Asimakidis Nikolaos D, Bishop Chris, Beato Marco, Turner Anthony N
Faculty of Science and Technology, London Sport Institute, Middlesex University, London, UK.
Performance Department, Ipswich Town Football Club, Ipswich, UK.
Sports Med. 2025 Apr 12. doi: 10.1007/s40279-025-02188-4.
Soccer requires players to cover distances around 10-12 km, with numerous consecutive sprints throughout the 90-min game. As such, aerobic fitness and repeated sprint ability (RSA) are crucial physical qualities for the modern soccer player to cope with the demands of the game. However, a comprehensive and systematic search of aerobic fitness and RSA assessment procedures in elite soccer has yet to be conducted.
The aims of this systematic review were to (1) identify the tests and outcome variables used to assess aerobic fitness and RSA of elite male soccer players, (2) provide normative values for the most common tests of aerobic fitness and RSA across different playing levels, and (3) report the reliability values of these aerobic fitness and RSA tests.
A systematic review of the academic databases MEDLINE, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, and OVID for studies published until August 2023 was conducted, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Studies were eligible for inclusion if (1) they were original research studies, published in a peer-reviewed journal, and written in English language; (2) they had the primary aim of assessing aerobic fitness and/or RSA; (3) players were male and older than 17 years of age (i.e. mean age of the group); and (4) their playing level was defined as 'professional', 'international', or 'elite'.
For aerobic fitness testing, 124 studies and 35 different tests were identified. Of those, 26 tests (74%) were field-based, whereas only nine (26%) were laboratory-based tests. The incremental treadmill test to exhaustion was the most commonly used aerobic fitness assessment method (56 studies, 45%), with maximal oxygen consumption ( O) (mL/kg/min) being the most prevalent outcome variable (49 studies, 87%). The YYIR1 and YYIR2 were also commonly used tests, identified in 22 (18%) and ten studies (8%), respectively. The most frequently reported outcome variable in both tests was distance in metres, reported in 20 studies (91%) for YYIR1 and in all ten studies (100%) for YYIR2. For RSA testing, 27 studies and 18 different tests were identified. Substantial variability in the identified RSA testing protocols was observed in terms of direction (linear vs. multidirectional), sprint repetitions (6-15), sprint distance (20-40 m), type of recovery (active vs. passive), and recovery duration (10-30 s). The 6 × 40-m shuttle sprint protocol with a 180° change of direction and 20 s passive recovery was the most common RSA test, employed in eight studies (29%).
This systematic review provides a comprehensive overview of the testing methods used to assess aerobic fitness and RSA in elite male soccer players. A total of 35 different aerobic fitness tests and 18 RSA tests were identified, highlighting the diversity in methodologies used. The most prevalent aerobic test was the incremental treadmill testing to exhaustion, with a median O value of 58 mL/kg/min. Field-based tests were preferred due to their practicality, cost-efficiency, and ability to assess multiple athletes simultaneously. A substantial variability in RSA testing protocols was identified in terms of sprint directions, distances, repetitions, and recovery types. Future research should focus on establishing the diagnostic accuracy of the most commonly used aerobic fitness tests to inform their utility in practice and bridge the gap between current testing practices and optimal fitness evaluation.
足球运动要求球员在90分钟的比赛中跑动距离达到10 - 12公里，且有大量连续冲刺。因此，有氧适能和重复冲刺能力（RSA）是现代足球运动员应对比赛需求的关键身体素质。然而，尚未对精英足球运动员的有氧适能和RSA评估程序进行全面系统的研究。
本系统评价的目的是：（1）确定用于评估精英男性足球运动员有氧适能和RSA的测试及结果变量；（2）提供不同比赛水平下最常见的有氧适能和RSA测试的规范值；（3）报告这些有氧适能和RSA测试的可靠性值。
按照系统评价和Meta分析的首选报告项目（PRISMA）指南，对学术数据库MEDLINE、CINAHL、SPORTDiscus、Web of Science和OVID进行系统检索，纳入截至2023年8月发表的研究。纳入标准为：（1）为发表在同行评审期刊上的原创研究，且为英文撰写；（2）主要目的是评估有氧适能和/或RSA；（3）球员为男性且年龄大于17岁（即该组的平均年龄）；（4）其比赛水平定义为“职业”“国际”或“精英”。
对于有氧适能测试，共确定了124项研究和35种不同测试。其中，26项测试（74%）为基于场地的测试，而只有9项（26%）为基于实验室的测试。递增式力竭跑步机测试是最常用的有氧适能评估方法（56项研究，45%），最大摄氧量（ O）（毫升/千克/分钟）是最普遍的结果变量（49项研究，87%）。YYIR1和YYIR2也是常用测试，分别在22项（18%）和10项研究（8%）中被确定。这两项测试中最常报告的结果变量都是以米为单位的距离，YYIR1有20项研究（91%）报告了该变量，YYIR2的所有10项研究（100%）都报告了该变量。对于RSA测试，共确定了27项研究和18种不同测试。在所确定的RSA测试方案中，在方向（直线与多方向）、冲刺重复次数（6 - 15次）、冲刺距离（20 - 40米）、恢复类型（主动与被动）和恢复持续时间（10 - 30秒）方面存在很大差异。6次×40米往返冲刺测试，方向改变180°，被动恢复20秒，是最常见的RSA测试，8项研究（29%）采用了该测试。
本系统评价全面概述了用于评估精英男性足球运动员有氧适能和RSA的测试方法。共确定了35种不同的有氧适能测试和18种RSA测试，突出了所使用方法的多样性。最普遍的有氧测试是递增式力竭跑步机测试，中位数 O值为58毫升/千克/分钟。基于场地的测试因其实用性、成本效益以及能够同时评估多名运动员而更受青睐。在RSA测试方案中，在冲刺方向、距离、重复次数和恢复类型方面存在很大差异。未来的研究应侧重于确定最常用的有氧适能测试的诊断准确性，以指导其在实践中的应用，并弥合当前测试实践与最佳体能评估之间的差距。
