A Comparison of Aerobic Fitness Testing on a Swim Bench and Treadmill in a Recreational Surfing Cohort: A Pilot Study

The intermittent manner of surfing accentuates the importance of both the aerobic and anaerobic energy systems. Currently, the optimal method of assessing surfing-specific aerobic fitness is using a swim bench (SWB) ergometer; however, their limited availability presents a barrier to surfers wanting to know their maximal aerobic power (VO(2peak)). As a result, the aims of this pilot study were to determine the VO(2peak) of recreational surfers using a new commercial SWB ergometer and to propose and examine the feasibility of a regression model to predict SWB ergometer VO(2peak) values. A total of nine recreational surfers were assessed where body measurements were conducted followed by maximal aerobic capacity testing (swim bench and treadmill) to profile the cohort. Findings demonstrated that VO(2peak) values were significantly greater (p < 0.001) on the treadmill compared to the SWB ergometer (M = 66.01 ± 8.23 vs. 37.41 ± 8.73 mL/kg/min). Peak heart rate was also significantly greater on the treadmill compared to the SWB ergometer. Multiple regression analysis was used to produce a model which predicted SWB VO(2peak) values with an R(2) value of 0.863 and an adjusted R(2) value of 0.726. The physiological profiling of the recreational cohort coupled with a surfer’s predicted SWB VO(2peak) value will allow for identification of surfing-specific aerobic fitness levels and evidence-based training recommendations.