Assessment of aerobic and anaerobic capacity of athletes in treadmill running tests.

Abstract

The criteria of max VO2 and max O2D which are traditionally used in studying aerobic and anaerobic work capacity, have the different dimensions. While max VO2 is an index of the power of aerobic energy output, max O2D assesses the capacity of anaerobic sources. For a comprehensive assessment of physical working capacity of athletes, both aerobic and anaerobic capabilities should be represented in three dimensions, i.e. in indexes of power, capacity and efficiency. Experimental procedures have been developed for assessing these three parameters in treadmill running tests. It is proposed to assess anaerobic power by measuring excess CO2, concurrently with determination of max VO2. Maximal aerobic capacity is established as the product of max VO2 by the time of max VO2 maintenance determined in a special test with running at critical speed. The erogmetric criteria derived on the basis of the tests proposed, may be used for systematization of various physical work loads.