Assessment of Cardio Respiratory Fitness of Trained and Non-Trained Young Adult Males

Abstract

Background: Cardio respiratory fitness in terms of maximum oxygen uptake (VO₂ max) reflects the physical fitness of a person. VO₂max determines the capacity of an individual to perform sustained exercise. The present study is to assess and compare the cardiorespiratory fitness in terms of VO₂ max between trained and untrained subjects.

Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 30 young adult males undergoing physical training for more than 3 months to join British army and age-sex matched 30 non-trained controls. VO₂max was estimated indirectly by following the protocol of Queen’s College Step Test (QCT) method.

Results: VO₂ max was found significantly higher in the trained males as compared to non-trained group (68.91± 4.42 vs. 50.31±4.80; p=0.02). On comparison of VO₂ max of our subjects with the standard VO₂ max classification, our trained and non-trained groups fitted into the category of high and average on cardiorespiratory fitness scale respectively.

Conclusion: Physical training improves cardio respiratory fitness by increasing VO₂ max.