Assessment of physical performance. Determination of maximum oxygen consumption.  Physical culture: Physical health and its criteria What does MPK mean?

If we talk about cyclic sports, then the traditional factors that determine sports performance include maximum oxygen consumption, anaerobic threshold and the efficiency of performing a particular task (running, swimming, rowing). You can learn a lot about the first two from physiology textbooks, and to a lesser extent about the concept and biological essence of economy. Plus, recently the old topic of oxygen consumption kinetics has been revived, and more and more attention is being paid to the so-called pacing (from the English pace - here: speed, tempo). Pacing is a strategy for distributing load intensity and forces during a competitive performance. The last two are not yet written about in textbooks; they belong to the category of “hot” topics in sports science and are now being actively studied. At best, detailed information about them will appear on the pages of textbooks in five years. So, the factors determining sports performance:

Maximum oxygen consumption,
- anaerobic threshold,
- efficiency,
- kinetics of oxygen consumption,
- pacing.

I'll start with something simple.

Maximum oxygen consumption (MPC, Vo2max).

When it comes to sports, Vo2max reflects the body's potential to produce energy through aerobic metabolism. “Aerobic” is one that occurs with a significant participation of oxygen. Aerobic metabolism is a more efficient way of producing energy than anaerobic (oxygen-free) metabolism, although both are closely interrelated.

Figuratively speaking, high oxygen consumption means more energy produced aerobically and, accordingly, better physical performance. The maximum value of this indicator depends on the ability of the lungs and circulatory system to transport oxygen and the muscles to use it.

The figure shows the proportional dependence of performance (running speed over a marathon distance) on MOC.

Vo2max as a value is measured either in absolute units, liters of oxygen absorbed per minute (l/min), or in relative ml/kg/min, where the indicator is calculated per kilogram of body weight per minute.

Also recently, the expression of maximum oxygen consumption using the allometric method, which takes into account the structure and composition of the body, has become increasingly widespread. The allometric method is much more accurate when monitoring the development of an athlete's aerobic abilities over the long term, when both body composition and constitution change over time. For example, when moving from youth to adult level.

The highest IPC values ​​were noted in the work of Swedish scientists with skiers. According to literature data, in unique cases, Vo2max was 7.48 l/min in absolute values. For example, Finnish cross-country skiing legend Juha Mieto's maximum oxygen consumption at the start of his international career in 1973 was 7.4 l/min and by the end of his career in 1985 it was 7.42 l/min.

The amount of maximum oxygen consumption depends on the development of the system for binding, transporting and using oxygen, which, in turn, consists of a number of links. Figure 2 shows in general terms the links of oxygen transfer and consumption in the body.

Conventionally, the oxygen transport chain can be divided into central and peripheral components. The central section includes the lungs, heart and circulatory system, and the peripheral section includes striated muscle tissue. In the central part, in turn, the following are separately distinguished: the thickness and volume of the wall of the left ventricle, the dilatation abilities of the myocardium, the volume of blood plasma and the mass of blood cells. In the peripheral part, the following are distinguished: the density of the capillary bed, the number and ratio of muscle fibers of different types, the volume of mitochondrial, oxidative enzymes and the concentration of myoglobin.

Although these components develop gradually over years of training, they have their own limits, a ceiling. There are no sufficiently voluminous studies on this topic, however, based on selective experiments, it can be argued that the Vo2max ceiling is achieved within 6-8 years of training.

The role of the influence of the training process on the final value of maximum oxygen consumption in the light of recent studies appears limited. Bushard and colleagues experimentally established that the same, individually selected physical activity aimed at developing aerobic abilities causes physiological responses of different magnitudes. The variation in the increase in maximum oxygen consumption over several months in the experimental group ranged from -3% to +20%. It should be emphasized that the load in the study was selected purely individually: taking into account the initial (basic) physical form of the subjects and in accordance with the latest ideas in the methodology of the training process. The results of this study once again indicate that the result largely depends on the hereditary predisposition to certain sports, and also emphasizes the relevance of research in the field of sports genetics and the use of these results in sports selection at the early stages.

