Evaluating the suitability of supra-PO peak verification trials after ramp-incremental exercise to confirm the attainment of maximum O 2 uptake

• Published in: American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology integrative and comparative physiology, 2020-09, Vol.319 (3), p.R315-R322
• Main Authors: Iannetta, Danilo, de Almeida Azevedo, Rafael, Ingram, Christina P., Keir, Daniel A., Murias, Juan M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0363-6119; 1522-1490
• DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00126.2020

During exhaustive ramp-incremental cycling tests, the incidence of O 2 uptake (V̇o 2 ) plateaus is low. To verify the attainment of maximum V̇o 2 (V̇o 2max ), it is recommended that a trial at a power output (PO) corresponding to 110% of the ramp-derived peak (PO peak ) is performed. It remains unclear whether verification trials set at this PO can be tolerated for long enough to allow attainment of V̇o 2max . Eleven recreationally trained individuals performed five ramp tests of varying slope (5, 10, 15, 25, and 30 W/min), each followed, in series, by two verification trials: the first at 110% PO peak of the 25 W/min ramp and the second at 110% PO peak attained in the preceding ramp test. Exercise duration of the first verification trial was on average 81 ± 15 s (CV = 9 ± 3%) versus 162 ± 32, 121 ± 24, 103 ± 15, and 73 ± 10 s for the second verification trials at 110% of PO peak of the 5, 10, 15, and 30 W/min ramp tests, respectively ( P < 0.05). Compared with the highest V̇o 2 recorded during ramp tests, V̇o 2 from the subsequent verification trials was not different for the 5, 10, and 15 W/min ramp tests ( P > 0.05) but was lower for the 25 and 30 W/min ramp tests ( P < 0.05). Verification trials at 110% PO peak of rapidly incrementing ramp tests (i.e., 25 W/min) were not sustained for long enough to allow the attainment of V̇o 2max . With commonly used rapidly incrementing ramp tests engendering exhaustion within 8–12 min, verification trials less than PO peak should be preferred as they can be sustained sufficiently long to allow the attainment of V̇o 2max .