Open AccessA comparison of incremental exercise tests during cycle and treadmill ergometry
Author(s) -
Ronald D. Fairshter,
John Walters,
Kym A Salness,
Michael A. Fox,
Vu-Dinh Minh,
Archie F. Wilson
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
medicine and science in sports and exercise
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.703
H-Index - 224
eISSN - 1530-0315
pISSN - 0195-9131
DOI - 10.1249/00005768-198315060-00020
Subject(s) - anaerobic exercise , incremental exercise , treadmill , cycle ergometer , vo2 max , oxygen pulse , respiratory minute volume , medicine , ventilatory threshold , respiratory exchange ratio , physical therapy , ventilation (architecture) , heart rate , cardiology , respiratory system , blood pressure , engineering , mechanical engineering
We evaluated a short-duration maximum exercise test by comparing a 15-s incremental exercise protocol with a 1-min incremental method. Twenty normal men and women were studied using cycle and/or treadmill ergometry. In subjects tested on both exercise devices, anaerobic threshold and maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) were higher for both protocols on the treadmill than on the cycle ergometer (P less than 0.001). However, when the 15-s and 1-min tests were compared using the same device (treadmill or cycle), there were no significant differences between protocols in anaerobic threshold or maximum exercise values of minute ventilation, respiratory rate, tidal volume, VO2max, oxygen pulse, and peak expiratory flow rate. Linear regression analyses indicated differences between the 15-s and 1-min protocols when cardiopulmonary measurements were related to power; however, the two protocols were comparable when cardiopulmonary data were related to oxygen uptake. Comparisons between protocols or between exercise devices were not systematically different in large vs small individuals, or in men vs women. Short-duration incremental exercise tests appear to be reliable, practical methods for assessing exercise performance in normal individuals.