In this context, speaking about skiers, at the moment only one fairly long experiment has been done, in which changes in physical performance indicators of Finnish youth team level skiers were observed over a period of 6.5 years in comparison with their peers from Norway. The observation began when the subjects were on average 16 years old, and at the end, their average age was 22 years. During the experiment, it turned out that the increase in performance is due to both the development of central and peripheral parts of the oxygen transport system. At the same time, the cavities of the heart muscle (an important component that determines how much blood the heart muscle will be able to pump in one contraction) developed and increased in the first three years of observation, in the age interval from 16 to 19 years, after which the heart muscle began to develop due to an increase in its thickness (affects the strength of myocardial contractions). At the end of the experiment, for some skiers, Vo2max growth leveled off and reached a plateau, and at the same time, the increase in cardiovascular system indicators slowed down.

In my opinion, one of the interesting facts noted in the study was that those skiers whose performance indicators (heart volumes, Vo2max, etc.) were quite high at the age of 16 continued to grow proportionately at the age of 16. further, still ahead of their peers. Those who lagged behind the average early in life maintained this difference at a later stage. This once again emphasizes the need for targeted talent search and selection in sports.
The sports performance of the subjects, with all this, progressed from year to year.

The graph shows that at the end of the curve, growth slows down and some begin to plateau, they have reached their ceiling. Looking at these data, you can’t help but wonder, for what reasons does anyone use doping in youth sports? Systematic training is the best dope. The increase in results is on average 2-5 ml/kg/min per year. By the way, the GDR, judging by the remaining research materials, gave steroid drugs specifically to athletes who had reached their plateau. I will write about this later, especially about the consequences of these steroids for the health of athletes after their careers. Unfortunately, in those days they did not yet know all the laws of development of sportsmanship, and there was no idea about economy in sports. This is a topic worthy of a separate post.

Vo2max reaching a plateau over years of systematic training has been noted in many endurance sports. In Martin's study of elite American runners training for the Olympic Games over a 2.5-year period, there was no change in VO2 max. Despite this, constant regular progress and an increase in sports results were recorded. A particular example of the world record holder in women's marathon running, Paula Radcliff, shows that she reached her maximum oxygen consumption ceiling of 70 ml/min/kg at the age of 18, after which her athletic performance increased due to the development of other qualities

The graph shows minor fluctuations in Vo2max, which are primarily related to the testing methodology and time.

Thus, a high level of maximum oxygen consumption is one of the prerequisites for an athlete to achieve a high competitive level, but does not predetermine his unconditional success. This pattern is particularly evident among elite athletes with high VO2 max but significant differences in athletic performance, which I will discuss later.

A question has arisen regarding VO2max. For elite cyclists this figure is very high, how can we achieve higher oxygen consumption? Are there any special workouts for developing VO2max? After all, the more oxygen I can consume, the faster I will go.

The topic of the IPC is very interesting and not so extensively described on this blog, I will correct it. The title of this post is very embellished, in the sense that I know very superficially about oxygen consumption to delve too deeply into this issue. I will now share this superficial knowledge with you.

To begin with, for those who don’t know - VO2max = IPC = Maximum oxygen consumption. From now on I will use the term IPC. MIC refers to the maximum amount of oxygen that the human body can use per unit of time. You can calculate the volume of MOC in ml/min; an ordinary healthy person, not an athlete, is able to consume 3 - 3.5 liters/min, while in athletes the MOC sometimes reaches 6 liters/min. It would be more correct to consider the MOC not in ml/min, but in ml/min/kg; in this calculation, the person’s weight will be taken into account, which can be very important, because if a 50-kilogram athlete has a MOC of X liters/min and he will be a high-class athlete, then for a 100-kilogram athlete X liters/min will no longer be enough to achieve the same results in his weight category. This is explained by the fact that the main consumer of oxygen in physical work is muscles. Of course, a “central” person has more muscles than his lightweight counterpart.

How does a person consume oxygen? Of course, the main source of oxygen is the air we inhale. The air contains about 21% oxygen, the value may vary. For example, the MIC in the mountains will be lower than in the lowlands. With each breath, oxygen enters the lungs, where it binds to the protein hemoglobin, which carries oxygen throughout the body through the bloodstream. Traveling throughout the body, hemoglobin brings oxygen to where it is needed - to the muscle fiber. The final consumer of oxygen is mitochondria; in the presence of fats or glucose nearby, the mitochondria destroys them (this process is impossible without the participation of oxygen) producing energy.

