be, you can prevent overtraining from taking place.

Rest

Finally, the last element that you’ll need to consider is the amount of rest that you are taking

between each set that you perform. Rest, like the rep range, is highly correlated with how

much weight you’re lifting total.


Those who are lifting more weight as part of their program plan will need to use more rest

overall as this will ensure that they’re giving their muscles that time that they need to make the

good recovery between sets. Generally a good range to shoot for is around 2-3 minutes

between sets. For most people two minutes will be sufficient but for those who are really

lifting heavy and who aren’t in as great of endurance shape, 3 minutes may be needed.

In this instance, take however long you need to feel fully recovered before continuing on with

your workout session.

Those using lighter weights won’t be taxing their system to nearly the same extent; therefore

less rest can be used if desired. In fact, using shorter rest periods of around 30-45 seconds on

the lighter weight lifts can further help to boost your overall endurance level due to the fact

that you’ll be forcing the muscles to get used to the concept of working through fatigue and

being able to tolerate a higher overall lactic acid build-up in your body.

So there you have the primary things to note about the variables that go into creating a

successful weight lifting program that will help you take your results to the next level.

One final note is that must be mentioned is the overall workout split that you’re choosing to

use. For the absolute best results, you should opt for a full body workout program. the full

body workout program is going to be most ideal for ensuring that you work as many muscle

fibers in an instant as possible, while also ensuring that you have to spend less time overall in

the gym doing your workouts.

Since there are a number of different elements of fitness that go into succeeding with the beep

test, if you are spending too much time focused on your strength training workouts, this may in

turn leave too little time to focus on your cardio, agility, and balance focused exercises. Again,

balance must be strived for so by using the full body workout program set-up, you are able to

spend less time in the weight room while still seeing the success that you’re after.

In order to integrate your strength workouts into your cardio sessions, you’ll want to aim to

perform cardio training on the off days from your weight lifting, or at another time period of

the day. Some individuals may choose to do twice per day training sessions, and this is fine, but

to ensure optimal performance on both of these sessions, you will want to aim to have at least

four to five hours separating them, along with at least two solid meals.

This will give your muscles a chance to refuel and rebuild themselves so that you are fully

prepared for the next session to come.


Most people will find that they’re best off performing their weights workout first and then

following that up with a cardio session, but if you are someone who strongly prefers to do

cardio first and then weights, that’s fine as well.

Just note that if you do have to include both forms of training in the same session for whatever

reason (again, this is not an ‘ideal’ set-up, but may have to be done at some point), then

weights should always come first.

This is simply due to the fact that weight lifting is going to require far more muscular

coordination and strength than any form of cardio training so you need to be at your best for it.

Starting off with cardio training will just cause fatigue and reduce your performance

dramatically, while potentially setting you up for an injury at the same time as well.

Despite the fact the beep test is more cardio focused than strength focused, having good

muscular strength is still a primary goal with your training strategies and that is accomplished

through weight lifting.

Now that we’ve covered the weight lifting element of things, let’s move on and talk about rest.

Rest is also integral to success with your beep test training, so something that you cannot be

overlooking.

Chapter 5: Factoring Rest And Recovery In

One big mistake that many people make as they go about their training is completely

overlooking the recovery element of things. They think that if some exercise is good, this must

mean that more will be better.

Only, that isn’t the case at all. While it’s great to be pushing your limits and really striving to

obtain the highest level of fitness possible, you must still keep in mind that if you aren’t resting,

you aren’t ever going to be growing back stronger than you were before.

Thus, you’ll actually get weaker and if anything, your performance will decline when you go to

perform the beep best.

Let’s look at a few of the main reasons why rest is key to success.

Restoring Muscle Glycogen Levels


The very first reason why rest is vital to success is because by resting, you’re going to help to

restore your muscle glycogen levels, ensuring that you are able to perform optimally during

your next workout.

Your muscle glycogen is the storage form of carbohydrate in the body and will be what’s used

to fuel each of the intense muscular contractions that takes place.

When it becomes depleted, you’re quickly going to find that you rapidly become fatigued and

you may even need to stop your workout altogether.

The body is simply exhausted and can no longer continue on. This is one big reason why you

cannot cut all carbohydrates out of your diet, despite what the latest fat loss diet might have

you come to believe.

Carbohydrates are what will provide the nutrients to fill up your muscle glycogen stores, so

given enough carbs along with a time period of rest for this resaturation process to take place,

you will see muscle glycogen being restored to previous levels.

For optimal strength performance as well as maximum speed, you need to have full muscle

glycogen levels. Don’t underestimate just how destructive being depleted can have on your

progress.

