Extended steep ramp test normative values for 19-24-year-old healthy active young adults

Area of Science:

• Exercise Physiology
• Sports Science
• Human Performance

Background:

• Existing normative values for peak work rate (WRpeak) from the steep ramp test (SRT) are limited in children and adolescents.
• There is a need to extend these normative values to include healthy, active young adults.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish sex- and age-specific normative values for SRT peak work rate (WRpeak) in healthy active young adults (19-24 years).
• To extend existing SRT normative data for children and adolescents to cover early adulthood.

Main Methods:

• Recruited healthy male and female participants aged 19-24 years.
• Conducted steep ramp tests (SRT) on a cycle ergometer, measuring peak work rate (SRT-WRpeak), heart rate (HR), and blood pressure (BP).
• Collected anthropometric measurements and recorded resting and post-exercise physiological data.

Main Results:

• Fifty-seven participants (31 males, 26 females) completed the study.
• No significant differences in resting or peak exercise variables were found between sexes, except for absolute and relative SRT-WRpeak.
• Extended reference curves revealed distinct trends in SRT performance between males and females when modeled against age, height, and body mass.

Conclusions:

• The study provides comprehensive sex-, age-, height-, and mass-related normative values for SRT performance.
• These reference centiles cover absolute and relative SRT performance from childhood through early adulthood.
• The findings offer valuable benchmarks for assessing physical capacity in a broader age range.