In the latest instalment of Backroom Boys, Fitness and Conditioning Coach Tony Daley relates how former player and now Sky television pundit Chris Kamara fared when trying out Wolves' new accredited Sports Science laboratory.

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We were delighted to announce recently that Wolves has become the first sporting club in the United Kingdom to have a Sports Science laboratory accredited by the national standard-setting organisation BASES.

 

Since then, we have welcomed former player and now Sky Sports pundit Chris Kamara to try out the laboratory as you may well have seen on your television screens.

 

Although now 52-years-old, Chris has certainly keeps himself in very good shape and as such was a good candidate to come to Compton and take part in some of our tests under the watchful eye of myself, John Iga, Steve Kemp, Kevin Enright and Dan Lothian.

 

One of the several tests that we can now carry out on-site at our Compton training ground is the VO2 max / lactate threshold test, and that formed a major part of Chris's visit.

 

The procedures involved first obtaining some of his vital statistics - height and weight etc - as well as information on Chris's background such as date of birth and how often he exercises.

 

We then obtained a urine sample from Chris which showed he was well hydrated ahead of the testing process.

 

And then to the VO2 max / lactate threshold test!

 

This test is carried out to determine a player's general aerobic endurance and their lactate profile, another vital tool involved in setting the players training.

 

We took a blood sample from Chris's finger-tip before starting the test; this was used as the basis for determining his lactate profile.

 

Then the test began! The test required Chris to run for three minutes at progressively faster running speeds until he reached exhaustion.

 

 

A 30 second rest period was allowed between each block of exercise.  These rest periods were used to obtain further blood samples in order to build up Chris's lactate profile.

 

In terms of aerobic endurance, despite an interruption or two from the likes of Mick McCarthy and Andy Keogh, Chris actually did extremely well!

 

Chris managed to keep going up to a speed of 15km/hour, and achieved an ultimate VO2 max rating of 61.2 ml/min/kg.

 

By way of comparison, depending on playing position (i.e., full backs and midfielders typically achieve higher values) we would expect our players to obtain values of around 60 to 65 ml/min/kg.

 

However, it is in the other analysis of the test that the differences between Chris and current players were highlighted.

 

Reaching the endurance levels which Chris also possesses is very important for our players in terms of providing them with a good base for fitness work and recovery.

 

But of course a game of football isn't just about running at low intensity - it's about combining that with operating at high intensity and sometimes for long periods of time.

 

And that is where the lactate profile from the blood tests comes into its own.  We were able to identify two physiological landmarks from lactate threshold test.

 

The first landmark identifies the running speed and corresponding heart rate above which there is an increase in lactate levels within the blood above resting levels.

 

This can be termed the 'aerobic threshold', and training below this intensity is ideal for recovery training perhaps the day after a game or a hard training session.

 

The second landmark relates to the running speed and heart rate above which more lactate is being produced than can be cleared by the body.

 

This is termed the 'anaerobic threshold'. Training above this threshold is very hard but is ideal for improving aerobic endurance levels and the ability to perform repeated bouts of intense physical activity.

 

 In Chris's case, the lactate profile was lower than that of our current players, of course very understandable given it's a long time since his own playing days!

 

That meant that while his aerobic endurance was good, Chris reached his anaerobic threshold at a lower intensity of exercise than our players would when going through the test.

 

Despite that, Chris certainly showed he has kept himself in very good shape and he was a great sport, also undergoing several other parts of our fitness and medical tests including for isokinetic strength, the Alter G machine and the hot and cold contrast baths which certainly took his breath away!

 

I think Chris enjoyed seeing how the game has moved on since both his and my playing days when the bleep test was probably as scientific as it got!