Repairing Muscle Tissues

The next reason why rest is vital to success is because it will provide the time the muscles need

to repair themselves and grow stronger than they were before.

With each workout session that you do, you’re going to be creating tiny molecules in the body

that then must be built back up before you hit them again with another session. If you go back

into the gym before this recovery process has taken place and perform another workout, that is

going to just cause you to break down those muscle tissues further and further, digging yourself

down into that recovery whole.

Over time if this goes on long enough, you’re eventually going to come to find that you are

noticing that you’re getting weaker in the gym, indicating the loss of lean muscle mass.

Along with providing the muscles time to complete this rebuilding process, you also need to be

providing them with the amino acids, which supply the raw materials to build new muscle

tissue with, as well as carbohydrates for energy to complete the process.

Failing to provide either of these two nutrients will mean failing to make a good recovery.


Providing A Psychological Break

Another reason why rest is imperative to success is because it’s also going to provide you with a

good psychological break as well. If you aren’t resting between your workouts and are

constantly placing such high demands on the body, eventually this is really going to wear you

down from a mental point of view.

All that tenacity you need to show to push yourself to the limit will start to fade and pretty soon

you’ll just be going through the motions with each workout session that you do.

A day or two off here and there can go a very long way towards refreshing your mind and

ensuring that come next workout, you’re ready to push yourself to the limit again.

Burnout can be a very serious thing as you strive to reach your fitness goals if you are dedicated

enough and are constantly pushing without ever letting up, so take caution against this. A

single day off is all most people need to get back into it and be ready to give full effort come the

next workout.

Resting The CNS

Finally, the last reason that taking periodic rest breaks from your training is essential to success

is because they will also help to rest the CNS as well. Each time you lift a weight or perform an

interval sprint, you’re going to be placing some stress on the CNS. Do this over and over again

without any rest and eventually the CNS is going to wear thin.

Just as you should never work any given muscle group within the same 48 hour period (you

should always make sure that you have at least one day off to rest between each full body

workout), you shouldn’t be working your CNS for days on end either.

The CNS is what will determine your power generating ability to a very large extent so as soon

as this declines, you are most definitely going to notice the impact on the results that you get.

By having that day or two off in your program plan, you will ensure that your CNS has time to

recover and relax so that you are continually able to give 100% in each and every workout that

you complete.

So there you have the primary reasons why rest and recovery will be paramount in importance.

If you shun rest, you’re essentially shunning results.


What you do outside of the gym can be just as important as what you do while you’re inside of

the gym.

So how much rest do you really require? That might be the next question that you find yourself

asking.

Let’s take a quick look at a few of the factors that will influence how much total rest you should

be using as you go about your program plan.

Your Calorie Intake

The first element that is going to go into how much rest you should be using as part of your

program is what your total daily calorie intake is. Those who are on reduced calorie diets will

require more rest throughout the week simply because their recovery reserves will be lowered.

Remember that food provides fuel and exercises uses fuel at a very rapid pace. Therefore, the

more exercise that you’re doing, the more fuel you are going to be using.

Perform exercise daily and you are going to need more fuel coming in, but on a diet, that just

isn’t happening. Therefore, daily exercises sessions are just not supported by a reduced calorie

diet.

There always is a trade-off if weight loss is a goal along with training for the beep test. Either

you accept a slower rate of weight loss using a more moderate diet plan (that’s higher in

calories), or you accept a slight decline in your performance due to the fact that you are

restricting quite heavily.

To expect yourself to use a low calorie diet while also sustaining a high level of activity would

unrealistic, so you need to decide what is most important.

When training to maximize your performance on the beep test, if you are able to put off dieting

for the time being, you will be far better off because of it.

Your Carb Intake

The second factor that must be taken into account when

assessing how much rest and recovery time you require is what

your carb intake is. This also goes along with the overall diet

element of things as those who are using calorie reduced diets

will also often be using carb reduced diets, so that will have a

clear influence on your recovery.


As we mentioned earlier, carbohydrates are the primary nutrient that is responsible for

restoring muscle glycogen levels and your muscle glycogen level is one of the primary

determinants of your performance ability.

If you are using a reduced carb intake, you are going to take longer to recover from each

session than if you weren’t.

If you, on the other hand, are including plenty of carbs in your lower calorie diet plan, then your

recovery should be much faster and this shouldn’t need to be a concern of yours. Recovery will

not be hindered at all due to diet and you shouldn’t have to worry about reducing your workout

frequency due to this factor.

The Amount Of Stress You Face

Moving along, another thing that will influence how much total recovery time you need

between workouts is the amount of stress you face on a day to day basis. Those who are

leading very high stress lifestyles and who find that they’re constantly feeling run-down and

tired will notice a significant influence on their rates of recovery.

