Anaerobic threshold for long-term exercise and maximal exercise performance

The anaerobic threshold during graded exercise (GXT, AT1) was determined as the exercise level initiating a curvilinear increase in ventilation (VE), and during prolonged exercise (PXT, 40 min, AT2) as the maximal exercise level where still a steady state for VE can be reached. Subjects were 8 healthy males, 20 to 53 years of age. Maximal exercise capacity was estimated by means of 1) VO2 max 2) max time on bicycle ergometer at 200 Watts and 3) maximal distance run within 12 min (Cooper test). VO2 max was significantly related to AT1, GXT (r = 0.85, 0.01 less than p less than 0.001) and to AT2, PXT (r = 0.75, 0.05 less than p less than 0.01). Also a significant correlation was found between the endurance exercise capacity (= 200 Watts) and both AT1 (r = 0.80; 0.05 less than p less than 0.01) and AT2 (r = 0.84; 0.01 less than p less than 0.001). Finally only AT2 was significantly correlated with the Cooper test (r = 0.81; 0.01 less than p less than 0.001), no significant relationship was found for AT1 (r = 0.68; p less than 0.05). In conclusion AT1 reached the highest correlation with a short maximal exercise test such as VO2 max, in contrast to AT2, which showed the highest correlation with endurance exercise such as Cooper test or maximal exercise time at 200 Watts.