Abstract

Sport scientists have been studying adaptations to maximal cardiorespiratory effort for decades. A plateau of the oxygen uptake (2plVO•) nearby the maximal effort, which means that the 2VO• stops to increase despite the workload progress, is one of these interesting physiological responses. Although the 2plVO• raises a great interest, this phenomenon is not observed in a large number of Graduate Exercise Tests. It might occur because of the 2VO• kinetics, biological characteristic of the tested individuals, exercise protocols and 2plVO• cutoff criteria. Therefore, this lack of methodological standards has provoked a non-consensual approaching about the plateau occurrence. Thus, new studies in which a better control of those variables occurs must be done, in order to understand this complex phenomenon.

Keywords: Aerobic capacity; Maximal oxygen consumption; Cardiovascular health; 2maxVO

Abbreviations: FR: Front Row; SR: Second Row; BR: Back Row; HB: Half Back; C: Centre; B3: Back Three; D: Distance per Minute; HSR: High Speed Running per Minute; MV: Maximum Velocity; AZ4, AZ5 AZ6, DZ4, DZ5, DZ6: Accelerations/Decelerations in Zones 4, 5 and 6; COL: Collisions; SP: Sprints; BC: Total Ball Carries; PASS: Passes; TA: Tackle Attempts; RUCK: Ruck Involvements; MAUL: Maul Involvements; PEN: Penalties; WCSD: Worst Case Scenario Distance; WCSHSR: Worst Case Scenario High-Speed Running