Now that we more or less understand what oxygen is needed for and how it is used in the body, we can ask the question: do we have enough oxygen, is oxygen the limiting factor in achieving the best athletic results? There is no definite answer for any person. If there are a lot of mitochondria, at the same time, the number of muscles simultaneously involved in the work is also large, and if these muscles are also large, then we can imagine a situation where there will not be enough oxygen. What to do in such a situation to increase MPC? There are two ways to increase MIC - increase hemoglobin, then it will be able to bind more oxygen to itself in one breath; the second option is to stretch the heart, increasing blood flow. In other words, either increase the concentration of hemoglobin in the blood, or the speed of its transportation.

Now, as for the IPC problems. For most, it is simply far-fetched; the average body provides itself with oxygen with a reserve. And here lies one gigantic misconception inherent in many athletes and amateurs. They believe that during intense work, when an athlete begins to breathe heavily, the heart is to blame, which is supposedly no longer able to provide his oxygen needs and they call this moment the moment of the onset of MPC, which is another deep misconception. The moment when an athlete begins to breathe heavily and his muscles begin to acidify is called the anaerobic threshold. This means that all the mitochondria of working muscles are already included in the work, there are no more “free” ones, at this moment the second method of energy generation is activated - anaerobic. The anaerobic method of energy generation does not require oxygen, however, a “side effect,” if you can call it that, during anaerobic energy generation is hydrogen ions. It is because of hydrogen ions that a person begins to breathe heavily, and not at all because he lacks oxygen or his heart cannot cope. The heart really starts to work like crazy, it can contract up to 200 beats/min. and more, but only because it tries to remove hydrogen ions, in the meantime the calcium pumps are blocked and the power quickly drops.

There are people with hearts: outstanding, ordinary and bad. An outstanding heart is a heart with a huge stroke volume, a poor heart is one with a very small stroke volume. A bad and outstanding heart is extremely rare. A person with an outstanding heart should choose a sport that works many muscles at once; its advantages lie in this niche: running, swimming, cross-country skiing, speed skating. Cycling is not one of those sports that requires an outstanding heart to achieve high results. Therefore, for runners, swimmers and others, if their MPC begins to limit them, it makes sense to change their sport to cycling, or some other sport where few muscles work at the same time.

Have I answered all the questions? In order not to miss anything, once again briefly: how to achieve greater IPC? - Stretch your heart, but if it does not limit you, then the activity is pointless, for the long term, you first get closer to it. Special training for MPC? - Again, stretching the heart. You can also train in the mountains to increase your hemoglobin levels. However, VO2max is just a bar, your limit of ability, up to which you need to work long and painstakingly on muscles and mitochondrial accumulation in order to achieve VO2 max at the anaerobic threshold.

Good evening, I’ve been wanting to post this for a long time, but only today I decided to do it.

MPC is the main indicator that reflects the functional capabilities of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems and physical condition in general, that is, aerobic capacity. This indicator (l/min, or rather ml/min/kg) or its energy equivalent (kJ/min, kcal/min) is one of the leading indicators in the assessment and grading of a person’s physical condition. Thus, submaximal exercise tests, which provide information about aerobic capacity, are an essential tool for assessing the functional state of the body. The MIC value depends on the gender, age, physical fitness of the subject and varies widely.

Maximum oxygen consumption (VO2 max) or VO2 max is the maximum ability of the human body to transport oxygen to the muscles and the further consumption of this oxygen by the muscles to obtain energy during exercise at maximum intensity. The better developed the cardiovascular and cardiorespiratory systems are, the greater the volume of blood circulates in the body. By increasing the volume of circulating blood, the number of oxygenated red blood cells that feed the muscles increases, and the plasma content necessary for energy production also increases. MOC is of great importance for an athlete; the higher the MOC value, the more energy the body is able to produce aerobically, and accordingly, the higher the speed that the athlete is able to maintain. There is a VO2 max limit set by genetics; if at the beginning of a training career an athlete is able to rapidly increase the VO2 max level, then later he will reach a PLATEAU and any increase in VO2 max will be an achievement.

Determination of maximum oxygen consumption

Maximum oxygen consumption depends on several indicators, namely:

· Maximum heart rate

The amount of blood that the left ventricle of the heart can pump into the artery in one beat

Proportion of oxygen extracted from the blood by muscles

Cooper test(K. Cooper). Cooper's 12-minute test involves covering the maximum possible distance by running in 12 minutes (on flat terrain, without ups and downs, usually in a stadium). The test is stopped if the subject has signs of overload (severe shortness of breath, tachyarrhythmia, dizziness, pain in the heart, etc.).

