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Updated: Jan 14, 2026
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Conducting Maximal and Submaximal Endurance Exercise Testing to Measure Physiological and Biological Responses to Acute Exercise in Humans
Published on: October 17, 2018
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Methods modulate: protocol choice shapes apparent sex differences in the determination of exercise intensity.
Benedikt Meixner1,2,3, Marcelle Schaffarczyk1, Billy Sperlich1
1Integrative and Experimental Exercise Science & Training, Department of Sport Science, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
Summary
Exercise intensity differences between sexes depend on the chosen reference maximum and testing protocol. Different protocols can alter the apparent magnitude or direction of these sex-based differences in relative intensity.
Area of Science:
- Exercise Physiology
- Sports Science
- Human Performance
Background:
- Exercise intensity is commonly prescribed using a percentage of a maximum reference value.
- The selection of this reference point and the protocol used to determine it can introduce bias in observed sex differences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if female-male differences in relative exercise intensity vary based on the protocol (ramp vs. step) used to determine maximum reference points (VO₂max or PPO).
Main Methods:
- Fifty trained cyclists (30 males, 20 females) underwent both ramp-incremental and 3-min step tests on a cycle ergometer.
- Maximum oxygen uptake (VO₂max) and peak power output (PPO) were determined from each protocol.
- Relative intensity was calculated based on VO₂max and PPO from both protocols, with statistical analysis examining sex and protocol effects.
Main Results:
- VO₂-based relative intensity showed small but significant protocol effects.
- Males exhibited higher relative intensities for all lactate-based thresholds when expressed relative to power.
- Sex by protocol interactions indicated that the reference protocol influences the observed sex differences in relative intensity.
Conclusions:
- Apparent sex differences in relative exercise intensity are contingent upon the definition and measurement method of the maximum reference value.
- The physiological strain experienced at the same relative intensity may not be equivalent between sexes due to protocol-dependent differences.
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