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Fitness Testing > Tests > Aerobic Endurance > About
ENDURANCE TESTS: the Aerobic Energy System
Cardiovascular endurance, or aerobic fitness, is the ability
to exercise continuously for extended periods without tiring,
and is an important component of many sporting activities.
A person's aerobic fitness level is dependent upon the amount of oxygen which can be transported by the body to the working muscles, and the efficiency of the muscles to use that oxygen.
The best test for aerobic fitness is the maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) test. As this test can be expensive and time consuming, many other simpler tests have been designed to predict a VO2max score. The many tests for aerobic fitness can be divided into either maximal or submaximal tests.
Stressing the body by exercising to exhaustion, as in the maximal tests, is sometimes not appropriate, therefore the submaximal tests which are less demanding (and also usually less accurate) can be used.
Related Pages
- List of aerobic endurance tests
- Aerobic Test Videos
- A table of VO2max norm values is available here
- VO2max test scores from different sports
- areobic fitness test records
