Open AccessPedaling rate is an important determinant of human oxygen uptake during exercise on the cycle ergometer
Author(s) -
Formenti Federico,
Minetti Alberto E.,
Borrani Fabio
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
physiological reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.918
H-Index - 39
ISSN - 2051-817X
DOI - 10.14814/phy2.12500
Subject(s) - cycle ergometer , sports medicine , bicycle ergometer , work (physics) , vo2 max , medicine , exercise physiology , mathematics , physical therapy , simulation , heart rate , computer science , physics , thermodynamics , blood pressure
Estimation of human oxygen uptake ( V ˙ o 2 ) during exercise is often used as an alternative when its direct measurement is not feasible. The American College of Sports Medicine ( ACSM ) suggests estimating humanV ˙ o 2during exercise on a cycle ergometer through an equation that considers individual's body mass and external work rate, but not pedaling rate ( PR ). We hypothesized that including PR in the ACSM equation would improve itsV ˙ o 2prediction accuracy. Ten healthy male participants’ (age 19–48 years) were recruited and their steady‐stateV ˙ o 2was recorded on a cycle ergometer for 16 combinations of external work rates (0, 50, 100, and 150 W) and PR (50, 70, 90, and 110 revolutions per minute).V ˙ o 2was calculated by means of a new equation, and by the ACSM equation for comparison. Kinematic data were collected by means of an infrared 3‐D motion analysis system in order to explore the mechanical determinants ofV ˙ o 2 . Including PR in the ACSM equation improved the accuracy for prediction of sub‐maximalV ˙ o 2during exercise (mean bias 1.9 vs. 3.3 mL O 2 kg −1 min −1 ) but it did not affect the accuracy for prediction of maximalV ˙ o 2( P > 0.05). Confirming the validity of this new equation, the results were replicated for data reported in the literature in 51 participants. We conclude that PR is an important determinant of humanV ˙ o 2during cycling exercise, and it should be considered when predicting oxygen consumption.