The purpose of physiological testing by coach Dave Williams

A note from the coach.

[Read his most recent interview here: Best Coaches Special]

Physiological testing can provide information regarding an athlete’s strengths and weaknesses in the chosen sport.  The chosen test should therefore be as sport specific as possible to glean the most accurate results. Physiological testing should be used to provide feedback to the athlete about the effectiveness of the training program. Physiological testing should also be used to educate the athlete about the physiology of exercise so that they may be more likely to make better decisions regarding their training and racing preparation.

In determining which physiological test to utilize the athlete/coach should consider the physiological variables to be tested and ensure that they are relevant to the sport. The test should also be repeated at specific intervals and measured against the training response.  Results can be instrumental in predicting race performance, adjusting training loads, and determining if the athlete is either undertraining or overtraining. 

Care should be given to measure the results against previous performances not to necessarily compare different athletes.

Knowledge of the various energy pathway contributions during an activity is the cornerstone of planning an effective conditioning program.  The athlete or coach should use the energy contribution required for a given sport and/or distance to allocate the appropriate amount of time devoted to training each energy system.

Endurance athletes typically fall within one of the following categories:

 a. A beginning athlete who is unconditioned typically requires general aerobic conditioning exercises with gradual increases in duration and intensity.

 b. A conditioned athlete who has not reached his/her VO2max potential will benefit more from a combination of each of the three [Interval Training, Low Intensity (Long Slow Distance), High Intensity (Continuous Exercise)] with the greatest percentage on increasing VO2 max.

      c. A conditioned athlete who is near his/her VO2 max potential but still has room to improve lactate threshold will typically benefit more from a combination of each of the three with the greatest percentage on improving lactate threshold.

Evidence suggests that training intensity, as opposed to duration, is the most important factor in improving VO₂ max, but not at the exclusion of your other training levels, including the long, slow distance.