Stress is not only going to cause you to feel slightly down and depressed, but it will have a

noticeable influence on your body as well.

Those who are highly stressed on a regular basis are not going to be able to tolerate higher

workout volume loads nearly as well and may find that they are quick to fatigue in their

workout sessions.

Thus, if you know that you are a high stress individual, you really have two choices. You can

either cut back on how much stress you experience on a day to day basis by using constructive

coping techniques, or you can reduce the total number of workout sessions you do to

accommodate to this increased recovery time demand.

If you are concerned with optimizing your results on the beep test, you should be looking to

choose the former option rather than the latter. Obviously reducing back on your workout

sessions is not going to be something that’s going to encourage better results, so aim to look

for ways to either cope with your stress better or reduce whatever it is that’s causing you stress

in the first place.

That would be your ultimate solution to this problem.

Your Sleep Habits


Your sleep habits are yet another thing that you need to look at. Sleep is the ‘prime time’ when

the body goes into a deep recovery state so if you’re not getting enough sleep at night, this is

also going to seriously hamper the recovery that you’re able to make.

Sadly, we live in a world where there just isn’t enough hours in the day and sleep is very often

the first thing to fall by the wayside for most people.

If you notice that you aren’t bouncing back to each of your workout sessions as quickly as you

used to, sleep is what you should be immediately taking a look at.

Simply increasing your total sleep time by one to two hours each night could have a profound

influence on the recovery that you make after each session and get you pointed in the right

direction for faster results.

Remember too that quality sleep matters so make sure that you’re taking measures to ensure a

sound sleep such as reducing noise distractions, avoiding the TV right before you go to bed,

turning down the temperature, using a comfortable yet supportive bed and so on.

Sleep is not something that you want to be sacrificing when trying to improve your physical

performance.

Your Individual Recovery Factors

Finally, you have your own unique recovery factors as well. This refers to how well you recover

overall. Some people have very good recovery systems while others, don’t.

It’s as simple as that. Genetically you are built with a certain degree of natural recovery ability

and if you go the raw end of the stick, it’s not going to matter too much what you do, you

simply won’t recovery like some other people would.

Coming to understand your own body and how much recovery time you need will therefore be

one of the most important steps that you need to be sure that you are able to structure your

workout program correctly.

If you know you need more time to recover, build it into the overall workout set-up. This

doesn’t have to mean significantly reduced results as long as you’re smart in how you go about

things and adapt your program accordingly.

So there you have some of the primary factors that will influence the recovery that you see.

Some people will be fine taking just one day off from their training each week while others may

need more days off – two or three in order to feel optimal.


Learn your body and accommodate to it. That’s the only way you’re going to get the results

that you’re after.

Also keep in mind that if you are participating in any other additional activities outside of your

beep test training program, these will also influence your rate of recovery because those will be

taxing the body as well.

Don’t overlook these activities but rather, factor them into your selecting of how much

recovery time you really do need.

So now that we’ve discussed the importance of recovery in your beep test programs, let’s get

you to your programs so that you know where to begin.

Chapter 6: Your Beep Test Programs

Now that we’ve covered the basics of what you should have in place for your beep test

program, let’s go on and provide you with the programs that you will be using.

We’ve structured these programs for beginner, intermediate, as well as advanced level of

training, so you can figure out what you’d classify yourself in terms of your fitness level and

then use the corresponding workout program.

A beginner would be someone who is just starting out and who doesn’t have any formal

training behind them. An advanced trainee would be someone who has been at a workout

program for some time but doesn’t consider themselves advanced to the point where they can

perform interval training with ease and who has a very high level of strength already built up.

Then, an advanced trainee would be someone who has been at their workouts for quite some

time and who is well accustomed to interval training and years of weight lifting experience.

Beginners will be doing two full body workouts per week, two steady state cardio sessions, and

one agility drill workout. Intermediate trainees will be performing three full body workouts per

week, one interval cardio session, along with one steady state cardio workout and one agility

workout. Finally, advanced trainees will perform three weight lifting workouts per week, two

interval cardio sessions, as well as one agility workout as well.

Let’s get you to your programs.

Note that you should allow for at least six weeks of prep time doing these programs before you

are to complete the beep test procedure.


Beginner’s Workout

Day 1: Strength Training

Exercise Reps Sets Rest

Squat 8 3 60 seconds

Bench Press 8 2 60 seconds

Deadlift 8 3 60 seconds

Barbell Row 8 2 60 seconds

Reverse Crunch 10 3 60 seconds

Plank on an Exercise Ball

10 3 60 seconds

Day 2: Cardio Training

5 minute warm-up

30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise (6-7 on a scale of 1-2)

5 minute cool-down

Day 3: Agility Training

For this agility workout, you’re going to place 7 pylons all in a row across the length of a

gymnasium (or large field), about 10-20 meters apart depending on how far you want to run.

