Indirect assessment of cardiovascular "demands" using telemetry on professional football players

GILBERT W. GLEIM, M.S., PHILIP A. WITMAN, M.P.H., AND JAMES A. NICHOLAS, M.D.

Institute of Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City, New York

Aerobic training is not a major component of the conditioning programs of professional football players. We used telemetric ECG monitoring to examine the cardiovascular "demands" of practice and game situations in six athletes who were selected to affect a variety of positions and aerobic capacities. Heart rates commonly considered high enough for an aerobic conditioning effect were rarely attained during practice sessions. Maximum oxygen consumption testing confirmed that professional football players do not receive a sufficient amount of aerobic conditioning during practice. Telemetrically monitored heart rate response is much greater in a game situation than that experienced during practice. Telemetry results support injury statistics by indicating that aerobic conditioning should have a significant role in the training program of the professional football player.

The American Journal of Sports Medicine, Vol. 9, No. 3, 178-83.