Assessment and Interpretation of Aerobic Fitness in Children and Adolescents

Our understanding of the development of children and adolescents' aerobic fitness is limited by ethical considerations and methodological constraints. Protocols, apparatus, and criteria of maximal effort used with adults are often unsuitable for use with children. In normal children and adolescents, peak VO2 increases with growth and maturation, although there are indications that girls' peak VO2 may level off around 14 years of age. Males...