The test results are highly consistent with the MIC value determined during treadmill testing.

Depending on the value of BMD, taking into account age, K. Cooper (1970) distinguishes five categories of physical condition (very poor, poor, satisfactory, good, excellent). The gradation meets practical requirements and allows one to take into account the dynamics of the physical state when examining healthy people and people with minor functional impairments. K. Cooper's criteria for various categories of men's physical condition based on BMD are shown in the table.

The test makes it possible to determine the functional state of the athlete and those involved in physical education.

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Determination of maximum oxygen consumption - MOC. The physical capabilities of the body, its muscle performance, largely depend on oxygen consumption. The higher the body’s ability to use oxygen, the higher, under certain conditions, the body’s physical capabilities, its health and resistance to adverse environmental factors. MPC allows you to make an objective judgment about the functional state of the cardiorespiratory system and physical performance.

The value of MIC depends on various factors, but, above all, on the functional state of the external respiratory system, the diffusion capacity of the lungs and pulmonary circulation. In addition to these factors, hemodynamic parameters, the state of the oxygen capacity of the blood, the activity of enzymatic systems, the number of working muscles (at least two-thirds of the total muscle mass), as well as the entire regulatory system are of great importance. MIC is determined by direct or indirect, indirect methods.

Direct determination of MIC comes down to the subject performing work with increasing power while simultaneously determining the amount of oxygen absorption. The moment when, despite the increase in work power, the oxygen absorption figure stops increasing, indicates the achievement of MOC. Such a study should be carried out in a laboratory with appropriate ergometers and diagnostic equipment, as well as means of stopping the development of acute conditions.

Indirect determination of MIC. Since maximum loads are not indifferent to the body of the subject, especially during repeated studies, MPC is determined by performing moderate work with appropriate recalculation. In this case, it is assumed that there is a fairly strict linear relationship between heart rate and the amount of oxygen consumption during work and that MOC is achieved at a heart rate equal to 170-200 beats per minute.

Professor Astrand has developed a normogram for approximate determination of MOC based on heart rate during a single standard load on a bicycle ergometer or when performing a step test (the height of the step is 40 cm for men and 33 cm for women) lasting 5 minutes.

Table 3.10. Estimation of BMD in untrained healthy people

Thus, having performed a load during which the heart rate reaches 150-160 beats/min, you can use this normogram to determine the value of MOC.

Professor V.L. Karpman proposed calculating aerobic abilities using the formulas below.

MPC =1.7 * PWC170.+1240(for athletes);
MPC =2.2 * PWC170.+1070(for athletes who train for endurance),

Where MIC is expressed in ml/min, and PWC170 is expressed in kgm/min.

To compare the aerobic abilities of different individuals, relative MIC indicators are used, i.e. taking into account the body weight of the subject (MIC/body weight). On average, MOC in young untrained men is 44-51 ml/min/kg, in women - 3538 ml/min/kg.
The maximum oxygen consumption varies significantly among representatives of different sports. The average values ​​of this indicator are presented in table. 3.11.

Table 3.11. Maximum oxygen consumption (ml/kg/min) in qualified athletes

In addition, the determination of IPC can be carried out in conditions of natural sports activity. The most common of these tests are the KCooper running tests (12-minute and 1.5-mile -2.4 km). These tests are also recommended for use by people systematically involved in health-improving physical training or mass sports with a cyclic focus.

The advantage of these tests is their simplicity and accessibility, however, due to the fact that these tests require significant (almost maximum) stress on the main functional systems of the body, they should not be carried out without prior training, that is, without preparing the body for stress. For healthy, untrained individuals aged 30 years and older, training is required for at least 6 weeks. The results of K.Oooreg's running tests are assessed according to the tables proposed by the author, in which the time to cover a distance of 1.5 miles or the distance that the subject runs in 12 minutes corresponds to a certain level of MPC.

Table 3.12. The relationship between the results of the 12-minute test and the MOC according to K. Cooper

Table 3.13. Gradations of maximum aerobic capacity (functional classes) depending on the distance covered in 12 minutes (km) according to Cooper’s standard

Sakrut V.N., Kazakov V.N.

