NORMAL STANDARDS FOR AN INCREMENTAL PROGRESSIVE CYCLE ERGOMETER TEST

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Abstract
Healthy subjects (100; 50 male and 50 female), selected to provide an even distribution of age (15 to 71 yr) and height (165-194 cm in males and 152-176 cm in females), underwent a progressively incremental (100 kpm/min each min) exercise test to a symptom-limited maximum. Measurements were made of O2 intake and CO2 output, ventilation and breathing pattern, heart rate and blood pressure and rating of perceived exertion. The ventilatory anaerobic threshold was identified. Predictive data were derived for measurments at maximal and submaximal exercise. Maximal power output (Wmax) and O2 intake (.ovrhdot.VO2 max) varied with sex (0, males; 1, female), age (yr), and height (Ht, cm): Wmax = 20.4 (Ht)-8.74 (Age)-288 (Sex)-1909 kpm/min (SEE [standard error of the estimate], 216; r, 0.858); .ovrhdot.VO2 max = 0.046 (Ht)-0.021 (Age)-0.62 (Sex)-4.31 L/min (SEE, 0.458; r, 0.869). The extent of leisure time activity exerted a positive influence on .ovrhdot.VO2 max (r, 0.47; P < 0.001); .ovrhdot.VO2 max was also related to lean thigh volume (r, 0.79). Maximal heart rate (HR) declined as a function of age: HRmax = 202-072 (Age) beats/min (SEE, 10.3; r, 0.72). Maximal O2 pulse (O2 Pmax) was related to height and was systematically higher in males than in females: O2Pmax = 0.28 (Ht)-3.3 (Sex)-26.7 ml/beat (SEE, 2.8; r, 0.88). Ventilation was closely related to CO2 output and the maximal tidal volume was related to vital capacity. The .ovrhdot.VO2 increased linearly with power throughout the test; in an individual subject, the intercept of this relationship was positively influenced by weight and height. The slope of HR to O2 intake was related to height, was steeper in females than in males and lower in active than in inactive subjects. Ventilation increased as a function of CO2 output and tidal volume increased as a function of height and vital capacity. Systolic blood pressure increased linearly with power output and as a function of age. The ventilatory anaerobic threshold (Vat) was related to .ovrhdot.VO2 max (r, 0.79); leisure activity showed a positive effect of Vat, but not after the effects of height and age were accounted for: Vat = 0.024 (Ht)-0.0074 (Age)-2.43 L/min (SEE, 0.316; r, 0.651). Results obtained at standard power outputs of 200 and 60 kpm/min indicated that age and height accounted for most of the variation between subjects, but HR was systematically higher in females than in males of comparable height. The results provide a guide for the interpretation of measurments obtained in this type of test.