Modeling Oxygen Uptake during V1 Treadmill Roller Skiing

The use of regression equations to predict oxygen uptake in relation to speed, grade, power output, and anthropometric characteristics is common in cardiac rehabilitation and athlete fitness testing. Research has suggested that sport specific testing improves the reliability of the test methodology and is appropriate for the development of effective training programs. This study focused on the development of a cross-country skiing specific predictor of maximal oxygen uptake based on treadmill speed, treadmill grade, gender, and body mass. This project simulated snow skiing on a large research treadmill using roller skis. A small sample size (N = 34) warranted the use of bootstrapping techniques and multiple regression analysis to develop a cross-country skiing specific model of oxygen uptake. The stability of each bootstrapped sample was confirmed via a cross-validation procedure. The equation of best resolve was: VO2 = -4.534 + 0.223(G) + 0.061(BM) + 0.139(TG) + 0.016(TS) in which G = Gender, BM = Body Mass, TG = Treadmill Grade, TS = Treadmill Speed. The resultant model can be used to design training programs, develop athlete fitness testing or research protocols, and to predict maximal oxygen uptake when sophisticated metabolic measurement equipment is unavailable.