School of Health Sciences, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Newcastle Falcons Rugby Club, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
Sports Med. 2022 Nov;52(11):2605-2626. doi: 10.1007/s40279-022-01712-0. Epub 2022 Jul 11.
Team-sports staff often administer non-exhaustive exercise assessments with a view to evaluating physiological state, to inform decision making on athlete management (e.g., future training or recovery). Submaximal fitness tests have become prominent in team-sports settings for observing responses to a standardized physical stimulus, likely because of their time-efficient nature, relative ease of administration, and physiological rationale. It is evident, however, that many variations of submaximal fitness test characteristics, response measures, and monitoring purposes exist. The aim of this scoping review is to provide a theoretical framework of submaximal fitness tests and a detailed summary of their use as proxy indicators of training effects in team sports. Using a review of the literature stemming from a systematic search strategy, we identified five distinct submaximal fitness test protocols characterized in their combinations of exercise regimen (continuous or intermittent) and the progression of exercise intensity (fixed, incremental, or variable). Heart rate-derived indices were the most studied outcome measures in submaximal fitness tests and included exercise (exercise heart rate) and recovery (heart rate recovery and vagal-related heart rate variability) responses. Despite the disparity between studies, these measures appear more relevant to detect positive chronic endurance-oriented training effects, whereas their role in detecting negative transient effects associated with variations in autonomic nervous system function is not yet clear. Subjective outcome measures such as ratings of perceived exertion were less common in team sports, but their potential utility when collected alongside objective measures (e.g., exercise heart rate) has been advocated. Mechanical outcome measures either included global positioning system-derived locomotor outputs such as distance covered, primarily during standardized training drills (e.g., small-sided games) to monitor exercise performance, or responses derived from inertial measurement units to make inferences about lower limb neuromuscular function. Whilst there is an emerging interest regarding the utility of these mechanical measures, their measurement properties and underpinning mechanisms are yet to be fully established. Here, we provide a deeper synthesis of the available literature, culminating with evidence-based practical recommendations and directions for future research.
团队运动的工作人员经常进行非详尽的运动评估，以评估生理状态，为运动员管理做出决策（例如，未来的训练或恢复）。亚最大健身测试在团队运动环境中变得突出，因为它们可以观察到对标准化身体刺激的反应，这可能是因为它们具有高效的性质、相对容易管理和生理学原理。然而，显然存在许多亚最大健身测试特征、反应措施和监测目的的变化。本综述的目的是提供亚最大健身测试的理论框架，并详细总结它们作为团队运动训练效果替代指标的使用情况。使用源于系统搜索策略的文献综述，我们确定了五个不同的亚最大健身测试方案，其特征在于运动方案（连续或间歇）和运动强度的进展（固定、递增或可变）的组合。心率衍生指标是亚最大健身测试中研究最多的结果测量指标，包括运动（运动心率）和恢复（心率恢复和与迷走神经相关的心率变异性）反应。尽管研究之间存在差异，但这些措施似乎更能检测到积极的慢性耐力训练效果，而它们在检测与自主神经系统功能变化相关的负面瞬态效果方面的作用尚不清楚。主观结果测量指标，如感知用力等级，在团队运动中较少见，但当与客观测量指标（例如，运动心率）一起收集时，它们的潜在效用已得到提倡。机械结果测量指标包括源自全球定位系统的运动输出，例如距离覆盖范围，主要在标准化训练演练（例如，小场比赛）中进行，以监测运动表现，或从惯性测量单元得出的响应，以推断下肢神经肌肉功能。虽然人们对这些机械测量指标的效用越来越感兴趣，但它们的测量特性和基础机制尚未完全确定。在这里，我们提供了对现有文献的更深入综合，最终提出了基于证据的实用建议和未来研究方向。
