Abstract

The ventilatory threshold (VT) was determined on a treadmill in highly trained male marathon, male and female longdistance, young male long-distance, adult male and female and young female middle-distance runners, modern pentathlonists, adult canoeists of both sexes, young male canoeists and football players, and on a bicycle ergometer in table tennis players, water slalom paddlers, young female canoeists rowers, and ice hockey players. Young female canoeists were also examined on the paddling ergometer and rowers on the rowing ergometer. VT expressed in V02 max was higher the longer the duration of racing performance (in marathoners 86.7). V02max at the VT level depends on the type of load and is higher the better the organism is adapted to a load. In young female canoeists and rowers examined on the bicycle ergometer, we found the VT level at 74.2 and 74.6 of V02max, respectively. In the case of specific loading, we recorded 84.8 and 85.0 of V02max, respectively, in the same athletes. In the case of nonspecific loading highly trained individuals may have low VT values close to the level characteristic for normal subjects. In relatively equally trained young and adult athletes, we did not find significant differences in V02max at the VT level. Similarly, there were no significant differences in V02 max at the VT level in relatively equally trained males and females. By the determination of the VT and especially by an interpretation we must take into account, besides the protocol and methods of determination of VT, the duration of the competition and thus also, the type of training process and the specificity of load used. Verf.-Referat