How can physiological testing help athletes and coaches? [1]

Before discussing the benefits of testing athletes in the laboratory it should be noted that no laboratory test can predict with 100% accuracy how an athlete will perform in the field (although several laboratory tests correlate well with actual performance measures). So what are the benefits of laboratory testing relative to field tests?

While assessing an athlete's performance in the field would provide a better assessment of performance abilities, it is usually not possible to address individual physiological attributes that influence performance. Thus, one major benefit of laboratory tests are that they allow us to better isolate specific components related to performance. For example, two 1,500m runners could have the same performance, but achieve this same level of performance for different reasons. A 1,500m race requires a great deal of aerobic and anaerobic energy production. Thus, one runner may have a great aerobic capacity, the other a great anaerobic capacity. Therefore, improvements in 1,500m performance in these two athletes may require different training strategies.

What appropriate physiological testing and test interpretation can do:

· Isolate specific physiological variables that influence performance

· Identify an athlete's physiological strengths and weaknesses

o Allows athletes and coaches to make informed decisions about how training can be modified

o Repeat testing allows athletes and coaches to monitor the effectiveness of training

o Allows athletes and coaches to better individualize training

· Provide baseline data for determining appropriate prescription of exercise

· May provide insight into the athlete's health status

o Disease

o Injury

o Overtraining

o Fatigue

· Physiological testing can serve as a basis of educating athletes and coaches

o Allows coaches and athletes to better understand what they are working with

o Helps athletes and coaches better understand the demands of their sport

o Correct misconceptions when necessary

What physiological testing can not do:

· It can not predict gold medal performances.

· It can not precisely simulate field tests or actual performance.

o Allows coaches and athletes to better understand what they are working with

Physiological testing should be used as a training aid. It should be noted that physiology is only one piece of the exercise performance puzzle – exercise performance at the highest levels of competition are also dependent upon

· Psychology and motivation

· Genetics

· Biomechanics

· Health (and injuries)

1. JD MacDougall, HA Wenger, H Green, eds.: Physiological Testing of the High-Performance Athlete, 2nd Ed., 2nd edn. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics; 1991.