The 20mMSFT is a popular field test which is used among athletes of all levels, from children to elite athletes. The multi-stage 20-m shuttle run fitness test (20mMSFT) was developed by Léger and Lambert (1982) and it has been used widely since its introduction. Consequently, there is a demand for quick, inexpensive and valid field tests that can provide a reasonable estimate of VO 2max. The direct measurements of VO 2max and vVO 2max in a laboratory are time consuming (only one subject at a time) and require relatively expensive equipment, trained personnel and may not be appropriate for some applications. vVO 2max is directly measured within a laboratory based test during which running speed increases gradually until the athlete reaches VO 2max ( Billat and Koralsztein, 1996). Thus, vVO 2max can be very useful for the determination of the intensity of training programs. Maximizing vVO 2max through training will increase the running speeds which correspond to a given percentage of VO 2max and will improve performance since athletes tend to use similar percentages of VO 2max for a given exercise duration ( Jones and Carter, 2000). Additionally, it seems that vVO 2max is the minimum speed required to elicit athlete’s VO 2max, and it is necessary to train at this speed in order to improve VO 2max and thus aerobic capacity ( Billat, 2001 Billat and Koralsztein, 1996 Billat et al., 2000 Hill and Rowell, 1997 Jones and Carter, 2000). Compared to VO 2max, vVO 2max is a better predictor for middle and long-distance running performance ( Noakes et al., 1990) and it has been reported that it should be used to monitor athletes’ training and to determine optimal training intensity for distance runners ( Billat and Koralsztein, 1996 Billat et al., 2000 Laursen and Jenkins, 2002 Smith et al., 1999).
However, the velocity at which VO 2max occurs (vVO 2max) is a better indicator of performance than VO 2max, as it effectively combines both VO 2max and running economy in one term ( di Prampero et al., 1986) and can also be used to explain inter-individual differences in performance that VO 2max or running economy alone cannot ( Billat and Koralsztein, 1996 Billat et al., 2000 Jones and Carter, 2000). Maximal oxygen uptake (VO 2max) has been characterized as an important indicator for success in distance running performance as well as for health ( Astrand and Saltin, 1967 Hamlin et al., 2012 Noakes et al., 1990). The predicted vVO 2max can be used in monitoring athletes, especially in determining optimal training intensity. It can be concluded that the 20mMSFT can accurately predict VO 2max and vVO 2max and this field test can provide useful information regarding aerobic fitness of adults. The equation for prediction of VO 2max was y = 0.0276x + 27.504, whereas for vVO 2max it was y = 0.0937x + 6.890. The results revealed significant correlations between the number of shuttles in the 20mMSFT and directly determined VO 2max (r = 0.87, p<0.05) and vVO 2max (r = 0.93, p<0.05).
Forty eight (25 male and 23 female) physical education students performed, in random order, a laboratory based continuous horizontal treadmill test to determine VO 2max, vVO 2max and a 20mMST, with an interval of 3 days between each test. This study investigated the validity and suitability of predicting VO 2max and vVO 2max of adult subjects on the basis of the performance of the 20mMST.
It has been reported as a better predictor for running performance and it can be used to monitor athletes’ training for predicting optimal training intensity. However, the velocity at which VO 2max occurs (vVO 2max) is a better indicator of performance than VO 2max, and can be used to explain inter-individual differences in performance that VO 2max cannot. The multi-stage 20-m shuttle run fitness test (20mMSFT) is a popular field test which is widely used to measure aerobic fitness by predicting maximum oxygen uptake (VO 2max) and performance.