Predicting maximal oxygen uptake from treadmill testing in trained and untrained women

This study was conducted to develop an equation to predict maximal oxygen uptake from exercise time during a standardized treadmill test in women aged 29 to 75 years before and after aerobic training. Treadmill tests were administered to 181 women with measurement of maximal oxygen uptake, and an equation predicting maximal oxygen uptake was derived: maximal oxygen uptake (ml.kg-1.min-1) = 10.34 + 1.29 (exercise time), r = 0.88, standard error of the estimate = 2.1, p less than 0.0001. Thirty-three women were retested after 6 and 12 months of aerobic exercise training. Maximal oxygen uptake was predicted from the equation developed and compared with the measured values at 6 and 12 months. The predicted and measured maximal oxygen uptake values after training were not significantly different. These results indicate that it is possible to predict maximal oxygen uptake for clinical purposes with a single equation from exercise time in untrained and trained women across a wide range of ages.