Reliability of MAOD measured at 110% and 120% of peak oxygen uptake for cycling

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the test-retest reliabili ty of maximal accumulated oxygen deficit (MAOD) measured at 110% and 120% o f peak oxygen uptake (VO2) for cycling in seven untrained male and seven un trained female subjects. Methods: After one familiarization trial, all subj ects performed two MAOD tests at a power output corresponding to 110% and t wo tests at 120% of VO2peak in random order. MAOD was calculated for each s ubject as the difference between O-2 demand during exercise and the measure d VO2. Results: The mean (+/- SEM) time to exhaustion for the group was not significantly different between trial 1 (226 +/- 13 s) and trial 2 (223 +/ - 14 s) of the 110% test. Likewise, the difference in the time to exhaustio n between trial 1 (158 +/- 11 s) and trial 2 (159 +/- 10 s) was not signifi cant for the 120% test. The intraclass correlation coefficients for the tim e to exhaustion were 0.95 for the 110% test and 0.98 for the 120% test. The mean MAOD value obtained in trial 1 (2.62 +/- 0.17 L) was not significantl y different from the mean value obtained in trial 2 (2.54 +/- 0.19 L)for th e 110% test. Additionally, the mean values for the two trials did not diffe r significantly for MAOD (2.64 +/- 0.21 L for trial 1 and 2.63 +/- 0.19 L f or trial 2) in the 120% test. The intraclass correlation coefficients for M AOD were 0.95 for the 110% test and 0.97 for the 120% test. All intraclass correlation coefficients were significant at P < 0.001. Conclusions: When c onducted under standardized conditions, the determination of MAOD for cycli ng was highly repeatable at both 110% and 120% of VO2peak in untrained male and female subjects.