Treadmill exercise testing with increasing inclination as exercise protocol for wheelchair athletes.

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Exercise Physiology
• Rehabilitation Science

Background:

• Assessing cardiorespiratory fitness, specifically maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max), is crucial for elite athletes.
• Traditional treadmill protocols often rely on velocity increments, which may not be optimal for wheelchair athletes.
• Developing effective and accessible methods for VO2max determination in this population is essential for training and performance monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a novel treadmill exercise protocol that utilizes increments in inclination to determine VO2max in elite wheelchair athletes.
• To compare the efficacy of an incline-based protocol against standard velocity-based protocols for VO2max assessment in this specific athletic group.

Main Methods:

• Eleven elite wheelchair athletes (including those with spinal cord injury) participated in the study.
• A progressive incline treadmill protocol was employed, with continuous measurement of VO2max and heart rate.
• Serum lactate levels were measured immediately post-exercise.

Main Results:

• The incline protocol successfully elicited maximal effort, evidenced by high maximal heart rates (185+/-11.4 bpm) and lactate levels (10.2+/-2.1 mmol/l).
• The determined VO2max was 35.1+/-4.9 ml/min/kg.
• A statistically significant correlation was observed between heart rate and VO2 across different inclinations, comparable to findings in able-bodied individuals.

Conclusions:

• Treadmill exercise protocols incorporating progressive inclination are a valid and effective alternative for determining VO2max in elite wheelchair athletes.
• This incline-based approach offers a viable option for assessing cardiorespiratory fitness in this population, potentially overcoming limitations of velocity-based methods.