Validity and Reliability of an On-Court Fitness Test for Assessing and Monitoring Aerobic Fitness in Squash

This study investigated the validity and reliability of a squash-specific fitness test which can yield both a standalone performance score, as well as pertinent physiological markers such as VO2max, the lactate turnpoint and oxygen cost, in a sport-specific environment. Eight national squash players completed 3 tests in a counterbalanced order: an incremental laboratory treadmill test (LAB) and 2 on-court fitness tests (STs) that involved repeated shuttle runs at increasing speeds. VO2max during ST was agreeable with LAB (typical error [TE] = 3.3 ml·kg−1·min−1, r = 0.79). The mean bias between LAB and ST was 2.5 ml·kg−1·min−1. There were no differences in maximum heart rate, postexercise blood lactate concentration, or end of test rating of perceived exertion between LAB and ST (p> 0.05). The ST was highly reliable, with 74 (10) laps completed in ST1 and 75 (12) laps in ST2 (mean bias = 1 lap, TE = 3 laps, r = 0.97). Physiological markers were also reliable, including VO2max, (TE = 1.5 ml·kg−1·min−1, r = 0.95), the lap number at 4 mMol−1 (TE = 4 laps, r = 0.77), and average VO2 across the first 4 stages (TE = 0.94 ml·kg−1·min−1, r = 0.95). We observed good agreement between LAB and ST for assessing VO2max and between both on-court trials for assessing test performance and selected physiological markers. Consequently, we recommend this test for monitoring training adaptations and prescribing individualized training in elite squash players.
Source: Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research - Category: Sports Medicine Tags: Original Research Source Type: research