Cardiorespiratory and Body Composition Measurements of a Select Group of High School Football Players

Abstract

Twenty-seven members of the 1970 Big 33 football team in Pennsyvania participated in a progressive work test on a treadmill designed to assess their work capacity as well as their capacity to deliver oxygen to working muscle. All were recent high school graduates. Anthropometric measurements revealed that interior linemen and linebackers were physically larger and possessed more body fat than backs and ends. Average aerobic capacity (maximal oxygen intake) for all players was approximately 50 ml/kg/min, an average regarded as relatively low, particularly for the backs and ends who consistently participated in run and pass plays. The relatively moderate level of work and aerobic capacity observed for these athletes is a reflection of their conditioning regimen which consisted mainly of weight training and sprint running, with little emphasis on development of cardiorespiratory endurance.