The Influence of Aerobic Power on Repeated Anaerobic Exercise in Junior Soccer Players

The main purpose of the present study is to investigate the relationship between anaerobic power achieved in repeated anaerobic exercise and aerobic power. The study group consisted of 40 soccer players (age 17.3 +/- 1.36 years). All participants performed 3 tests: a running-based anaerobic sprint test (RAST), a graded treadmill test (GXT), and a multistage fitness test (20mPST). A statistically significant correlation was found among peak power in the GXT and the maximum (r = 0.365, p=0.02), minimum (r=0.334, p=0.035) and average (r=0.401, p=0.01) power in the RAST. No relationships were found between VO(2max) obtained from both aerobic tests and any performance indices in the RAST. A statistically significant correlation was found between the VO(2max) obtained from the spiroergometry examination (GXT) and the calculated VO(2max) of 20mPST (r=0.382, p=0.015). In conclusion, the level of VO(2max) does not influence the performance indices in the RAST in elite junior soccer players. It is possible that the modification of anaerobic test protocol or a more heterogeneous study group would influence the results. The estimation of the VO(2max) in the 20mPST is too inaccurate and should not replace the laboratory spiroergometry examination.