Kinetics of oxygen uptake for submaximal exercise in hyperoxia, normoxia, and hypoxia

This study evaluated the dynamic response of VO2 in 6 healthy men at the onset and end of submaximal step changes in work rate during a pseudorandom binary sequence (PRBS) exercise test and during ramp incremental exercise to exhaustion while breathing three different gas mixtures. The fractional concentrations of inspired O2 were 0.14, 0.21, and 0.70 for the hypoxic, normoxic, and hyperoxic tests, respectively. Both maximal VO2 and work rate was significantly reduced in hypoxic tests compared to normoxic and hyperoxic tests. Maximal work rate was greater in hyperoxia than in normoxia. Work rate at ventilatory threshold was lower in hypoxia than in normoxia and hyperoxia but above the upper limit of exercise for the submaximal tests. Hypoxia significantly slowed the response of VO2 both at the onset and end of exercise compared to normoxia and hyperoxia. Hypoxia also modified the response to PRBS exercise, and again there was no difference between normoxia and hyperoxia. These data support the concept that VO2 kinetics can be slowed from the normoxic response by a hypoxic gas mixture.