Appropriate interpretation of aerobic capacity: allometric scaling in adult and young soccer players

Abstract

Compared with the youth soccer players, VO2max in the seniors was underestimated and running economy overestimated when expressed traditionally as ml/lbm/min. The study clearly shows the pitfalls in previous studies when aerobic capacity was evaluated in subjects with different body mass. It further shows that the use of scaling procedures can affect the evaluation of, and the resultant training programme to improve, aerobic capacity.