Can a submaximal exercise test predict peak exercise performance in dancers?

Professional dancers are artistic athletes who require high aerobic conditioning to perform at their best. Moreover, high aerobic conditioning may control overtraining and prevent injuries. A submaximal exercise test that is easy to administer and allows prediction of maximal oxygen consumption in dancers would be a powerful tool for coaches, physiotherapists, and sports medicine physicians to screen physical fitness and evaluate the effects of aerobic exercise training. In the present study, the values recorded for a submaximal exercise test called the Aerobic Power Index were compared with peak aerobic power values in 44 dance students. The Aerobic Power Index proved to be an acceptable submaximal field test for evaluating aerobic power and predicting peak oxygen consumption in dancers.