Comparison Of Direct And Indirect Vo2max Test In Mexican College Football Players.

Abstract

Football is considered an anaerobic sport, therefore anaerobic evaluations are usually the main tests performed. Nonetheless, due to the number of plays and the duration of the game, the evaluation of the aerobic system through the measurement of the maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max), becomes an important variable in the sport performance. The direct evaluation of the VO2max can be expensive due to the equipment and special laboratory conditions needed to perform it.Normally, most Mexican coaches perform indirect estimation of the VO2max, through field test. PURPOSE: To determine direct VO2max of a sample of a Mexican College football team and compare the measurements with two different indirect methods. METHODS: Twenty voluntary Mexican College football players participated in the study. Informed consents were signed. Athletes were divided according to their play position into two groups: Lineman (LM) and No-Lineman (NL). Direct VO2max was measured through open-circuit spirometry by indirect calorimetry during a maximal graduated exercise test, using the Bruce protocol. The first indirect measurement (FIM) was performed using the Bruce protocol equation [VO2max (mL . kg-1 . min-1) = 14.8 1.379 (time in min) + 0.451 (time2) - 0.012 (time3)] for a maximal graduated exercise test. The second indirect measurement (SIM) was taken using the ACSM´s running metabolic equation [VO2max (mL . kg-1 . min-1) = 0.2 (speed) + 0.9 (speed) (fractional grade) + 3.5)] in the 1.5-mile run test. VO2max comparisons were made using Sperman´s correlation coefficient test. RESULTS::LM´s direct VO2max (34.77 ± 10.41 mL . kg-1 . min-1) was lower than NL´s direct VO2max (46.82 ± 4.41 mL . kg-1 . min-1). Regarding, FIM of LM (32.56 ± 7.67 mL . kg-1 . min-1) and SIM of LM (36.87 ± 5.18 mL . kg-1 . min-1) both of them were lower than FIM of NL (42.56 ± 3.74 mL . kg-1 . min-1) and SIM of NL (45.96 ± 4.84 mL . kg-1 . min-1). Correlations between direct VO 0.78 (p<0.05) and NL´s SIM 0.73 (p<0.05). and indirect VO2max were as follows: LM´s FIM= 0.79 (p<0.05), LM´s SIM= 0.63 (p<0.05), NL´s FIM= 0.78 (p<0.05) and NL´s SIM 0.73 (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Indirect measurements of VO2max can be used reliably to determine Mexican College football player’s aerobic capacity when it is not possible or feasible to measure VO2max direct.