- VO2 max. determination does not show the real effort capacity of a football player.
- Why does the VO2 max. determination and all testing for aerobic capacity, only assures compatibility of up to 80% while K’TEST TOTAL of more than 95%?
1.– The specific monitoring sessions which analyze the motive(fitness) and tehnical-tactical evolution of the football players during matches show a low percentage of regular line running that is specific to the one done during VO2 max. determination. The percentage is of 20-36% (depending more on our understanding of choosing a percentage). We state this as there are differences regarding the motive structure from the point of view of its quality and amount and there are also differences regarding the time spent doing it during the 40-72 minutes of actual effort. This leads to the observation of the fact that VO2 max. fails to consider many other important effort parameters. Simply watch a player during a few phases of a match and then compare the type of effort (with the ball or without the ball, alone or fighting against opponent) they make with the one during a (VO2 max. determination or aerobic tests). We can make a similarity? The same comparison, with the same observation, can be made in the case of a canoeist or a cyclist too: as the sample is sport events and how to make testing (such examples can be found on YOUTUBE). The difference is more than surprising.
2.– Numerous biomechanical and physiology studies show an ample dissipation of the metabolical-oxidative effort that the human body makes when the mechanical work done affects large muscle areas (effort specific of the game). In other words, efficiency and effort saving. The situation gets more complicated when the whole effort repeatedly focuses on certain muscle areas (the same angle-lever liniar run). The result is that, per time unit, the cardio-vascular and respiratory systems find it easier to assure the gas exchanges needed to energetically sustain the effort on a larger muscle-capilary area (meaning more muscles). Consequently, one must know that when the effort affects a small muscle area (a few muscle groups) the gas exchanges need to be done at the expense of the increase of the blood vessel flow and diameter. The nervous effort of propioceptivity, corporal and neuromuscular coordination (small oxygen-consuming) goes beyond the O2 consumption on muscular level. It is an argument that shows the small degree in which the VO2 max. determination covers the aspects related to specific effort (the effort parameters).
3.– The data obtained by some biomechanical research and especially by pulmonary exploration (which is the very foundation of the VO2 max. test) are contradictory. A comparative analysis of the results obtained during the pulmonary exploration with regard to specific effort and of the results obtained during the tests (aerobic and VO2 max. test) shows great differences between them.