Determining The Optimal Work Rate For Cycle Ergometer Verification Phase Testing In Males With Obesity

Jennifer M Beers,Brandon J Sawyer,Ailish C Sheard,Jeff A Sullivan ,Brett B Baughman

doi:10.1249/01.mss.0000518995.94217.81

Jennifer M Beers, Brandon J Sawyer + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.1249/01.mss.0000518995.94217.81

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Abstract

PURPOSE: The applicability of verification phase (VP) testing as a means to confirm the attainment of a ‘true’ VO2max in males with obesity is widely unknown due to only two previous published studies on this population. The aim of the present study was to assess the validity of verification phase testing on separate days in males with obesity and determine the optimal work rate at which the highest VO2max can be elicited. METHODS: Nine healthy males with obesity between the ages of 18 and 35 (age = 24.1 ± 6.1 years; body mass index [BMI] = 33.2 ± 4.2 kg/m2) performed a ramp-style VO2max test on the cycle ergometer followed by four randomly assigned constant power (verification phase) tests on separate days. VP tests were set at 80, 90, 100 and 105% of maximal wattage (Wmax) attained during the ramp test. RESULTS: All participants but one attained a higher, but not significant, VO2max (L/min) during a VP test to values elicited during the initial ramp test. A trend (p=0.06) was shown for VO2max during the 90% (3.61 ± 0.54 L/min) VP to be higher than the ramp (3.37 ± 0.39 L/min). A trend (p=0.06) was also seen for VO2max during the 90% VP (3.61 ± 0.54 L/min) to be higher than the 105% (3.41 ± 0.53 L/min) test. HRmax was significantly lower/ during the 105% VP (170 ± 17 b/min) compared to the 80% (177 ± 16 b/min, P=0.02) and 90% (176 ± 14 b/min, P=0.02) VP tests. CONCLUSION: Verification phase tests at submaximal work rates, of 90% of Wmax attained during the ramp test, may elicit the highest VO2max and HRmax in males with obesity. Using a verification test in this population may provide more accurate VO2max results as well as more accurate HR based exercise prescriptions.

Highlights

The most commonly used measurement to assess cardiorespiratory health and fitness is the maximum rate of oxygen consumption (VO2max )
Our findings suggest that submaximal verification phase (VP) testing on the cycle ergometer may result in the attainment of a higher VO2max compared to the ramp test in this population
Our study examined supramaximal, maximal, and submaximal workrates to elicit a VO2max in males with obesity

Summary

Introduction

The most commonly used measurement to assess cardiorespiratory health and fitness is the maximum rate of oxygen consumption (VO2max ). A more applicable criterion that can be used for a wide variety of methodologies, protocols, and participants is verification phase (VP) testing. This technique uses a constant workrate bout of exercise following the ramp test to confirm the VO2max achieved during the initial ramp test. By establishing maximal workrate during the ramp test, researchers are able to choose a verification phase intensity (constant workrate) that falls above critical power (IE: In the severe domain) [10,11] which will lead to exhaustion at VO2max. A supramaximal rate of the initial maximum workrate is applied [4,6,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25] but some evidence suggests maximal [10] and submaximal workrates [3,17,21,26,27] are capable of eliciting a ‘true’

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