The Study
Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing in Elite Athletes: Rethinking Sports Classification
This study looked at different types of athletes and measured how well their hearts and lungs worked during exercise. It found that endurance athletes, like marathon runners, tended to have higher fitness numbers than sprinters or gymnasts—but it doesn’t prove that doing those sports made them that way. It just shows what’s typical for each group right now.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
This study tested how well athletes' hearts and lungs work during exercise, comparing different types of sports.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 544 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — endurance athletes' hearts pump more oxygen per beat, making them far more efficient at aerobic exercise than others; power and mixed athletes are surprisingly similar, suggesting current sports categories may need updating.
- 2Endurance athletes: VO2max = 52.4 mL/min/kg, oxygen pulse = 22.7 mL/beat.
- 3Skill athletes: VO2max = 36.3 mL/min/kg, oxygen pulse = 14.9 mL/beat.
- 4Power athletes: VO2max = 42.0 mL/min/kg.
- 5Mixed athletes: VO2max = 40.5 mL/min/kg.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Journal of Clinical Medicine
Year
2025
Authors
M. Squeo, Armando Ferrera, S. Monosilio, A. Spinelli, V. Maestrini, Federica Mango, A. Serdoz, D. Zampaglione, R. Fiore, A. Pelliccia, G. Di Gioia
Related Content
Claims (5)
During exercise, endurance athletes have a higher cardiac output than non-athletes at every level of effort.
Endurance athletes have a higher maximal oxygen uptake than athletes in skill, power, or mixed sports, reflecting greater cardiopulmonary capacity due to their training demands.
Endurance athletes have a higher oxygen pulse than skill athletes, meaning their hearts deliver more oxygen with each beat during physical activity.
Endurance athletes produce more peak power and use oxygen more efficiently during exercise than athletes in other sports, while skill athletes show the lowest levels across all exercise test measures, reflecting a direct relationship between functional capacity and the aerobic demands of the sport.
Power athletes have a slightly higher maximal oxygen uptake than mixed athletes, but the values overlap significantly, meaning the current ESC classification does not reliably separate these groups based on aerobic capacity.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.