Purpose
The purpose of the lab is to learn how to measure maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) by a treadmill running test of participants. It also intended to demonstrate how to organize the test and provide its results via tables and graphs.
Methods
These two healthy male participants of the study, Ben and Luka. The participants were outfitted with a heart rate monitor, a metabolic cart backpack, and a mask. Hand signals that are included in the test: thumbs up = feeling good/I understand, thumbs down = not feeling good/I don’t understand, one finger = 1 minute left, hand across throat = stop the test. Before the test, participants chose a speed for a treadmill run at 0% that they could sustain for about 20 minutes. Every 2 minutes, the grade of running will be increased by 2% as good VO2max only occurs 8-12 minutes. Within this timeframe, the participants should reach their VO2max.
During the test, maximal heart rate (HR), V̇O2, and respiratory exchange ratio (RER) are monitored constantly to ensure the right direction of the study. At the end of each stage, the participants are asked about their HR and Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE). The test was terminated once the subjects felt that they could no longer continue. Calculations along with the participants’ time to exhaustion, the last stage reached (% grade), and max RER, HR, and RPE achieved are given in the form of a table and graph.
Results
Subject Luka had relative VO2max of 46.12 ml/kg/min and RER max of 1.19. Subject Ben had relative VO2max of 68.56 ml/kg/min and RER max of 1.23. Remaining results of the test can be seen in the Table 1 below.
Table 1. Data collected from two subjects, Luka and Ben during VO2max test.
Conclusion
The maximum rate at which an individual can consume oxygen is a crucial determinant of work capacity of that individual. It is a widely used measure that is considered as a gold standard of fitness that allow people know different spheres knowing their limits of physical activity. Therefore, learning how to measure VO2max is significant as it is useful for primarily medical purposes along with other purposes, such as personal, which is knowing one’s performance.
One of the examples of using VO2max is seen in the study of Storen at al. (2017). The researchers applied VO2max to analyze the effects of aging on VO2max performance. The study of Storen et al. (2017) suggests that counteracting low activity exercises with effective aerobic endurance training to attenuate some of the VO2max decline can serve as an effective strategy for the improvement of cardiovascular system at any age.
This study shows that VO2max can also be used as a tool for determining better ways of solving medical issues. In addition, maximum oxygen consumption can assist indicating effective training methods or the impact of certain physical activities. For instance, the study of Kusuma (2019) examines the effects of the differences within the preliminary VO2 max level on the Tabata training results. This study demonstrates how VO2max is used to determine medical aspects of specific trainings, suggesting that VO2max had a variety of purposes.
In my study, I test the participants regarding their VO2max to learn how to use this measurement and how to conduct the test itself. Due to the fact that the participants decided the end of the study, there are various markers that can show the validity of whether true VO2max was achieved or not. For example, the VO2 curve is not the same for both participants since they started the test at different time.
This is mainly due to an individual temporary physiological ceiling that is provided by VO2. A true VO2max test should start from a plateau as that ceiling is reached. Additionally, maximum heart rates showed almost the same figures as in the predicated heart rates, proving validity of the test. Another important aspect that demonstrates validity of the test is the timeframe in which test is occurred. Indeed, the test on VO2max should be done within 8-12 minutes. As such, any violation from the timeframe indicates the risk of fatigue which is not related to VO2max testing. Both subjects of the study successfully meet the requirements of these indicators, showing an increased validity.
To conclude, the participants of the study both showed accurate results since the presence of an observable plateau in the participants’ VO2 progressions. Moreover, their respiratory exchange ratios are over 1.10 and their time were between the range of 8-12 minutes, resulting in an increased validity of the test. Due to such small evidence, it can be said that both subjects of study have reached their maximum oxygen consumption. Furthermore, the study showed how to present collected data and relate the results to explanations as well as potential risks.
References
Kusuma, I. (2019). The influence of the differences within the preliminary vo2max level on the Tabata training results. Jurnal SPORTIF: Jurnal Penelitian Pembelajaran, 5(2), 327-341.
Storen, O., Helgerud, J., Saebo, M., Stoa, E. M., Bratland-Sanda, S., Unhjem, R. J., & Wang, E. (2017). The effect of age on the VO2max response to high-intensity interval training. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 49(1), 78-85.