Over the past few weeks, the Somerset College Triathletes have had the opportunity to attend Bond University to undertake physiological assessments as part of a collaborative project between the College and the Exercise and Sports Science Department at Bond University.

This project is an exciting opportunity for the triathletes to learn more about sports physiology and experience some of the testing protocols that elite athletes would undertake.

This week the students took part in VO2max testing on the treadmill in the Exercise Physiology Laboratory. VO2max (Maximal Oxygen Uptake) is the maximum amount of oxygen that the body can take up and use per minute. It is highly correlated to endurance performance. Elite endurance athletes typically have a very high VO2max, with values around 80-90 ml/kg/min reported at the highest level of elite sport.

The triathletes performed very well on the test. Somerset College Physiologist Dr Annette Eastwood said, “I was very impressed by the results, some of the triathletes demonstrated VO2max scores similar to what Olympians and World Champions have reported at a similar age (above 65ml/kg/min for males and over 50ml/kg/min for females). There are certainly some talented athletes within the Triathlon Program and I am looking forward to seeing how they progress in the sport over the next few years.”

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