Longitudinal study of aerobic power in superior junior athletes.

The effects of endurance training on aerobic power, and the relationship between aerobic power and running performance were investigated in 11 junior runners over a period of 5-to-7 years, starting from the age of 14. Aerobic power was measured using treadmill running and a protocol that involved increasing speed. The six subjects who comprised group I were those who continued competitive training, while the five in group II had stopped training by the age of 18. The subjects in group I demonstrated greater aerobic power (l x min-1) and better running performance than those in group II. Aerobic power for group I increased from 3.54 l x min-1 (65.4 ml x kg-1 x min-1) to 4.49 l x min-1 (75.5 ml x kg-1 x min-1) between the ages of 14.8 and 18.8 yr. The increase in l x min-1 and ml x kg-1 x min-1 was statistically significant (p less than 0.01, p less than 0.05). The greatest aerobic power found in subject A corresponds to the data from world-class runners: 3.63 l x min-1 (61.5 ml x kg-1 x min-1) at age 14.7 yr; 4.67 l x min-1 (74.6 ml x kg-1 x min-1) at 17.8 yr; and 5.04 l x min-1 (76.3 ml x kg-1 x min-1) at 20.7 yr. After their training was discontinued, aerobic power for those in group II decreased to the level of ordinary schoolboys. Improvement in running performance was closely related to the increase of aerobic power in l x min-1. Superior running performance seems to be associated with high aerobic power in l x min-1, rather than in ml x kg-1 x min-1 for junior runners.