Once they are in position, you’re going to run to the first pylon, stop, and perform the first

exercise in the series listed below. Aim to complete 10-15 reps and then do one lap around the

pylon before running to the next. Once at the second pylon, perform 10-15 reps of the second

exercise listed and this time, run the opposite direction around the pylon.

Continue on until all 7 pylons have been completed and then repeat a second time throw. Note

that some pylons will require you to place a piece of equipment down beside them, so get that

prepared before you start.



Exercise Sequence

Single leg deadlift holding an exercise ball

Push-Ups

Plank with alternating leg raise (30-60 second hold)

V-Sit Hold

Side to side shuffle (taking 10 shuffles in either direction and completing for 4 lengths)

Single Leg Squats (5 reps per side)

30 Second balance on either leg with the opposite leg extended in front



Leg Press 8 3 60 seconds

Incline Bench Press 8 2 60 seconds

Step-Up 8 3 60 seconds

Pull-Up 10 2 60 seconds

Lying Leg Raise 10 2 60 seconds

Decline Sit-Up 10 2 60 seconds

Day 5: Rest


5 minute warm-up


5 minute cool-down

Day 7: Rest

Intermediate Workout









12 4 30 seconds



5 minute warm-up


5 minute cool-down




Incline Bench Press 8 3 60 seconds

Step-Up 8 4 60 seconds



Decline Sit-Up 12 3 30 seconds








Continue on until all 7 pylons have been completed and then repeat a second time throw. Note

that some pylons will require you to place a piece of equipment down beside them, so get that

prepared before you start. (refer to page 26 for diagram)

Exercise Sequence


Push-Ups


V-Sit Raises




Day 5: Rest






Split Squats 8 4 60 seconds


Bicycle 12 4 30 seconds


12 4 30 seconds


5 minute warm-up

30 seconds RPE (rate of perceived exertion) 8

60 seconds RPE 3

30 seconds RPE 8

60 seconds RPE 3

30 seconds RPE 8

60 seconds RPE 3

30 seconds RPE 8

60 seconds RPE 3

30 seconds RPE 8

60 seconds RPE 3

30 seconds RPE 8

60 seconds RPE 3

5 minute cool-down

Advanced Workout




Lunge 10 3 60 seconds




Twisting Decline Sit-Up

15 3 30 seconds



Crunch On The Ball 15 3 30 seconds


5 minute warm-up


60 seconds RPE 3

30 seconds RPE 8

60 seconds RPE 3

30 seconds RPE 8

60 seconds RPE 3

30 seconds RPE 8

60 seconds RPE 3

30 seconds RPE 8

60 seconds RPE 3

30 seconds RPE 8

60 seconds RPE 3

5 minute cool-down




Split Squat 10 3 60 seconds

Incline Press 10 2 60 seconds



Side Crunch on the Ball

15 3 30 seconds

Hanging Leg Raise 15 3 30 seconds










Continue on until all 10 pylons have been completed and then repeat a second time throw.

Note that some pylons will require you to place a piece of equipment down beside them, so get

that prepared before you start. (refer to page 26 for diagram- note that you’ll be using 10 not 7

pylons this time)

Exercise Sequence


Push-Ups


V-Sit Hold




Burpees

Lateral Raises while standing on one leg (10 reps each side)

Stationary Lunges With A Side Twist While Holding An Exercise Ball

Day 5: Rest







Shoulder Press 10 3 60 seconds

Plank 1 minute hold 5 30 seconds


5 minute warm-up


60 seconds RPE 3

30 seconds RPE 8

60 seconds RPE 3

30 seconds RPE 8


60 seconds RPE 3

30 seconds RPE 8

60 seconds RPE 3

30 seconds RPE 8

60 seconds RPE 3

30 seconds RPE 8

60 seconds RPE 3

5 minute cool-down

So there you have your various beep test training procedures. Make sure that you give

everything to each and every workout you complete and you will be well on the way to

dramatically improving your performance.

Now let’s move on and go over what you need to know from a nutritional point of view to

improve your performance level and make sure your body is getting everything that it needs

throughout your training.

Chapter 7: Nutrition Tips For Maximum Performance

While your physical training is what will provide the stimulus for the muscles to react to,

allowing you to make clear gains in strength, endurance, and speed, it’s your nutrition that

provides your body with the raw materials to develop lean muscle tissue, help speed the

recovery process, and provide the energy to do those workouts in the first place.

