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.
Health and Human Performance Department, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota 55105, USA. dgcarey@stthomas.edu
Daniel G
DG
Carey
Melanie M
MM
Drake
German J
GJ
Pliego
Robert L
RL
Raymond
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*