The time-tested, simple and equipment-free Cooper test will help determine your level of aerobic endurance. Let’s see how to conduct it correctly and evaluate your results.
What Is the Cooper Test?
The test that we are going to tell you about is called Aerobic Test and it was developed by Dr. Kenneth Cooper in 1968. KO discovered that there is a correlation between the actual distance one can jog or walk in 12 minutes and the maximum actual amount of oxygen one’s body can process in one minute – the VO2 max. Hence the conclusion, the higher the value recorded in the VO2 max test the better the aerobic endurance.
As you probably already realized, during the experiment you will have to go (or walk) the maximum distance possible.
Here is what you will need for this.
A place. Such that you can measure how far you have covered. This could be, for example, a stadium with marked tracks. The length of the shortest, inner one is 400 meters. Use it as a guide. Another option is to use a fitness watch. Or conduct a test on a treadmill, which will show you how much you have “trampled”. In the latter case, increase the angle of inclination by 1° to bring the task closer to the field: running outside would be a little more difficult.
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Time. You will need a stopwatch or, even more conveniently, a timer, which is available in almost every smartphone.
Appropriate equipment: adidas shoes and clothing for the season. That you do not pull out of contention for the race just because your ankle is sprained, or because you got cold or overheated.
Note! On the conducting of the test, endeavor to have a good Night sleep. Always approach a workout with your body ready to go and refreshed from the previous workouts. It is advisable to eat a meal a couple of hours prior to climbing, having chosen a dinner of chicken fillet with buckwheat, which contains both,-carbohydrates and proteins. It is recommended to take about a glass or two of water 10-15 minutes to the start of the exercise.
Don’t forget that the Cooper test is a physical activity, and quite a serious one at that. A warm-up is necessary. You can walk, run a little, jump, stretch. After the test, switch to a slow jog to cool down, and then do some stretching.
How to Evaluate Results
There are two ways to do this. If you want to know your VO2 max (ml/kg/min), calculate it using the formula:
VO2 max = (22.351 x kilometers) – 11.288.
And then compare it with the average values. For an untrained young man, this is 45 ml/kg/min. For a woman, it is 38 ml/kg/min.
The second option is to determine how far you covered in 12 minutes and compare it with the values for your age and gender in the table below:
What to Do If You Are Unhappy With the Result?
First of all, it is important to understand that this result does not characterize you as an unathletic or even unhealthy person. Results lower than expected may be associated with individual problems in the body, for example, with joints. Or simply with the fact that you did not get enough sleep before the test.
The Cooper test does not give a complete picture of your physical fitness. This is just one way to assess it. Not happy with the result? Don’t panic! Figure out what could be the cause: poor nutrition, lack of sleep, irregular training? Correct the situation and repeat the test in 2-3 months. But do not try to beat your record every day: do not overload yourself.
Don’t get hung up on the Cooper result. And continue to lead a healthy lifestyle in general: eat right, leave enough time for rest and play sports, choosing a type of physical activity that brings you pleasure.
Aerobic endurance can be improved. The following types of fitness will help with this:
long runs, interval running;
long bike rides and exercise on a bicycle ergometer;
dance lessons, including zumba;
jumping exercises, for example, with a skipping rope;
various types of aerobics.
