Performance assessment in elite football players: Field level test versus spiroergometry
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4100/jhse.2012.71.07Keywords:
Endurance performance test, Lactate concentration, Anaerobic threshold, Soccer, Oxygen consumption, Exercise testAbstract
The purpose of this study was to demonstrate that elite football players with the same anaerobic threshold calculated from the lactate performance curve during a field level test may have substantially different values describing endurance performance capacity determined from spiroergometric laboratory tests. A group of 28 male elite football players underwent a field level test and a spiroergometric laboratory test. A subgroup of players with the same anaerobic threshold was selected, and the endurance performance capacity obtained from spiroergometric measurements during treadmill level tests were compared descriptively within this subgroup. Among the three players with the same anaerobic threshold, test duration for the treadmill level test and consequently also the maximal lactate value achieved during the test varied substantially. The tests were aborted after 5 min at 4.4, 4.8 and 4.0 m·s-1 for players 1, 2 and 3, respectively. VO2-values at V4 were 87 %, 75 % and 96 % of their personal VO2-peak, respectively. Maximum lactate concentrations were 8.8, 9.2 and 5.3 mmol·L-1, respectively. Peak relative VO2 values were 55.0, 61.6 and 59.7 ml·min-1·kg-1, respectively. The result of this study clearly show that conventional field level tests yield insufficient information on underlying physiological and metabolic mechanisms of endurance performance capacity. Taking result of spiroergometric tests into account is critical for designing and evaluating player-specific training programs aimed at optimizing each player’s performance.Downloads
References
Arnason, A., Sigurdsson, S.B., Gudmundsson, A., Holme, I., Engebretsen, L., Bahr, R. Physical fitness, injuries, and team performance in soccer. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2004; 36(2):278-285. https://doi.org/10.1249/01.MSS.0000113478.92945.CA
Australian Sports Commission. Physiological tests for elite athletes. Champaign, Ill.; Leeds: Human Kinetics, 2000.
Bangsbo, J., Mizuno, M. Morph. and metabolic alteration in soccer players with detraining and retraining and their relation to performance. In: Reilly T, Lees A, Davids K, Murphy WJ, editors. Science and Football. London: Routledge, 1988: 114-124.
Bangsbo, J., Mohr, M., Krustrup, P. Physical and metabolic demands of training and match-play in the elite football player. J Sports Sci 2006; 24(7):665-674. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640410500482529
Bleicher, A., Mader, A., Mester, J. Zur Interpretation von Laktatleistungskurven - experimentelle Ergebnisse mit computergestuetzten Nachberechnungen. Spectrum der Sportwissenschaften 1998; 10:92-104.
Borrie, A., Jonsson, G.K., Magnusson, M.S. Temporal pattern analysis and its applicability in sport: an explanation and exemplar data. J Sports Sci 2002; 20(10):845-852. https://doi.org/10.1080/026404102320675675
Burgomaster, K.A., Howarth, K.R., Phillips, S.M., Rakobowchuk, M., Macdonald, M.J., Mcgee S.L. et al. Similar metabolic adaptations during exercise after low volume sprint interval and traditional endurance training in humans. J Physiol 2008; 586(1):151-160. https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.2007.142109
Chatham, J.C. Lactate - the forgotten fuel! J Physiol 2002; 542(Pt 2):333. https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.2002.020974
Ekblom, B. Applied physiology of soccer. Sports Med 1986; 3(1):50-60. https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-198603010-00005
Frayn, K.N. Calculation of substrate oxidation rates in vivo from gaseous exchange. J Appl Physiol 1983; 55(2):628-634. https://doi.org/10.1152/jappl.1983.55.2.628
Gibala, M.J., Little, J.P., Van Essen, M., Wilkin, G.P., Burgomaster, K.A., Safdar, A. et al. Short-term sprint interval versus traditional endurance training: similar initial adaptations in human skeletal muscle and exercise performance. J Physiol 2006; 575(Pt 3):901-911. https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.2006.112094
Gladden, L.B. Lactate metabolism: a new paradigm for the third millennium. J Physiol 2004; 558(Pt 1):5-30. https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.2003.058701
Gladden, L.B. Current trends in lactate metabolism: introduction. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2008; 40(3):475-476. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e31816154c9
Hashimoto, T., Brooks, G.A. Mitochondrial lactate oxidation complex and an adaptive role for lactate production. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2008; 40(3):486-494. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e31815fcb04
Hawley, J.A. Specificity of training adaptation: time for a rethink? J Physiol 2008; 586(1):1-2. https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.2007.147397
Hoff, J. Training and testing physical capacities for elite soccer players. J Sports Sci 2005; 23(6):573-582. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640410400021252
Hoff, J., Helgerud, J. Endurance and strength training for soccer players: physiological considerations. Sports Med 2004; 34(3):165-180. https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-200434030-00003
Hoff, J., Wisloff, U., Engen, L.C., Kemi, O.J., Helgerud, J. Soccer specific aerobic endurance training. Br J Sports Med 2002; 36(3):218-221. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsm.36.3.218
Hsieh, M.J., Lan, C.C., Chen, N.H., Huang, C.C., Wu, Y.K., Cho, H.Y. et al. Effects of high-intensity exercise training in a pulmonary rehabilitation programme for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Respirology 2007; 12(3):381-388. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1843.2007.01077.x
Impellizzeri, F.M., Rampinini, E., Marcora, S.M. Physiological assessment of aerobic training in soccer. J Sports Sci 2005; 23(6):583-592. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640410400021278
Juel, C., Halestrap, A.P. Lactate transport in skeletal muscle - role and regulation of the monocarboxylate transporter. J Physiol 1999a; 517 (Pt 3):633-642. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7793.1999.0633s.x
Juel, C., Halestrap, A.P. Lactate transport in skeletal muscle - role and regulation of the monocarboxylate transporter. J Physiol 1999b; 517 (Pt 3):633-642. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7793.1999.0633s.x
Mader, A., Liesen, H., Heck, H., Phillipi, H., Rost, R., Schürch, P. et al. Zur Beurteilung der sportartspezifischen Ausdauerleistungsfähigkeit im Labor. Sportarzt und Sportmedizin 1976; 27:80-112.