If you’re someone who does feel they have a few pounds to lose and would notice an improved

score ate a lighter body weight (since a higher body weight will mean more mass to transport,

which can slow you down), then you might consider taking a little extra time to prepare for the

beep test, using a lower calorie diet first to shed those few pounds and then resuming with a

higher calorie approach onwards to support your training objectives.

It’s a big mistake to try and couple an intense diet program with the workouts that we’ve

outlined above because, as we mentioned earlier, doing so is going to cause you to experience

a higher overall recovery time that will make it that much harder to carry on with your

workouts.

So what do you need from a nutritional point of view?

Let’s look at the primary things that you need to note.


Your Calorie Intake

The very first thing that you’ll want to be thinking about is your calorie intake. In order to get

through each workout session, you need to be providing enough calories for your body to burn

as fuel.

For most individuals who are looking to maintain their body weight and support the training

programs we’ve outlined above, about fifteen calories per pound of body weight will be

sufficient.

If you lead a very active lifestyle outside of this training (such as if you have a labor intensive

job), then you may wish to take your calorie intake up slightly higher. If you find that you are

growing quite fatigued as you go about your training, this is a clear sign that you aren’t getting

enough calories and would benefit from adding more in.

On the other hand, if you are someone who is looking for modest weight loss without having to

sacrifice performance that much, then thirteen calories per pound is a good range to shoot for.

Remember that you always should adjust this number based on the real world results you

experience. If you find that you are gaining weight on that intake or you are losing weight

without the intent to do so, this means that you’re either eating too few or too many calories.

Constant assessment and adjustment is key to ongoing results.

Assessing Your Protein Intake

The second important part of your diet that you need to be taking into account is your protein

intake. Apart from getting your calorie intake down correctly, your protein intake is the next

important thing that you must make sure you’re doing if you are going to see optimal results.

Protein is what will supply the building blocks to build new muscle tissues out of and repair the

ones that you’ve broken down after your workout session.

Protein will also help to stabilize your blood glucose levels as well, making sure that you don’t

experiences highs and lows as you go about your day. If you’ve ever experienced a blood sugar

crash before, you know just how detrimental this can be to how you feel and function. It is not

going to allow you to be at your best.

For best results, you should be aiming to consume around one gram of protein per pound of

body mass. Assuming you aren’t using a very strict diet, this will provide enough to support

your lean muscle mass and all the training that you’re doing.


The top choices of protein to choose from include chicken breasts, turkey breast, lean red

meat, egg whites (the odd whole egg can also be included), fish and seafood, low fat dairy

products, as well as whey protein powder.

Make sure that you choose a lean source of protein with each and every meal and snack that

you eat and you should have no problem getting in what you need.

Choosing Your Carbohydrates

After you have your protein all set up and ready to go, the next thing to consider is your

carbohydrate intake. Carbohydrates will be vital to be eating around each workout that you

complete and can still be included throughout the day in minimal amounts as well.

The key thing to always keep in mind with regards to your carbohydrate choices is that you

want them to be as least processed as possible. The more processed that carb is, the faster it’s

going to cause an increase to your blood glucose levels, potentially causing a crash down the

road.

This is then just going to cause intense hunger as well as a feeling of weakness to set in, which

is not something that is going to help you on the road to success.

The best choices of non-refined carbohydrates to choose from include oats, brown rice, barley,

millet, quinoa, sweet potatoes, as well as very grainy breads.

Fruits can also be included in moderation but keep in mind these aren’t as complex as the

above listed carbs so will not sustain physical performance quite as well. They are generally

lower in calories however, so can be worked into your daily diet without too much trouble.

Vegetables should also be consumed in very high quantities as these will supply you with

important nutrients that you cannot be missing out on and dietary fiber to help keep your

hunger levels down.

Vegetables typically do not need to be counted as part of your total calorie intake due to the

fact that they will provide so few calories total. Eat them to your heart’s content (just don’t

slather them in butter or high calorie sauces beforehand).

Carbohydrate calories from the starch based carbs do add up quickly, so make sure that you are

adamant about monitoring your serving size. If you aren’t, you might find yourself taking in far

more than you intended to.


Factoring In Facts

Finally, last but not least, the third macronutrient that you need to think about is your fat

intake. Fats aren’t quite as important for physical performance as protein and carbs are as they

won’t be used to fuel high intensity activity, but this doesn’t mean that they don’t need to be

included as part of your diet plan.

