A new incremental test for VO2max accurate measurement by increasing VO2max plateau duration, allowing the investigation of its limiting factors

International audienceThe purpose of this study was to (1) validate anew exercise protocol for accurate measurement of VO2max by obtention of a VO2max plateau for all subjects fit and unfit (2) test the hypothesis that VO 2max plateau duration is not correlated with VO2max and (3) verify that limiting factors of VO2max plateau duration are different from those of VO2max amplitude. Therefore, 14 subjects performed two incremental cycling tests (1) a classical incremental test (CIT) to determine VO2max, the power at VO2max (PVO 2max) and at the lactate threshold (PLT) (2) a new incremental test (NIT) in which the power was decreased just after the subject reached VO 2max. During both protocols, heart rate, stroke volume, cardiac output, the arterio-venous difference and the oxygen blood saturation were recorded. The results showed that, with the NIT, subject could maintain along VO2max plateau (6 ± 3 min), even those who could not reach VO2max plateau at the end of CIT (n = 5). The VO2max plateau duration was not correlated with VO2max amplitude which was correlated with the power at SVmax (r = 0.888, pandlt;0.001). The VO2max plateau duration was correlated with the power decrease (W/s) during the VO2max plateau (r = -0.72, p = 0.003) but not with cardiac-related factors nor with PVO2max. In conclusion, these experiments showed that it was possible to get a long VO2max plateau at the end of NIT whatever the individual VO2max amplitude was. The limiting factor of VO2max duration was the power output. © 2011 Springer-Verlag