Do hockey players need aerobic fitness? Relation between VO2max and fatigue during high-intensity intermittent ice skating.
The primary objective of this study was to assess the relationship between aerobic capacity, as measured by the VO(2)max test, and recovery from high-intensity intermittent exercise. Eleven female collegiate hockey players agreed to participate. Subjects skated 5 1-lap intervals around the hockey rink at maximal intensity with a 30-second recovery period between skates. The VO(2)max test was performed on a motor-driven treadmill after a modified Bruce protocol. A fatigue index was calculated by measuring the total increase in skate time from trial 1 to trial 5. This fatigue index was then correlated to VO(2)max. This correlation coefficient (-0.422) was not significant (p > 0.05) and indicated that only 17.8% of the variance in VO(2)max could be explained by the fatigue index. It was concluded that ability to recover from high-intensity intermittent exercise is not related to aerobic capacity. Coaches and trainers probably do not need to include aerobic training in their practices, because the high-intensity interval training commonly seen in hockey training also improves aerobic capacity, as reflected in the high VO(2)max values of these subjects.
Carey
Daniel G
DG
Health and Human Performance Department, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota 55105, USA. dgcarey@stthomas.edu
Drake
Melanie M
MM
Pliego
German J
GJ
Raymond
Robert L
RL
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006688:Hockey / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D018763:Muscle Fatigue / Q000502:physiology*; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology*; D010807:Physical Endurance / Q000502:physiology; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*