Fats are still important for providing some essential nutrients that the body requires for

maximum results and for keeping hunger levels down lower. Fats help to extend the time it

takes for your food to be digested so by adding a small amount to each of your meals, you will

feel satisfied for a longer period of time, thus you will be able to go longer between each meal

that you eat.

Fats will also have no impact on your blood glucose levels, so for those who do struggle to

maintain proper blood sugar, they will be very helpful to consume.

As they are the most calorie dense nutrient of the three at nine calories per gram while

proteins and carbs contain four, you do need to be very careful about how many you are

eating.

Eat too many fats and your calorie intake will shoot up quickly. Always measure out your fat

serving size initially until you have a very good idea of how many you need to be taking in that

you can ‘eyeball’ it.

The top choices for healthy fats include olive oil, coconut oil, flaxseed oil, flaxseeds, nuts,

natural nut butters, avocados, as well as fatty sources of fish. Choose these over saturated fats

that will only cause health problems down the road.

Finally, the last thing to be mentioned about dietary fats is that you should never consume

them before or after the workout. At this time you want the carbs and proteins to be delivered

to the muscle tissues at top speed and fat will only slow down the process. Save them for later

on during the day and make those meals or shakes as fat free as possible.

Thinking About Meal Timing

Finally, the last thing that you need to think about when structuring your diet plan is the meal

timing approach that you’ll use.

The most important time in the day when you absolutely must be eating if you want to see

good success is right before as well as after your workout sessions. Skip over your meals at this

point and you will be setting yourself up for problems down the road.


It’s at this time that your body is crying out for food and the muscles are most in need of

nourishment, so it’s a must that you’re giving them what you need.

Furthermore, you may also want to keep in mind that you should be placing the largest amount

of calories at this time period as well.

Far too many people avoid eating too many calories after a workout or before because they

believe by doing so, they will burn fat faster. This, however, isn’t the truth. It’s the total daily

calorie intake that you use that determines whether or not you gain or lose body fat, not the

time in which you eat those calories.

Additionally, since you’re aiming for optimal performance here anyway, fat loss should always

come in second (if it’s even a consideration).

Beyond the pre and post workout period, try and space your meals and snacks out over the

course of the day, consuming one every two to three hours to keep your hunger levels lower

and prevent unstable blood glucose.

Finally, the last thing that we must note before ending off on this section on nutrition is that

you need to stay well hydrated as well. Even minimal amounts of dehydration can have

devastating impacts on your performance and energy levels, so making sure that you are

replacing any fluids you lose will be of critical importance.

You should always be aiming to consume at least ten, eight ounce glasses of water or other

caffeine-free beverages per day, adding more to that number if you are very physically active.

If you get to a point where you are very thirsty, this is your first indication that you’re already

on your way to becoming dehydrated.

Finally, as another reason to make sure that you are drinking enough, dehydration will cause a

reduction in your metabolic rate and that will prevent further weight loss results from

occurring.

So not only is it vital that you maintain adequate hydration from a performance and optimal

energy point of view, but it’s also important from a lean body composition point of view as well.

This concludes the nutrition section of preparing for the beep test. Now let’s talk a little bit

about your game day preparation.


Chapter 8: Game Day Preparation

As the big day draws near, it’s important that you’re taking steps to ensure that you are fully

prepared. Many people often let their nerves get the best of them and this can completely

derail their performance and lead to a high level of disappointment.

Fortunately, if you keep a few key strategies in mind, you can prevent this from occurring.

So what should you be doing to prepare for the big day? Let’s have a quick peak at a few things

that you need to be doing.

Keeping Your ‘Routine’ The Same

The very first thing that you must do for optimal performance is aim to keep you routine as

similar to what it normally is as possible. This s going to give you a sense of comfort and

security, two things that will go a long way towards keeping you calm and easing your nerves.

When you get up and go about your morning (and afternoon depending on when the test is)

just as you normally would, nothing will feel different and you’ll be more likely to perform as

you have during your practice trials.

In addition to keeping what you do the same, another very critical thing that you must do is

keep what you eat the same. Don’t attempt to carb load or do anything different than what you

normally do.

By this point you should have figured out a good pre-exercise meal to consume that leaves you

feeling energized and not weighed down so you should continue to consume that same meal so

that your body knows exactly what to expect.

It is important that you are not carb depleted going into this test, so make sure that you are

eating a higher carb diet in the days leading up to it. Just do not carb load the night before

because this will just leave you feeling bloated and potentially sluggish as well.

If you sustain a moderate carb intake in the week leading up to the test, you should have fully

stocked muscle glycogen levels and not have to worry about being depleted when you go into

the test.


Using Visualization To Promote Better Performance

The next strategy to use to help enhance your game day performance is visualization. Many

professional athletes use visualization to boost their results and you should be making use of it

as well.

