Physiological Testing versus Performance Testing
For decades a debate has raged among athletes, coaches and physiologists. The debate has centered around one central point. "Why is he or she considered in better shape then me even though I ran (or biked longer or faster) than he or she did? I have witnessed this phenomenon at the professional level in the NHL, with the Women's Olympic soccer team , and at the division one college level.
Many teams, in an effort to better evaluate their players' fitness, turned to exercise physiologists to evaluate conditioning. This seems like a very logical process. Physiologists enter the picture and use the tools available to them to attempt to help coaches determine who is in the best shape. The most frequent tests used are VO2 Max and Blood lactate tests. The rationale from a physiologists standpoint is that the athlete with the highest V02 Max or the lowest lactate accumulations is the fittest player. Strangely enough in my experience physiological testing always seems to leave a bad taste in players mouths because the results don't seem to make sense to them.
I have often sympathized with the athletes and felt that the tests did not accurately measure sport fitness. In reality I have frequently told my athletes to disregard the results and focus on getting in playing shape.
A few definitions are needed to explain my thought process;
Physiological testing- a noncompetitive method of testing the ability of the system to produce energy with oxygen. Physiological testing has no verifiable relationship to any type of anaerobic performance and involves gas analysis done during steady state exercise. The most obvious example is the VO2 Max Test.
Performance testing- actual results on actual tests, incorporates the combined functions of the athletes physiological systems and mental systems. Performance testing allows athletes to use their mental abilities as well as their circulatory system. In performance tests the score is based on time and or distance.
Scoring fitness based on physiological performance rewards physiology over performance. All evaluations should be performance based as physiological testing has no demonstrated relationship to actual performance in any team sport.
I know the next big question. How do I know if someone is in shape? The answer, test them. Don't take a physiological measurement, test them. My friend Paul Robbins, an exercise testing expert, is fond of saying VO2 is a measure of what an athlete might do. In other words, VO2 indicates a high capability to produce energy aerobically. Even if we thought aerobic capacity was important ( I do not) we still are in the "might" category if we test VO2.
I had a former Boston University hockey player and current NHL defenseman who is one of the fittest athletes I have ever coached. In any performance related test ( 2 mile run, 300 Shuttle Run, 10/10 Treadmill test) we administered this athlete never placed out of the top three in a group of approximately twenty five athletes. However by conventional physiological testing standards the same athlete was out of shape. The athlete in question never posted an unusually high VO2 score. In fact at the beginning of our summer program in 2006 the player scored a 41 on a bike VO2 test. Why the discrepancy? Because the V02 test measures physiology not performance. What matters is performance. If I line two athletes up for a race, who will win? A performance-based method makes physiology only part of the equation. Performance testing adds in the intangibles like heart and desire. I can't tell you how many athletes I have coached who complained about being accused of being unfit and always had the same response. " So and so rode the bike half as long as I did and got a better score".
In 2006 I VO2 tested all of my BU hockey players and ran correlations to a number of performance tests including the 300 shuttle, 2 mile run, 10/10 treadmill test (described below) and a five mile time trial on the Schwinn AirDyne. There was no correlation to VO2 max scores. In fact, the athlete with the highest VO2 max (64 ml/kg) scored in the bottom 10% on all tests while the winner of three tests had a middle of the road score of 54 ml/kg.
The 10/10 Test
This is my favorite conditioning test for athletes as it tests conditioning and mental toughness. The problem is that the relatively high treadmill speed makes the test somewhat dangerous. Be careful. This test is not for non-athletes or for athletes who have not who have not done interval training on a treadmill.
To perform the test have the athlete begin running at 10 MPH and 10 % incline and run to exhaustion. Again be careful. The test terminates rapidly and athletes not familiar with treadmill running can potentially fall. Test scores will range from one minute ( deconditioned) to three minutes ( extremely rare)
Examples
Female Record- Tricia Dunn 3 time US Olympian in Women's Ice Hockey 1:45
Male Record - Kirk Miller Boston University Soccer
3:15
Hockey Record- Brian Collins BU
3:00
A safer modified test uses a speed of 7 MPH and begins with a 2% incline. The treadmill grade is raised 2% every minute until 10% after 10% the incline is raised one degree at a time. This test is safer as the speeds are slower. I first was exposed to this test via Strength Coach Ray Bear of the Atlanta Thrashers.
BU Record- 13% Incline ( 8 minutes)
The test also included a VO2 relationship chart although this is suspect at best.
10% = 52 VO2
11% = 54
12% = 56
13% = 58
*We have found huge discrepancies in estimated VO2 readings from test like this so we never use estimated figures.
The physiologists fascination with the VO2 Max reminds me of Billy Beane's quote in Moneyball "We're not selling jeans. Don't get me guys who look like baseball players, get me guys who can play baseball"
Often in team sports we seem to be trying to find sprinters by testing their ability to complete a marathon. For my tastes don't get a great physiological specimen, get me great competitor. If I want to know who is in the best shape I'll line everyone up and have a race. You pick the race. Decide what race matters most in your sport. The winner is in the best shape. Leave the guy with the white lab coat in the lab where he belongs.
