Direct Versus Indirect Submaximal VO₂max Assessment in Masters Basketball Players

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Exercise Physiology
• Gerontology

Background:

• Accurate aerobic capacity assessment is crucial for performance monitoring in masters athletes, especially in team sports.
• Maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) is a key indicator of aerobic fitness.
• Masters athletes represent a growing and distinct population requiring specific fitness assessment considerations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the validity and agreement of three indirect VO2max protocols against cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) in masters basketball players.
• To compare the Åstrand-Ryhming, YMCA, and Polar OwnIndex Fitness tests for estimating VO2max.
• To determine the most suitable indirect method for assessing aerobic capacity in this demographic.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 50 male masters basketball players (aged 51-81 years).
• Direct VO2max measurement using CPET served as the gold standard.
• Indirect VO2max estimation via Åstrand-Ryhming, YMCA, and Polar OwnIndex tests, with statistical analysis of validity and agreement (correlation, error metrics, Bland-Altman plots).

Main Results:

• The Åstrand-Ryhming and YMCA tests demonstrated acceptable validity and agreement with CPET, showing low systematic error (<4%) and mean absolute error (≈17-18%).
• Pearson correlations (r) for Åstrand-Ryhming and YMCA were above 0.50, with the Åstrand-Ryhming test at low workload showing the strongest correlation (r=0.75).
• The Polar OwnIndex test significantly overestimated VO2max, with a mean error of ≈30% and MAE of 32%.

Conclusions:

• The Åstrand-Ryhming and YMCA submaximal tests are valid and practical alternatives to CPET for estimating VO2max in masters basketball players.
• The Polar OwnIndex test is not recommended for this population due to significant overestimation and poor agreement.
• Submaximal cycling protocols can effectively support fitness monitoring and training prescription for older athletes.