A VO_2max Protocol for Young, Apparently Healthy Adults

The Bruce and Astrand treadmill protocols are commonly utilized when assessing maximal oxygen consumption (VO_2max). However, the steep grade implemented in the protocols often leads to localized muscular fatigue, potentially causing participants prematurely to terminate the test prior to reaching their true VO_2max. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a Novel VO_2max protocol that may be better suited for young, apparently healthy populations. The Novel protocol starts at a higher speed and lower initial grade to limit lower extremity fatigue. Fifteen participants performed the Bruce, Astrand, and Novel protocols with the following maximal values recorded from each: VO_2max, maximal ventilation (VE_max), respiratory exchange ratio (RER), heart rate (HR), rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and time to exhaustion (TTE). The Novel protocol displayed substantial agreement with both criterion protocols. Mean absolute percent error (MAPE) was less than 10% indicating that the Novel protocol is a valid measurement for VO_2max values. Bland-Altman analysis revealed that the Novel protocol exhibited a low degree of bias, with tight limits of agreement when compared to the Bruce (bias ±95% LOA = 0.824 ± 3.163) and Astrand protocols (-0.153 ± 3.528) for VO_2max. A paired samples t-test revealed no significant differences between Novel and criterion protocols for VO_2max. Paired samples t-tests revealed that the Novel protocol had significantly lower TTE when compared to the Bruce and Astrand protocols and produced similar VO_2max values to that of the Bruce and Astrand. The Novel protocol may be considered a valid and time-efficient protocol.