title: Physiological demands of team-handball referees during games.
abstract: The objective of the present study was to examine the aerobic fitness and the physiological demands during competitive games in elite handball referees. Sixteen referees (age: 34.9 +/- 3.4 years, body mass: 77.4 +/- 10.6 kg, height: 173.5 +/- 7.5 cm, percent fat: 22.3 +/- 6.6%) of national and international levels (14 men and 2 women) were submitted to a multistage fitness test, to determine peak velocity (PV) and maximal heart rate (HR). After 48 hours, referees performed a submaximal intermittent shuttle-running test (3 minutes at 75 and 90% PV with 1-minute recovery), to determine speeds and HR at selected blood-lactate concentrations (2.0 and 4.0 mmol.L(-1)). Game intensities were arbitrarily established as follows: <HR2mmol (moderate), between HR2mmol and HR4mmol (heavy) and >HR4mmol (severe). Eight referees (2 per game) were monitored in 4 national level games. The mean VO(2)max of the referees was 48.5 +/- 6.1 ml.kg(-1).min(-1). Maximal HR, HR2mmol, and HR4mmol were 193 +/- 10, 154 +/- 13, and 167 +/- 10 b.min, respectively. The percent time spent in the moderate intensity domain was predominant (moderate 96.4%, heavy 2.3%, and severe 1.3% of total time, p < 0.05). These findings indicate that handball refereeing is of moderate intensity. In light of this study, results aerobic fitness does not seem to be a limiting factor in handball refereeing.
authors.affiliation: Physical Effort Laboratory, Sports Center, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil. jufesi23@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: Juliano Fernandes
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Castagna
authors.forename: Lorival J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Carminatti
authors.forename: Valdeci
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Foza
authors.forename: Luiz G Antonacci
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Guglielmo
authors.forename: Fernando Roberto
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*; D012420:Running / Q000502:physiology; D013177:Sports / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D019344:Lactic Acid