Cycle Ergometry Estimation of Physical Fitness among Israeli Soldiers

We evaluated the level of fitness among a large population-based sample of Israeli men and women ages 18-25 years, within the framework of an ongoing survey of personnel discharged from military service in the Israel Defense Force. Aerobic capacity was predicted with the Astrand-Rhyming 6-minute cycle ergometer test and maximal oxygen uptake (VO_{2 max}) was estimated using the Astrand-Rhyming nomogram based on cardiac response to 6 minutes of constant submaximal cycle work. Mean 4± SD VO_{2 max}. values were 41.05 ± 10.52 mL/kg/min for men (range, 15-81 mL/kg/min) and 33.84 ± 7.60 mL/kg/min for women (range, 16-65 mL/kg/min). Smoking was found to be associated with lower VO_{2 max} among both men and women, whereas type of military service unit was unexpectedly not associated with physical fitness level.