Relationship between the Performance in a Maximum Effort Test for Lifeguards and the Time Spent in a Water Rescue

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to analyse the relationship between the performance in a maximum incremental test for lifeguards, the IPTL, and the effectiveness of a 200 m water rescue on the beach. Initially, 20 professional lifeguards carried out the IPTL in the pool and then they performed a 200 m water rescue on the beach. The maximum oxygen uptake (VO_2max) in the IPTL was estimated. In both tests, heart rate (HR), blood lactate (La) and time achieved were measured. The VO_2max estimated in the IPTL (VO_2IPTL) was 44.2 ± 4.7 mL·kg·min^-1, the time reached in the IPTL (Time_IPTL) was 726 ± 72 s and the time spent in the rescue (Time_Rescue) was 222 ± 14 s. The results showed that the time reached in the pool (Time_IPTL) was the best predictor variable of the performance in water rescue (Time_Rescue) (R² = 0.59; p < 0.01). A significant correlation was also observed between the estimated maximum oxygen uptake and the beach rescue performance (R² = 0.37; p = 0.05). These results reveal that the IPTL, a maximum incremental test specific to lifeguards, allows the estimation of the effectiveness of a 200 m rescue on the beach.

Keywords: drowning; lifesaving; performance; physical fitness; vo2max; water rescue.