Physiological responses during arm and leg aerobic power tests in elite female judokas

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare physiological responses during arm and leg aerobic power tests. Ten elite female judokas of the Serbian National Team participated in the study. In addition to the Special Judo Fitness Test (SJFT), maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) and anaerobic threshold (AT) were determined using an arm crank ergometer and a treadmill. Body fat percentage was estimated by bio-impedance. The VO2max was only 3 ml∙kg–1∙min–1 higher on the treadmill than in the arm crank (p<0.03), the AT was also higher on the treadmill test (8.6 l∙min– 1, p=0.005). Nevertheless, the SJFT results were significantly correlated only with the maximal heart rate during the treadmill test (r=0.77, p<0.01 for index; r=-0.73, p<0.02 for total throws). Body fat percentage was correlated with VO2max (r=-0.67, p<0.05) and AT in the arm crank test (r=-0.88, p=0.001). The maximal oxygen uptake was not statistically correlated with the SJFT results in elite female judokas. However, judokas who had higher maximal heart rate during the treadmill test, showed a worse judo-specific capacity on the SJFT. Female judokas with higher body fat seem to have lower VO2max and AT, with statistically significant correlations in the arm crank, and close to significance on the treadmill. On the other hand, arm crank and treadmill tests presented different results concerning aerobic capacity. However, our female judokas interestingly presented similar VO2max results during both aerobic tests, which highlights some judo-specific demands on the upper-body aerobic fitness.

Keywords

• arm crank
• treadmill
• anaerobic threshold