What you’ll be doing during visualization is sitting some place that you can relax quickly and

closing your eyes, picturing yourself going about the test and successfully completing it as you

have hoped for.

Picture yourself performing to the best of your abilities while staying calm and focused

throughout the entire time. Imagine what it feels like and what the environment around you is

like as well.

This is going to help bring you greater overall confidence in your abilities, making sure that you

feel that yes, you can complete this race successfully.

Those who lack self-confidence may quickly falter should their performance start to decline for

whatever reason as they lose focus entirely and are left struggling to keep up.

Since this test is largely about mental focus and the ability to control your pace and body, you

must maintain good concentration the entire way through.

Some people may wish to use this visualization strategy for the week leading up to the event,

making sure that they are really preparing themselves and making the most out of their training

sessions, while some others may just do it on the day of the actual event.

The choice is yours but making sure that you do use this technique is important as it will

significantly influence your performance. Don’t underestimate the power of your mind.

Reducing Your Stress

Another thing that you should be doing to help to prepare for game day is lowering your overall

stress level as much as possible.

Those who are highly stressed out are going to feel more drained and fatigued than those who

aren’t and may also have a more negative mindset as well.

Try and create as stress-free of a life as possible in the week leading up to the event so it’s not

having any influence on you and then also make sure that you do everything in your power to

make the event day as relaxed as possible.


Try and perform any errands or tasks you need to do to be ready for the test the day or two

before so that come race day, all you need to do is relax and focus on your performance.

Getting Sufficient Rest

Finally, the last thing that you must be doing to ensure that you are feeling your best as you

prepare to complete the beep test is make sure that you are well rested.

It would be a very good idea to consider cutting back slightly on your training program the week

leading up to the test. This is going to help ensure that you don’t have a build-up of fatigue

occurring that would potentially take away from the progress that you’re able to give.

If you’ve done your training well, reducing the total volume and intensity slightly in the week

leading up to the event should have no influence over your conditioning level and will only

work in your favor.

This will not only help to promote better muscular recovery, but also keep your mind feeling

fresh and be completely ready to push hard when you take the test.

It would be a good idea to take one or two days off three days before the test is to be taken and

then just perform a light run for 20-30 minutes on the day before the test. This will get you up

and moving, increasing the blood circulation to the muscle cells.

This run should not cause any fatigue but if anything, just leave you energized going into your

test.

Finally, in addition to cutting back on your training volume, also take care to ensure that you

are sleeping well each night also. Sleep is hugely important for recovery and if you’re not

getting a good rest, it will influence how you perform.

Practice good sleep habits such as taking a hot bath before bed, sipping on some chamomile or

herbal tea, using a stress journal to write down whatever is stressing you so that you can free it

from your mind, as well as making sure to have a light meal before bed to help induce sleep and

prevent waking up hunger, but not a heavy one that will sit in your stomach and keep you

awake all night long.

Focus on protein rich foods with a small dose of carbohydrates if you have difficulty sleeping

because these will cause serotonin to be released in the body, which is a feel good hormone

that will promote a calm state.


If you don’t have trouble sleeping, then you may opt for a protein and fat based snack as these

can help to control your blood sugar levels slightly better.

Taking the time to get all of these factors in place before you arrive on your testing day will help

to significantly enhance the results you see and make sure that you feel your best going into

the event.

Most of these take minimal effort on your part, so there’s no reason why you can’t be including

them as part of your prep process.

Now let’s wrap up this guide by speaking a little bit about injury prevention so that you can be

sure an injury doesn’t get in your way of a successful training plan.

Chapter 9: Injury Prevention

Perhaps one of the most devastating things that could occur as you go about your beep test

training procedure is suffering from an injury. Things may be going along perfectly – you’re

seeing the progress you had hoped for, are feeling confident that you are on top of your game,

and then one day, it just happens.

One minute you’re fine and the next, you’re in excruciating pain that will just not let up.

Immediately all hopes of successfully complete the test on your intended date vanish and

you’re left feeling disappointed and discouraged.

Taking steps to prevent the above from occurring is one of the most important things that you

can do. Let’s look at what these steps are that you should be taking so that you can stay injury

free.

Warm-Up

The very first must-do to prevent injuries from occurring is making sure that you get a good

warm-up in. Spending ten minutes at the start of your workout to loosen up the muscle tissues,

get the blood circulating throughout the body, and increasing your mental focus and

concentration will be a must.

Your warm-up should ideally consist of five minutes or so of light cardio-based activity, either

using the cardio machines, marching in place, doing some light skipping, or other movements


that utilize a large range of motion and loosen up the muscles and joints, and then from there

you should go on and perform some gentle stretching activities.

