ACHIEVEMENT OF (V) over dotO2MAX CRITERIA DURING A CONTINUOUS GRADED EXERCISE TEST AND A VERIFICATION STAGE PERFORMED BY COLLEGE ATHLETES

Mier, CM, Alexander, RP, and Mageean, AL. Achievement of (V) over dotO(2)max criteria during a continuous graded exercise test and a verification stage performed by college athletes. J Strength Cond Res 26(10): 2648-2654, 2012-The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of meeting specific (V) over dotO(2)max criteria and to test the effectiveness of a (V) over dotO(2)max verification stage in college athletes. Thirty-five subjects completed a continuous graded exercise test (GXT) to volitional exhaustion. The frequency of achieving various respiratory exchange ratio (RER) and age-predicted maximum heart rate (HRmax) criteria and a (V) over dotO(2) plateau within 2 and 2.2 ml.kg(-1).min(-1) (<2SD of the expected increase in (V) over dotO(2)) were measured and tested against expected frequencies. After 10 minutes of active recovery, 10 subjects who did not demonstrate a plateau completed a verification stage performed at supramaximal intensity. From the GXT, the number of subjects meeting (V) over dotO(2)max plateau was 5 (<= 2 ml.kg(-1).min(-1)) and 7 (<= 2.2 ml.kg(-1).min(-1)), RER criteria 34 (>= 1.05), 32 (>= 1.10), and 24 (>= 1.15), HRmax criteria, 35 (<85%), 29 (<10 b.min(-1)) and 9 (HRmax). The (V) over dotO(2)max and HRmax did not differ between GXT and the verification stage (53.6 +/- 5.6 vs. 55.5 +/- 5.6 ml.kg(-1).min(-1) and 187 +/- 7 vs. 187 +/- 6 b.min(-1)); however, the RER was lower during the verification stage (1.15 +/- 0.06 vs. 1.07 +/- 0.07, p = 0.004). Six subjects achieved a similar (V) over dotO(2) (within 2.2 ml.kg(-1).min(-1)), whereas 4 achieved a higher (V) over dotO(2) compared with the GXT. These data demonstrate that a continuous GXT limits the college athlete's ability to achieve (V) over dotO(2)max plateau and certain RER and HR criteria. The use of a verification stage increases the frequency of (V) over dotO(2)max achievement and may be an effective method to improve the accuracy of (V) over dotO(2)max measurements in college athletes.