PREDICTION OF MAXIMAL OXYGEN-UPTAKE FROM SUBMAXIMAL EXERCISE TESTING IN AEROBICALLY FIT AND NONFIT MEN

Aerobic physical fitness, as determined by the body's maximal capacity to utilize oxygen (Vo2max) during demanding work, is an important det erminant of a person's ability to perform many military tasks. The pre sent 2.4 km (1.5 mi) run has not proven itself capable of accurately e stimating this important factor on a periodic basis. This paper review s prior studies of heart rate response to known workloads on a cycle e rgometer to estimate VO2max. This submaximal test, as revised by scien tists at the USAF Armstrong Laboratory at Brooks AFB, TX, was validate d on 22 male subjects by comparing the test results with laboratory me asurements of VO2max obtained by analysis of expired air during maxima l treadmill exercise. Two groups of subjects were selected; one consis ting at highly trained runners and the other of inactive subjects who did not perform regular aerobic exercise. The cycle ergometry predicti on underestimated measured VO2max by 8.1 ml.kg-1.min-1 (SEE = 4.25) in all subjects, but there was a correlation of 0.95 between the estimat ed and measured values. Both estimated and measured VO2max were signif icantly higher in the group of trained runners than in the inactive su bjects.