Remember to maintain a steady and controlled breathing pattern as you do this as that will

help to increase the circulation throughout the body, delivering fresh oxygen to the working

muscle tissues.

If you are working out first thing in the morning, you may want to spend an additional five or

ten minutes doing your warm-up because at this point your body will be in its coldest state and

you will be slower to prepare.

Maintain Good Form

The second tip to stay injury-free is to make sure that you maintain good form at all times. If

your form starts to go, you’re immediately putting yourself at risk for an injury as you won’t be

executing the exercise in the movement pattern that you should.

You’ll may be placing additional strain and tension on the muscle tissues, causing them to react

in ways that are not natural for the body, potentially causing a tear or strain in the process.

If you don’t understand what proper form is for any of the exercises that we mentioned above,

then you should be booking a session with a personal trainer who will be able to show you how

to execute each movement correctly.

Furthermore, if you are someone who is going to be lifting much heavier weight in an attempt

to build up your strength as high as possible, make sure that you are also using a spotter while

at the gym as well.

These will help give you the peace of mind in knowing that if you do start to falter at any point

while performing the lift, they will be right there to help you out.

One wrong move when you’re lifting an incredibly heavy weight and that may be the end of

your training for months or longer depending on just how badly you injure yourself.

Don’t Workout When Highly Fatigued

Another quick tip to help reduce your injury risk that you’re experiencing is to make sure that

you never workout when you are highly fatigued. While there are times when pushing through

a bit of fatigue is alright and necessary if you want to make training progress, recognize when

fatigue is extreme and is demanding that you just take time off.

If you’re so fatigued that the thought of exercise is enough to make you feel even more tired,

going to the gym likely isn’t in your best interests.


You aren’t going to be able to put in a good performance anyway – one that would lead to

optimal progress, so you might as well just stay home, rest up, and make sure that you can give

a good effort the next session you have scheduled.

Going to the gym, especially when you have a weights workout scheduled, when you are highly

fatigued will really up your chances of injury because not only will you not be as mentally

focused to sustain proper form, but your muscles may begin to give out during a lift, causing

the weight to come crashing down.

This can place your body in very awkward positions, causing that injury to quickly set in. Some

fatigue is okay but too much and you had better skip the session.

Know When To Quit

In addition to learning to recognize when you are better off just skipping the gym, also make

sure that you learn when to quit. Don’t push yourself so hard that you’re not maintaining good

form or start to feel light-headed and dizzy.

Here again, pushing yourself hard is good but overexerting yourself to the point where you can

hardly stay focused and possibly even ‘up’ for continuing on your workout is not a wise move.

At no point should you be feeling very unwell in your training, so if you do often find that you

are starting to experience these types of feelings, that’s a good sign that it may be time to let

up a bit.

You really don’t have to kill yourself in training to make good progress and often staying one

step back from the point of maximum fatigue is what will yield the best results anyway.

Use Proper Equipment

Finally, last but not least, make sure that you’re using proper equipment as well. Using poor

equipment or worse yet, malfunctioning equipment is a very fast way to get yourself injured.

This not only refers to the actual pieces of equipment that you use to execute your exercises on

(such as treadmills, weight machines, barbells, etc.) but also your running shoes and any other

equipment or clothing on your body as well.

You need to make sure that you are in a good pair of running shoes that are going to provide

the support and cushioning that you require or else you’re going to find that you are starting to

suffer from knee and back pain as you move throughout your workouts.


Many people who exercise indoors forget to change their shoes regularly due to the fact that

they stay looking like new. But, don’t neglect the fact that with ongoing use comes wear and

tear and the support system is going to become more and more worn out.

Getting yourself a new pair of shoes every so often can go a long way to minimizing joint pain.

So there you have some of the key things to remember about preventing injuries as you go

about your beep training program.

Many of the concepts that apply to any workout program will apply here as well, so use some

common sense and be smart as you go about your workouts.

Conclusion

This concludes your guide to training for the beep test. Hopefully you now feel ready to take on

the test and perform to the best of your abilities. Remember that nothing good comes without

some hard work, so be prepared to put in the work necessary to see success.

The more effort you put in – while staying wise at the same time and not neglecting your

recovery needs, the better the results you will see.

Make sure that you do take the comprehensive approach that we’ve outlined in this manual,

not just relying on only cardio training because it’s what you ‘prefer’.

If you want to see the best possible result, you need to be taking multiple elements of your

fitness into account. Fail to do so and you’ll only be failing yourself.

So there you have it – work hard, work smart, and you will succeed as you had hoped you

would.

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