Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test: Defining 'Best,' Elite Scores, and Improvement Strategies

Who is the best in YoYo test?

The concept of "best" in the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test (YYIRT) is highly contextual, varying significantly across sports, professional levels, and the specific version of the test administered. While no single individual holds a universally recognized "best" record, elite athletes in intermittent team sports consistently demonstrate exceptional scores, reflecting their superior aerobic power and recovery capabilities.

Understanding the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test (YYIRT)

The Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test (YYIRT) is a widely recognized and scientifically validated fitness assessment designed to evaluate an individual's ability to perform repeated high-intensity efforts interspersed with brief, active recovery periods. Developed by Danish sport scientist Jens Bangsbo, it simulates the physiological demands of intermittent team sports like soccer, basketball, rugby, and hockey more accurately than continuous aerobic tests.

The test involves participants running back and forth between two lines (typically 20 meters apart) at progressively increasing speeds, dictated by audio cues. After each shuttle (40 meters total), there's a short, active recovery period (e.g., 5 or 10 seconds) where the participant walks or jogs around a cone before the next shuttle begins. The test continues until the participant fails to reach the designated line twice in succession before the audio signal, or voluntarily withdraws. Performance is measured by the total distance covered.

There are two primary versions:

• Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 1 (YYIRT1): Starts at a lower intensity and is suitable for a broader range of athletes and fitness levels.
• Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 2 (YYIRT2): Begins at a higher intensity and is designed for elite athletes with well-developed aerobic fitness.

Why is Yo-Yo Test Performance Crucial?

The YYIRT provides invaluable insights into several key physiological attributes essential for success in intermittent sports:

• Aerobic Power and Capacity: It heavily taxes the aerobic energy system, which is critical for sustaining high-intensity efforts and facilitating rapid recovery between sprints.
• Repeated Sprint Ability (RSA): The intermittent nature directly assesses an athlete's capacity to perform multiple sprints with minimal decline in performance.
• Recovery Efficiency: The active recovery periods measure how quickly an athlete's heart rate and physiological markers return to a baseline, indicating their ability to prepare for the next burst of activity.
• Fatigue Resistance: High scores correlate with an athlete's ability to maintain performance throughout a game, particularly in the later stages when fatigue typically sets in.
• Decision-Making Under Fatigue: While not directly measured, superior physical capacity allows athletes to maintain cognitive function and make better decisions during strenuous play.

Defining "Best" in the Yo-Yo Test: A Nuanced Perspective

Pinpointing a single "best" individual in the Yo-Yo test is exceptionally challenging due to several critical factors:

• Lack of a Centralized Global Database: Unlike world records in track and field, there isn't a universally recognized, publicly accessible database that compiles individual Yo-Yo test scores across all sports and professional leagues.
• Sport-Specificity: Performance is highly contextual. An elite football (soccer) midfielder's "best" score will differ from an elite basketball player's, as the demands of their sports, and thus their training adaptations, vary.
• Test Version: YYIRT1 and YYIRT2 yield vastly different scores. A high score on YYIRT1 is not comparable to a high score on YYIRT2.
• Population Differences: Scores vary significantly between genders, age groups, and amateur versus professional athletes.
• Privacy and Data Protection: Most professional sports teams consider individual athlete performance data, including Yo-Yo test scores, to be proprietary and confidential.
• Testing Conditions: Environmental factors (temperature, humidity), surface, and even the specific audio cues and equipment used can subtly influence results.

Therefore, rather than a single individual, "best" is better understood as achieving elite-level performance within a specific sport and context.

Reported Elite Yo-Yo Test Scores and Benchmarks

While specific individual names are rarely published, academic research and anecdotal reports from professional sports provide benchmarks for elite performance:

• Professional Football (Soccer) Players: Elite male professional footballers often achieve scores exceeding 2000-2400 meters (Level 2). Some exceptional individuals, particularly midfielders who cover extensive ground, have been reported to reach 2500 meters or more. For Level 1, scores can be significantly higher, sometimes exceeding 3000-4000 meters.
• Rugby Players: Similar to soccer, professional rugby players, especially backline players who require repeated sprints, demonstrate high scores, often in the 2000-2300 meter range (Level 2).
• Basketball Players: Elite basketball players also show high YYIRT2 scores, reflecting their need for explosive, intermittent movements, typically in the 1800-2200 meter range.
• Hockey Players: Due to the unique demands of ice hockey, with shorter bursts and glide recovery, YYIRT scores are still high but might be interpreted differently in conjunction with on-ice testing.

It's important to reiterate that these are general benchmarks. A "best" score is one that significantly exceeds the average for an athlete's specific sport, position, and level of competition, indicating superior physical preparedness for their sport's demands.

Improving Your Yo-Yo Test Performance

For athletes and fitness enthusiasts aiming to improve their YYIRT scores, a comprehensive training approach is essential:

• Develop Your Aerobic Base: A strong aerobic foundation (VO2 max) is the bedrock. Incorporate long, steady-state runs, tempo runs, and threshold training into your program.
• High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): Mimic the test's demands with short, intense bursts of running followed by active recovery. Examples include 15/15s (15 seconds hard running, 15 seconds walking) or 30/30s.
• Repeated Sprint Ability (RSA) Training: Focus on maximal effort sprints (e.g., 20-40 meters) with incomplete recovery periods to improve your body's ability to recover and repeat power output.
• Sport-Specific Drills: Integrate drills that replicate the acceleration, deceleration, and change-of-direction movements required in your sport, which indirectly enhances YYIRT performance.
• Strength Training: Develop lower body power and strength (squats, lunges, plyometrics) to improve running economy and reduce fatigue.
• Nutrition and Recovery: Optimize your diet for energy and recovery, prioritize sleep, and incorporate active recovery strategies (e.g., foam rolling, stretching) to maximize adaptation and performance.
• Pacing Strategy: During the test itself, learn to pace effectively, conserving energy in the early stages and pushing hard as the intensity increases.

Conclusion: The Value of Yo-Yo Testing Beyond Individual Records

While the question "Who is the best?" is intriguing, the true value of the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test lies not in identifying a single global record holder, but in its profound utility for:

• Talent Identification: Helping coaches identify athletes with the physiological attributes suited for intermittent sports.
• Performance Monitoring: Tracking an athlete's fitness levels over time, assessing the effectiveness of training programs, and identifying potential overtraining or detraining.
• Training Prescription: Providing objective data to tailor training programs to an individual's specific needs and weaknesses.
• Return-to-Play Decisions: Assisting medical staff in determining when an injured athlete is physiologically ready to return to competition.

Ultimately, the "best" in the Yo-Yo test are those athletes who consistently demonstrate the exceptional physiological capacity required to excel in the demanding, intermittent nature of their chosen sport.