Philp, A., Macdonald, A.L., Watt, P.W. Lactate--a signal coordinating cell and systemic function. J Exp Biol 2005; 208(Pt 24):4561-4575. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.01961
Reilly, T. Energetics of high-intensity exercise (soccer) with particular reference to fatigue. J Sports Sci 1997; 15(3):257-263. https://doi.org/10.1080/026404197367263
Reilly, T., Drust, B., Clarke, N. Muscle fatigue during football match-play. Sports Med 2008; 38(5):357-367. https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-200838050-00001
Robergs, R.A., Ghiasvand, F., Parker, D. Biochemistry of exercise-induced metabolic acidosis. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2004; 287(3):R502-R516. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpregu.00114.2004
Rognmo, O., Hetland, E., Helgerud, J., Hoff, J., Slordahl, S.A. High intensity aerobic interval exercise is superior to moderate intensity exercise for increasing aerobic capacity in patients with coronary artery disease. Eur J Cardiovasc Prev Rehabil 2004; 11(3):216-222. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.hjr.0000131677.96762.0c
Stallknecht, B., Vissing, J., Galbo, H. Lactate production and clearance in exercise. Effects of training. A mini-review. Scand J Med Sci Sports 1998; 8(3):127-131. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0838.1998.tb00181.x
Stegmann, H., Kindermann, W., Schnabel, A. Lactate kinetics and individual anaerobic threshold. Int J Sports Med 1981; 2(3):160-165. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-2008-1034604
Weineck, J. Optimales Fußballtraining. 4. ed. Erlangen: Spitta, 1992.
Downloads
Statistics
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2012 Journal of Human Sport and Exercise

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Each author warrants that his or her submission to the Work is original and that he or she has full power to enter into this agreement. Neither this Work nor a similar work has been published elsewhere in any language nor shall be submitted for publication elsewhere while under consideration by JHSE. Each author also accepts that the JHSE will not be held legally responsible for any claims of compensation.
Authors wishing to include figures or text passages that have already been published elsewhere are required to obtain permission from the copyright holder(s) and to include evidence that such permission has been granted when submitting their papers. Any material received without such evidence will be assumed to originate from the authors.
Please include at the end of the acknowledgements a declaration that the experiments comply with the current laws of the country in which they were performed. The editors reserve the right to reject manuscripts that do not comply with the abovementioned requirements. The author(s) will be held responsible for false statements or failure to fulfill the above-mentioned requirements.
This title is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).
You are free to share, copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format. The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms under the following terms:
Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
NoDerivatives — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material.
No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
Notices:
You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation.
No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.
Transfer of Copyright
In consideration of JHSE’s publication of the Work, the authors hereby transfer, assign, and otherwise convey all copyright ownership worldwide, in all languages, and in all forms of media now or hereafter known, including electronic media such as CD-ROM, Internet, and Intranet, to JHSE. If JHSE should decide for any reason not to publish an author’s submission to the Work, JHSE shall give prompt notice of its decision to the corresponding author, this agreement shall terminate, and neither the author nor JHSE shall be under any further liability or obligation.
Each author certifies that he or she has no commercial associations (e.g., consultancies, stock ownership, equity interest, patent/licensing arrangements, etc.) that might pose a conflict of interest in connection with the submitted article, except as disclosed on a separate attachment. All funding sources supporting the Work and all institutional or corporate affiliations of the authors are acknowledged in a footnote in the Work.
Each author certifies that his or her institution has approved the protocol for any investigation involving humans or animals and that all experimentation was conducted in conformity with ethical and humane principles of research.
Competing Interests
Biomedical journals typically require authors and reviewers to declare if they have any competing interests with regard to their research.
JHSE require authors to agree to Copyright Notice as part of the submission process.