What determines a person’s physical health?

Human physical health is not only the absence of diseases, but also a certain level of physical fitness and functional state of the body. The main criterion for a person’s physical health should be considered his energy potential, i.e. the ability to consume energy from the environment, accumulate it and mobilize it to ensure physiological functions. The more energy the body can accumulate, and the more efficiently it is spent, the higher the level of physical health of a person. Since the share of aerobic (with the participation of oxygen) energy production is predominant in the total amount of energy metabolism, it is the maximum value of the aerobic capabilities of the body that is the main criterion for human physical health and vitality. It is known from physiology that the main indicator of the aerobic capacity of the body is the amount of oxygen consumed per unit of time (maximum oxygen consumption - MOC). Accordingly, the higher the Maximum Oxygen Consumption, the greater physical health a person has. To better understand this point, let's take a closer look at what Maximum Oxygen Consumption is and what it depends on.

What is maximum oxygen consumption (VO2)?

Maximum oxygen consumption (MOC) is the amount of oxygen that the body is able to absorb (consume) per unit of time (taken in 1 minute). This should not be confused with the amount of oxygen that a person inhales through the lungs, because... only some of this oxygen ultimately reaches the organs.

It is clear that the more the body is able to absorb oxygen, the more energy it produces, which is spent both on maintaining the internal needs of the body and on performing external work.

The question arises: is it really the amount of oxygen absorbed by the body per unit of time that is the factor that limits our performance and determines the level of human physical health? As strange as it may seem at first glance, this is exactly so.

Now we need to figure out what the value of maximum oxygen consumption (MOC) depends on. Since the mechanism of this process is the absorption of oxygen from the environment, its delivery to the organs and the consumption of oxygen by the organs themselves (mainly skeletal muscles), the maximum oxygen consumption (MOC) will depend mainly on two factors: the function of the oxygen transport system and the ability of skeletal muscles absorb incoming oxygen.

In turn, the oxygen transport system includes the external respiration system, the blood system and the cardiovascular system. Each of these systems contributes to the maximum oxygen consumption (MOC), and disruption of any link in this chain can immediately negatively affect the entire process.

The connection between the value of BMD and health status was first discovered by the American doctor Cooper. It showed that people with a maximum oxygen consumption level of 42 ml/min/kg and above do not suffer from chronic diseases and have blood pressure levels within normal limits. Moreover, a close relationship was established between the maximum oxygen consumption and risk factors for coronary heart disease: the higher the level of aerobic capacity (MOC), the better the blood pressure, cholesterol metabolism and body weight. The minimum limit value of maximum oxygen consumption for men is 42 ml/min/kg, for women – 35 ml/min/kg, which is designated as a safe level of human somatic health.

Depending on the MIC value, there are 5 levels of human physical health (table).

Level of physical health of a person	Value of Maximum Oxygen Consumption (MOC) (ml/min/kg)
	Age (years)
	20-29	30-39	40-49	50-59	60-69
Short	32	30	27	23	20
Below the average	32-37	30-35	27-31	23-28	20-26
Average	38-44	36-42	32-39	29-36	27-32
Above average	45-52	43-50	40-47	37-45	33-43
High	>52	>50	>47	>45	>43

To more accurately determine the level of physical condition, it is customary to evaluate it in relation to the proper values ​​of MIC (BMD), corresponding to the average normal values ​​for a given age and gender.

For men: DMPC=52-(0.25 x age),

For women: DMPC=44-(0.20 x age).

Knowing the proper value of maximum oxygen consumption (MOC) and its actual value, you can determine %DMOC:

%DMPK=MPK/DMPK x 100%

Determining the actual MIC value is possible in two ways:

1. Direct method (using a device - a gas analyzer)

2.Indirect method (using functional tests)

Determining the maximum oxygen consumption by the direct method is quite difficult and requires expensive equipment, so it is not widely used. Calculation of MIC by the indirect method has a small error, which can be neglected, but otherwise, it is a very accessible and informative method for assessing a person’s physical health, which makes it most used in various sports and health institutions and rehabilitation centers.

To determine maximum oxygen consumption by an indirect method, the PWC170 test, which determines a person’s physical performance, is most often used.

Looking ahead a little, let's write a formula for calculating the MIC when using the PWC170 test:

MPC=(1.7 x PWC170 + 1240) / weight (kg)