VO2Max and VO2AT: athletic performance and field role of elite soccer players
The findings of a 12-year research period on elite football professional athletes were published in the Italian journal "Sport Sciences for Health".
The aim of the research, conducted by the team of Italian sport scientist Danilo Manari, was to study the relations of maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) and oxygen consumption at anaerobic threshold (VO2AT) with the field role of elite soccer players.
The 12 years old research generated a robust dataset with a solid 953 field evaluation tests (performed with COSMED wearable metabolic technology) of VO2 max and VO2AT performed on 450 elite soccer players of 13 professional teams by incremental, continuous and exhausting test modified from Conconi’s test.
While VO2AT percentage variations among the roles were not significant, the VO2max proved to be "the choice parameter to consider for the metabolic compliance of athletes to the field role requirements, consequently influencing training programs, recovery and injury prevention strategies".
Considering the size and nature of the study population, the dataset of role-based VO2max valuse could be useful for:
- identify testable athletic characteristics within each role
- design training programs specific to each role
- quantify end-points for training or recovery programs
The article details are the following:
- Title: "VO2Max and VO2AT: athletic performance and field role of elite soccer players"
- Authors: Danilo Manari, Massimo Manara, Andrea Zurini, Giovanni Tortorella, Mauro Vaccarezza, Nicolò Prandelli, Davide Ancelotti, Marco Vitale, Prisco Mirandola, Daniela Galli
- Published in: Sport Sciences for Health August 2016, Volume 12, Issue 2, pp 221–226
The study can be purchased at the following link: click here
