With Coach Alexa, Online Running Coach and in-person coaching in South Oxfordshire
Getting Ready for the Bleep Test
Hey, team coach Alexa here, coach for Reading, South Oxford, and online.
In my last video, I talked a little bit about how to use some tactics to get more out of yourself on the bleep test, quite a popular fitness test for things like the police and the military.
Today’s video, I’m gonna tell you a little bit about how preparing before the test can help your performance as well.
As runners, these are things that might already be in the forefront of your mind, but if you’ve got a friend or family member that isn’t a runner already, this might be useful to share with them. And also, if you’ve got a bit more notice – if you’ve got six weeks plus notice before that upcoming test, or you know it’s gonna be coming at some point in the future – then one of us coaches can help with a training plan specifically for that event.
Warmup – Setting Yourself Up for Success
In terms of prep, we wanna think about a couple of different things, starting with a warmup. You don’t want to get that heart rate too high or go crazy with it, but you do want to make sure your muscles are warmed through.
If you’ve got the opportunity, depending on the setup of who’s carrying out the test and where, spend a few minutes doing a gentle jog or a brisk walk in the vicinity. That way, you’re going into it warm, which will mean you’ll be able to get more power and speed out of your muscles towards the end of the test.
Fuelling – Giving Your Body What It Needs
The other thing is to think about fuelling. Depending on the timing of the test throughout the day, make sure you’ve eaten something a little bit more substantial. A breakfast or lunch with some carbohydrates – ideally slower release carbohydrates – about an hour and a half to two hours before can really help.
Then have something with a bit of sugar in it – that might be just a couple of jelly babies or an energy gel, something like that – maybe 30 minutes beforehand. This means that you are well prepared going into that event.
Good hydration levels, of course, will make a bit of a difference as well.
Final Thoughts – Small Steps, Big Impact
That energy and the warmup will make quite a bit of a difference to people’s performance. So even if you or somebody you know has not got the time to do six weeks’ worth of training to make a difference to their fitness, doing those two preparation steps, and also taking last week’s video about the tactics and how you can get the best out of yourself with your pacing on the bleep test, should put you in really good shape for it.
I hope that’s useful. Happy running.
