Oxygen consumption of under-20 players during the preseason

Football is a worldwide popular sport modality that requires a player to have a special set of skills and a high demand on aerobic and anaerobic energy metabolism. Because of match duration, this modality is mostly reliant on the aerobic system, so the majority of studies refers to the VO(2)max as it best represents the body's capacity to uptake, deliver and metabolize oxygen in energy production during muscle contractions. Given the importance of the VO(2)max to football, the present study aimed to verify the effects of a 7-week pre-season period on the VO2 max of juvenile football players. The sample was composed by 17 juvenile male athletes who were submitted to the Yo-yo Intermittent Recovery Level 1 before and after the pre-season. From the results of the present study, we conclude that after 7 weeks of pre-season the VO(2)max was increased in 15,8%. This value can be used by fitness coaches to estimate the necessary amount of time to attain the goals in VO(2)max in a pre-season.