Maximal Oxygen Intake, Endurance Running Performance, and Body Composition in College Women

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to determine the validity of Cooper's 12-min. endurance run test in 36 college women using max VO₂ as the criterion of validity. Max VO₂ was measured using the Balke treadmill test (mean = 2.29 L/min; 38.9 ml/kg/min). Percent body fat (mean = 21.8%) and lean body weight (mean = 45.0 kg.) were also determined in 17 women from body density measurements (underwater weighing). A significant correlation of r = .67 was obtained between the endurance run and max VO₂ (ml/kg/min), which increased to r = .71 when the correlation was corrected for attenuation from test unreliability in max VO₂ (r ₁₁ = .95) and the run (r ₂₂ = .78). One standard error for predicting max VO₂ from the run scores was within ± 9% (3.4 ml/kg) and ± 13% (299 ml/min) of predicted values, respectively. Cooper's regression equation to predict max VO₂ from the run scores in men underestimated the average max VO₂ in women by 18%. Lean body weight correlated r = .49 with the run scores and r = .76 with max VO₂ (L/min); percent fat correlated r = -.55 with the run. The partial correlation between max VO₂ and the endurance run, with the influence of lean body weight held statistically constant, was r_12.3 = .35. Body weight was not correlated with running performance (r = .04). It was concluded that the Cooper 12-min. run test in the sample studied was not a good predictor of individual differences in max VO₂ since 50% of the variance in max VO₂ was unexplained by a knowledge of run scores.