Cooper test

From Free net encyclopedia

The Cooper test is a test of physical fitness. It was designed by Kenneth H. Cooper in 1968 for US military use. In the original form, the point of the test is to run as far as possible within 12 minutes. The test is meant to measure the condition of the person taking it and therefore it is supposed to be run at a steady pace instead of sprints.

The results of the test give a rough estimate of a person's condition. The possible outcomes are Very Good, Good, Average, Bad and Very Bad. The outcome is based on how much the tested person ran, their age and their gender. (The results can also be correlated with VO2 Max - see end).

It is, in general, a very easy and cheap test to run, especially for larger groups. On the other hand, the results are based on the motivation of the person taking it and practice is required.

Several tables exist, the following three are for ages 13-20 (the first), for 20-50 (the second) and for experienced seniors (the third):

Cooper Test (13-20)
Very Good Good Average Bad Very Bad
13-14 M 2700+ m 2400 - 2700 m 2200 - 2399 m 2100 - 2199 m 2100- m
F 2000+ m 1900 - 2000 m 1600 - 1899 m 1500 - 1599 m 1500- m
15-16 M 2800+ m 2500 - 2800 m 2300 - 2499 m 2200 - 2299 m 2200- m
F 2100+ m 2000 - 2100 m 1900 - 1999 m 1600 - 1699 m 1600- m
17-20 M 3000+ m 2700 - 3000 m 2500 - 2699 m 2300 - 2499 m 2300- m
F 2300+ m 2100 - 2300 m 1800 - 2099 m 1700 - 1799 m 1700- m


Cooper Test (20-50+)
Very Good Good Average Bad Very Bad
20-29 M 2800+ m 2400 - 2800 m 2200 - 2399 m 1600 - 2199 m 1600- m
F 2700+ m 2200 - 2700 m 1800 - 2199 m 1500 - 1799 m 1500- m
30-39 M 2700+ m 2300 - 2700 m 1900 - 2299 m 1500 - 1899 m 1500- m
F 2500+ m 2000 - 2500 m 1700 - 1999 m 1400 - 1699 m 1400- m
40-49 M 2500+ m 2100 - 2500 m 1700 - 2099 m 1400 - 1699 m 1400- m
F 2300+ m 1900 - 2300 m 1500 - 1899 m 1200 - 1499 m 1200- m
50+ M 2400+ m 2000 - 2400 m 1600 - 1999 m 1300 - 1599 m 1300- m
F 2200+ m 1700 - 2200 m 1400 - 1699 m 1100 - 1399 m 1100- m


Cooper Test (Experienced Seniors)
Very Good Good Average Bad Very Bad
Male 3700+ m 3400 - 3700 m 3100 - 3399 m 2800 - 3099 m 2800- m
Female 3000+ m 2700 - 3000 m 2400 - 2999 m 2100 - 2399 m 2100- m


The test results can be correlated quite well with VO2 Max data. An approximate correlation is

VO2 Max = (distance in metres - 505) / 45

See ref. 1 for this correlation and other exercise tests.

References

See also

es:Test de Cooper fr:Test de Cooper nl:Coopertest nn:Cooper pt:Cooper fi:Cooperin testi