Morphological and physiological factors related to endurance performance of 11- to 12-year-old girls.

Abstract This study examined the extent to which variance in endurance performance could be explained by various physiological and morphological factors in 11-to 12-year-old girls (N = 33). [Vdot]O2 max (ml/kg/minute), determined in a multistage treadmill test, was significantly related to run time (r = −.70). However, when percentage of fat as estimated from skinfolds and girths was held constant, the partial correlation was .09. The correlation between the sum of five skinfolds and run time was .92; the greater amounts of subcutaneous fat were associated with poorer performance. The second independent variable to be selected into a forward selection regression equation was the score on an all-out 1-minute steptest, an indirect measure of anaerobic capacity. The third variable selected was an index of maturity—whether or not the girls had achieved menarche; the more mature girls tended to do worse on the run. These three variables accounted for 90% of the variance in run time (R = .95). The dominance of ...