VO2max prediction based on submaximal cardiorespiratory relationships and body composition in male runners and cyclists: a population study
- Jozef Pilsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw, Poland
- Medical University of Warsaw, Poland
- Institute of Sport-National Research Institute, Poland
Abstract
Backround: Oxygen uptake (VO2) is one of the most important measures of fitness and critical vital sign. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is a valuable method of assessing fitness in sport and clinical settings. There is a lack of large studies on athletic populations to predict VO2max using somatic or submaximal CPET variables. Thus, this study aimed to: (1) derive prediction models for maximal VO2 (VO2max) based on submaximal exercise variables at anaerobic threshold (AT) or respiratory compensation point (RCP) or only somatic and (2) internally validate provided equations.
Methods: 4424 male endurance athletes (EA) underwent maximal symptom-limited CPET on a treadmill (n=3330) or cycle ergometer (n=1094). The cohort was randomly divided between: variables selection (nrunners=1998; ncyclist=656), model building (nrunners=666; ncyclist=219) and validation (nrunners=666; ncyclist=219). Random Forest was used to select the most significant variables. Models were derived and internally validated with Multiple Linear Regression.
Results: Runners were 36.24±8.45 yrs.; BMI=23.94±2.43 kg·m−2; VO2max=53.81±6.67 mL·min−1·kg−1. Cyclists were 37.33±9.13 yr.; BMI=24.34±2.63 kg·m−2; VO2max=51.74±7.99 mL·min−1·kg−1. VO2 at AT and RCP were the most contributing variables to exercise equations. Body mass and body fat had the highest impact on the somatic equation. Model performance for VO2max based on variables at AT was R2=0.81, at RCP was R2=0.91, at AT&RCP was R2=0.91 and for somatic-only was R2=0.43.
Conclusions: Derived prediction models were highly accurate and fairly replicable. Formulae allow for precise estimation of VO2max based on submaximal exercise performance or somatic variables. Presented models are applicable for sport and clinical settling. They are a valuable supplementary method for fitness practitioners to adjust individualised training recommendations.
Funding: No external funding was received for this work.
Data availability
All data generated or analysed during this study are included in the manuscript.
Article and author information
Author details
Przemysław Seweryn Kasiak
Funding
No external funding was received for this work
Ethics
Human subjects: The Institutional Review Board of the Bioethical Committee at the Medical University of Warsaw (AKBE/32/2021) has approved the study protocol. The regulations of the Declaration of Helsinki were met during all parts of the study. Each subject delivered written consent to undergo CPET and participate in the study
Copyright
© 2023, Wiecha et al.
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License permitting unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.
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VO2max prediction based on submaximal cardiorespiratory relationships and body composition in male runners and cyclists: a population study
eLife 12:e86291.
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.86291
