Occupational fitness standards for beach lifeguards. phase 2: the development of an easily administered fitness test

Background No task-based fitness standard currently exists for beach lifeguards (BLGs). Aim To formulate an easily administered fitness test for BLGs based on the physical demands identified in Phase 1 of the project (previous paper). Methods A range of anthropometric and land- and water-based (swimming pool and flume) fitness assessments were administered to 25 male and female volunteer subjects (13 BLGs from the UK). Results The mean (SD) VO2max (l/min) were 3.04 (0.61) for towing a casualty, 2.08 (0.53) for board paddling with a casualty and 2.97 (0.67) for freestyle swimming. A significant correlation (r = −0.82, P < 0.001) was identified between distance paddled in the sea in 3.5 min (established in Phase 1) and pool 400-m front crawl swim time and between towing VO2max and deltoid circumference/log10 400-m front crawl swim time (r = −0.83, P < 0.001). Conclusions The regression identified allows the conclusion that if a BLG can swim 400-m front crawl in a pool in