Prediction of Maximal Oxygen Uptake in Young Adult Women Joggers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the predictability of O₂ max from a 1.5-mi running performance of young adult women joggers. Twenty-one healthy women students (mean age: 20.1 years) underwent a continuous graded treadmill run to exhaustion. Heart rates were electrocardiographically monitored and oxygen uptake values were determined for each min of the test. In addition, a 1.5 mi run on an indoor 220-yd track was completed within five days of the treadmill test. When various correlation methods were employed, the results indicated that O₂ max, when expressed as m1/kg·min, provided the highest correlation (r = 0.915) with the running times for 1.5 mi. These data tended to indicate that body fat or body weight had little effect on the results. Thus, for young adult joggers, with no problem of excess body fat or weight, the 1.5-mi run tended to be a suitable distance for estimating cardiorespiratory endurance.