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VALIDITY OF VO2max TESTING ON A RECUMBENT ERGOMETER COMPARED TO AN UPRIGHT CYCLE ERGOMETER

Abstract

Upright cycle ergometers are commonly used to measure VO2max. However, there is limited research regarding the validity of using a recline cycle ergometer to assess aerobic fitness. PURPOSE: We assessed the validity of a new commercially available recline cycle ergometer to measure VO2max compared to an upright cycle ergometer. METHODS: Six female volunteers (age 20±1.15 years, weight 62.45±8.93 kg, height 162±3 cm) participated in two tests, days apart, on the two ergometers. The starting intensity was empirically determined from the warmup pace (75 or 100Watts), and the workload was increased by 10 Watts (for the recline cycle) or 15Watts (for the upright cycle) every two minutes, until exhaustion. Difference in VO2max values between the ergometers was determined using paired t-test (a=0.05). RESULTS: The two tests yielded VO2max values that were highly correlated (r=0.892, p<0.05) and not statistically different (p=0.301). Even so, values of physiological measures (VO2, heart rate) were lower with the recline ergometer, and participants complained of localized fatigue during the recline ergometer tests. It is very possible that our results reflect VO2peak rather than VO2max. CONCLUSION: The recline cycle ergometer can stress the cardiorespiratory system, but further work is required in order to identify the best testing protocol to achieve VO2max.

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