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

Abstract

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 wi...