The 180/20 intermittent athletic test: A new intermittent track test to assess the maximal aerobic speed in middle-distance runners

Objective: The training of middle-distance runners is based on intermittent exercises. However, no study has proposed intermittent test to assess endurance performance for middle-distance athletes. The aims of the present study are 1) to develop a new specific testing for middle-distance runners entitled the 180/20 intermittent athletic test and to examine the validity of this test as compared to a standard continuous test 2) to check whether the maximal aerobic speed obtained from the 180/20 intermittent athletic test is related to the 800-m performance. Methods: Nineteen male middle-distance runners (age: 21.3 ± 2.2 years, height: 1.75 ± 0.04 m, and body mass: 68.8 ± 3.8 kg) performed in a random order three field-tests: a standard test, the 180/20 intermittent athletic test and 800-m time-trial. The new test consisted of repeated 180m distance runs interspersed with 20m of active recovery performed until exhaustion. The speed is increased by 0.5 km.h-1 every 200 m. Results: The results of this study showed the maximal aerobic speed achieved during the new test was significantly correlated to the maximal aerobic speed determined from a standard test (r = 0.82, p < 0.05) with low agreement limits (-1.69–1.48 km.h-1) without systematic bias (-0.10 km.h-1). The maximal aerobic speed in new test was better correlated to the 800-m running performance than the maximal aerobic speed achieved during a standard test (r = -0.78 and r = -0.66, respectively). Conclusions: The 180/20 intermittent athletic test is a valid test for scheduling intermittent training sessions in middle-distance runners.