Or as manager Adrian Heath called it, in a bit of a Freudian slip, the “bleep test.” It’s a survival of the fittest, with an official name: the 30-15 Intermittent Fitness Test.

Perhaps the most famous challenge is the bleep test, where the players will run between two sets of cones 20 metres apart at the sound of a bleep and must cover the distance before it sounds again.

Beep test scores vary by age, sex and fitness level. You might have heard reaching level 21 is a“perfect score”, but this is a myth. Ultimately, a“good” score depends on who is being tested.

With the help of some expert insight, The Athletic looks at six different ways footballers are made to run on their return to ...