A Submaximal Field Test of Aerobic Capacity does not Accurately Reflect VO2max in Career Firefighters

Davis Hale; Roger Kollock; Jacob Thomas; Gabe Sanders; Will Peveler; Andrew Mangan; Blake Landon

A Submaximal Field Test of Aerobic Capacity does not Accurately Reflect VO_2max in Career Firefighters

Int J Exerc Sci. 2022 Jan 1;15(4):221-230. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Davis Hale¹, Roger Kollock¹, Jacob Thomas¹, Gabe Sanders², Will Peveler³, Andrew Mangan⁴, Blake Landon⁵

Affiliations

¹ The University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, USA.
² University of Northern Kentucky, Highland Heights KY, USA.
³ Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA, USA.
⁴ The University of Arkansas Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA.
⁵ Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences at Cherokee Nation, Tahlequah, OK, USA.

PMID: 36895840
PMCID: PMC9987424

Abstract

Adequate aerobic capacity is crucial to maintaining firefighter safety. The purpose of this study was to compare predicted VO_2max scores from a submaximal and maximal step test. Eighteen career male firefighters from a medium sized urban municipality completed both a submaximal Forestry step test and a maximal laboratory WFI step test. A lack of association (p = .017) and low level of agreement (p = .015) was determined between step test protocols producing a mean bias of ± 5.61 mL.kg-1/min-1 with most scores being overestimated. Use of the Forestry step test to predict true VO_2max in firefighters should be used with caution when classifying firefighter fitness.

Keywords: Cardiorespiratory capacity; VO2; step test.