Describe the impact that aerobic exercise training has on one’s aerobic capacity (e.g.

VO2max).
Endurance exercise training results in profound adaptations of the cardiorespiratory and
neuromuscular systems that enhance the delivery of oxygen from the atmosphere to the
mitochondria and enable a tighter regulation of muscle metabolism. These adaptations effect
an improvement in endurance performance. It enables to exercise for longer at a given
absolute exercise intensity, or to exercise at a higher exercise intensity for a given duration.
Maximal oxygen uptake ( VO 2max)
Maximal oxygen uptake or, as it is commonly called, VO2max, is the maximum amount of
oxygen that your body consumes per minute during endurance exercise. VO2max is
important for Prolonged High-Intensity Intermittent Exercise as it is an important determinant
of the ability to sustain high-intensity exercise for longer than four to five minutes (McArdle
et al. 2001) . When volume of exercise is controlled, higher intensities of exercise are more
effective for improving VO2max than lower intensities of exercise in healthy, young adults.
A recent study by prominent Norwegian researchers examined the effect of aerobic training
on VO2max and soccer match performance (Helgerud et al. 2001) in 19 high-level youth
soccer players. Analysis results showed that the increased aerobic excercise
 increased work intensity during a game
 prevented a second-half reduction in work during the game
 doubled the number of sprints completed in a game
 allowed players to cover a greater distance during a game.
These findings demonstrate that an increased aerobic capacity offers significant performance
benefits in sports that require intermittent sprints over a longer period. Similar results have
also been observed for referees and officials (Castagna and D’Ottavio 2001; Krustrup and
Bangsbo 2001; Castagna, Abt and D’Ottavio 2002) . The combined results of these studies
show that:
 officials with higher aerobic fitness run further during a game
 fitter referees spend less time standing and walking during a match
 fitter referees are able to remain closer to ‘the play’ which most likely will improve
their ability to closely watch ‘the play’.
Taken together, the findings of these studies suggest that by improving aerobic capacity, the
distance covered during a game may be increased, athletes will be more involved in the game
and will be able to spend more time exercising at high intensity. Although the examples
provided come from research on soccer players and referees, the physiology of most team
sports is similar.
With regular aerobic exercise, blood flow to be smooth and speed up the disposal of
metabolic waste substances, so that recovery takes place rapidly, and the person with not
experience fatigue after performing the task, and still be able to perform other activities.
Benefits of aerobic exercise training is increased physical fitness (aerobic capacity).

1. http://www.ausport.gov.au/sportscoachmag/sports_sciences/training_aerobic_capacity
_for_improved_performance_in_team_sports
2. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/576846
3. http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/VO2max.html