PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to explore the validity, test-retest reliability and affective responses of a submaximal 20-m shuttle-run test (20mSRT) stopped at 6 on the Eston-Parfitt (EP) scale. The secondary aim was to examine and compare two submaximal 20mSRT protocols with different RPE end points (EP6 vs. EP7) using previously published data. METHODS: Twenty-five children (16 boys
13.4 ± 1.0 years
162.1 ± 8.7 cm
49.1 ± 6.6 kg) completed three exercise tests (graded exercise test [GXT], 2 submaximal 20mSRT). The EP scale and Feeling scale were used to measure RPE and affect, respectively. The two submaximal 20mSRTs were stopped after participants reported EP6. Individual speed-RPE relationships from the submaximal 20mSRTs were linearly regressed to predict peak speed and then used to estimate VO RESULTS: In the EP6 protocol, a two-factor repeated measures ANOVA revealed non-significant Test and Sex main effects (p >
0.05). Reliability analysis revealed intraclass correlation coefficient of ~ 0.7 (95%CI [0.432,0.867], p <
0.001) between the submaximal 20mSRTs. Significant differences in end-test affect between the GXT and submaximal 20mSRTs were found (p <
0.001), with GXT more negative. ANOVA revealed no significant differences in end-test affect between EP6 and EP7 protocols
however, frequency count analysis revealed EP6 to result in more positive end-test affect. CONCLUSION: Submaximal 20mSRT utilising RPE may offer valid predictions in VO