The Effect of Different Standing up Frequencies in Sit-to-stand Exercise on Oxygen Uptake

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to investigate the steady state of oxygen uptake (VO2) at several standing up frequencies to clarify whether workload in the sit-to-stand exercise (STSE) is greater than the anaerobic threshold (AT). [Subjects] Ten healthy young subjects performed the STSE. [Methods] In the STSE, subjects stood up and sat down without using their arms to push-off from the chair at standing up frequencies of 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36 times per minutes. Subjects exercised for 5 minutes at each frequency with 5 minutes of rest between each consecutive frequency trial. The steady state of VO2 was evaluated by the difference in the VO2 between the 3rd and 5th min at each frequency. The correlation between the VO2 of the STSE and the standing up frequency was analyzed. [Results] At standing up frequencies greater than 24 times/min, the steady state of VO2 could not be confirmed. The relationship between the standing up frequency (at less than 24 times/min) and VO2 was strong (r=0.94). [Conclusion] The STSE may be a potentially useful test for determining AT and predicting the physical capacity of patients.