Submaximal Fitness Tests in Team Sports: A Theoretical Framework for Evaluating Physiological State
Open Access
- 11 July 2022
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Sports Medicine
- Vol. 52 (11), 2605-2626
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-022-01712-0
Abstract
Team-sports staff often administer non-exhaustive exercise assessments with a view to evaluating physiological state, to inform decision making on athlete management (e.g., future training or recovery). Submaximal fitness tests have become prominent in team-sports settings for observing responses to a standardized physical stimulus, likely because of their time-efficient nature, relative ease of administration, and physiological rationale. It is evident, however, that many variations of submaximal fitness test characteristics, response measures, and monitoring purposes exist. The aim of this scoping review is to provide a theoretical framework of submaximal fitness tests and a detailed summary of their use as proxy indicators of training effects in team sports. Using a review of the literature stemming from a systematic search strategy, we identified five distinct submaximal fitness test protocols characterized in their combinations of exercise regimen (continuous or intermittent) and the progression of exercise intensity (fixed, incremental, or variable). Heart rate-derived indices were the most studied outcome measures in submaximal fitness tests and included exercise (exercise heart rate) and recovery (heart rate recovery and vagal-related heart rate variability) responses. Despite the disparity between studies, these measures appear more relevant to detect positive chronic endurance-oriented training effects, whereas their role in detecting negative transient effects associated with variations in autonomic nervous system function is not yet clear. Subjective outcome measures such as ratings of perceived exertion were less common in team sports, but their potential utility when collected alongside objective measures (e.g., exercise heart rate) has been advocated. Mechanical outcome measures either included global positioning system-derived locomotor outputs such as distance covered, primarily during standardized training drills (e.g., small-sided games) to monitor exercise performance, or responses derived from inertial measurement units to make inferences about lower limb neuromuscular function. Whilst there is an emerging interest regarding the utility of these mechanical measures, their measurement properties and underpinning mechanisms are yet to be fully established. Here, we provide a deeper synthesis of the available literature, culminating with evidence-based practical recommendations and directions for future research.Keywords
Funding Information
- Western Sydney University
This publication has 173 references indexed in Scilit:
- Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test performances within an entire football league during a full seasonJournal of Sports Sciences, 2013
- A Field-Test Battery for Elite, Young Soccer PlayersInternational Journal of Sports Medicine, 2012
- The Use of Ratios and Percentage Changes in Sports Medicine: Time for a Rethink?·International Journal of Sports Medicine, 2012
- Is an elevated submaximal heart rate associated with psychomotor slowness in young elite soccer players?European Journal of Sport Science, 2012
- Changes in perceived stress and recovery in overreached young elite soccer playersScandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 2010
- Aerobic Conditioning for Team Sport AthletesSports Medicine, 2009
- A novel submaximal cycle test to monitor fatigue and predict cycling performanceBritish Journal of Sports Medicine, 2009
- Criterion-related validity of the Borg ratings of perceived exertion scale in healthy individuals: a meta-analysisJournal of Sports Sciences, 2002
- Maximal oxygen intake and nomographic assessment of functional aerobic impairment in cardiovascular diseaseAmerican Heart Journal, 1973
- VARIABILITY OF RESPIRATORY AND CIRCULATORY PERFORMANCE DURING STANDARDIZED EXERCISE 1JCI Insight, 1949