30-15 IFT: protocol, stages, VIFT and training zones

What the test measures

The 30-15 IFT measures VIFT, an end-of-test speed that is neither MAS nor a sprint speed. Martin Buchheit designed it in 2008 for a coaching problem: when short intervals are prescribed to a whole squad as a percentage of MAS, players do not bear the same load, because MAS says nothing about their anaerobic speed reserve, their recovery between efforts or their ease in changing direction. VIFT folds those four qualities into one number, and a session prescribed as a percentage of VIFT produces homogeneous heart-rate responses across the group.

It is the test of strength and conditioning coaches in team sports, from handball to rugby, and it has become standard in professional football.

How it runs

A 40 m course with three lines at 0, 20 and 40 m, and a 3 m tolerance zone at each line.

On the beep, the player starts from line 0. The following beeps set the pace: they must be inside the zone of the next line on every beep, out, turn, back, for 30 seconds.
A double beep stops the run. The player walks for 15 seconds to the nearest line and gets set to go again.
The next stage starts 0.5 km/h faster. The first stage is run at 8 km/h, and each stage lasts 45 seconds including the walk.

A player who fails to reach the zone on the beep three times in a row is out. Their result, VIFT, is the speed of the last stage completed in full.

The chart

Forty stages from 8 to 27.5 km/h on the official audio track; in practice nobody goes beyond 23. The full chart below gives, for each stage, the speed, the cumulative time and the distance covered in the 30 seconds of running.

One detail that matters: the chart corrects the split times for the turn at both ends of the course. At 8.5 km/h a player covers 69.2 m in 30 seconds, not 70.8: the beeps come slightly later than a metronome set to the nominal speed. The Cadlo app reproduces that correction; a home-made audio track does not.

Reading your score

VIFT is read off the last completed stage: stage 15 is 15 km/h, stage 21 is 18 km/h, stage 25 is 20 km/h. Working benchmarks in team sports, from values reported in the literature:

Men: 14 to 15.4 km/h youth or developing, 15.5 to 17.4 intermediate or club, 17.5 to 19.4 advanced or collegiate, 19.5 to 21 elite.
Women: 12 to 13.4 km/h youth, 13.5 to 14.9 club, 15 to 16.9 advanced, 17 to 18.5 elite.

For the same athlete, VIFT exceeds MAS by 2 to 4 km/h. Never compare the two figures.

VO₂max is estimated with the equation published with the test, which accounts for sex, age and weight: VO₂max = 28.3 − 2.15 × sex − 0.741 × age − 0.0357 × weight + 0.0586 × age × VIFT + 1.03 × VIFT. The site’s calculator applies it.

What VIFT is for

This is where the test earns its keep. Buchheit prescribes intermittent work as a percentage of VIFT:

50 to 60 %: active recovery.
70 to 80 %: aerobic base, continuous runs.
85 to 90 %: tempo.
95 to 105 %: short intervals, 15-15s and 10-10s, the staple session of team sports. For a VIFT of 18 km/h, a 15-15 at 100 % is run over 75 m in 15 seconds.

The calculator gives, for your VIFT, the speed and the distance to cover in 15 and 30 seconds in each zone.

Training for it

The 30-15 IFT improves through what it measures: short high-intensity intermittent work and the quality of your changes of direction.

A baseline test, to get the VIFT that calibrates everything else.
Two 15-15 sessions a week at 95-105 % of VIFT, as 20 or 40 m shuttles, two to three blocks of 6 to 8 minutes.
Change-of-direction work in the warm-up: brake two steps before the line, short re-acceleration.
One continuous session at 70-80 % of VIFT for the base.
Retest at four to six weeks: half a stage to one stage gained is the usual progress over one block.

Mistakes that skew VIFT

A 40 m course measured by pacing, or missing 3 m zones: players stop wherever they like.
An audio track without the turn correction, where the beeps come too early.
Restarting from the far line after the walk: the rules say the nearest one.
Confusing the 30-15 IFT with the “30-30”, which is a training session, not a test.

Full 30-15 IFT level table

Speed and real duration of each level, cumulative time and distance at the end of the level. Each level number opens its own page.
Level	Speed	Level duration	Cumulative time	Cumulative distance
1	8	45 s	45 s	65
2	8.5	45 s	1 min 30 s	134
3	9	45 s	2 min 15 s	208
4	9.5	45 s	3 min	285
5	10	45 s	3 min 45 s	366
6	10.5	45 s	4 min 30 s	450
7	11	45 s	5 min 15 s	537
8	11.5	45 s	6 min	629
9	12	45 s	6 min 45 s	724
10	12.5	45 s	7 min 30 s	823
11	13	45 s	8 min 15 s	926
12	13.5	45 s	9 min	1 034
13	14	45 s	9 min 45 s	1 145
14	14.5	45 s	10 min 30 s	1 260
15	15	45 s	11 min 15 s	1 379
16	15.5	45 s	12 min	1 499
17	16	45 s	12 min 45 s	1 623
18	16.5	45 s	13 min 30 s	1 751
19	17	45 s	14 min 15 s	1 883
20	17.5	45 s	15 min	2 019
21	18	45 s	15 min 45 s	2 158
22	18.5	45 s	16 min 30 s	2 302
23	19	45 s	17 min 15 s	2 449
24	19.5	45 s	18 min	2 600
25	20	45 s	18 min 45 s	2 755
26	20.5	45 s	19 min 30 s	2 914
27	21	45 s	20 min 15 s	3 077
28	21.5	45 s	21 min	3 239
29	22	45 s	21 min 45 s	3 405
30	22.5	45 s	22 min 30 s	3 575
31	23	45 s	23 min 15 s	3 749
32	23.5	45 s	24 min	3 927
33	24	45 s	24 min 45 s	4 108
34	24.5	45 s	25 min 30 s	4 293
35	25	45 s	26 min 15 s	4 482
36	25.5	45 s	27 min	4 675
37	26	45 s	27 min 45 s	4 871
38	26.5	45 s	28 min 30 s	5 071
39	27	45 s	29 min 15 s	5 275
40	27.5	45 s	30 min	5 478

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between VIFT and MAS?

VIFT is 2 to 4 km/h higher than MAS for the same athlete, because the 15 s walks let you run faster than your maximal aerobic speed. It combines MAS, anaerobic speed reserve, recovery ability and the cost of changing direction. That is why it prescribes short intervals better: two players at 100 % of VIFT bear the same load, which is not true at 100 % of MAS.

Why is the 30-15 IFT course 40 m long?

Three lines, at 0, 20 and 40 m, with a beep at every line. The turn at each end costs energy, and Buchheit’s chart accounts for it in the split times. That is why the audio track cannot be replaced by a metronome set to the nominal speed.

What are the 3 m zones for?

At each line, a 3 m tolerance zone marks where you must be on the beep. An athlete who misses the zone three times in a row is out. During the 15 s walk, you move to the nearest line to restart.

How do I get VO₂max from VIFT?

With the equation published with the test: VO₂max = 28.3 − 2.15 × sex − 0.741 × age − 0.0357 × weight + 0.0586 × age × VIFT + 1.03 × VIFT, with sex 1 for male and 2 for female, age in years and weight in kilograms. The site’s calculator applies it if you enter those three values.