Prediction of maximal oxygen uptake from the ratings of perceived exertion and heart rate during a perceptually-regulated sub-maximal exercise test in active and sedentary participants

摘要

This study assessed whether the accuracy of predicting maximal oxygen uptake $(dot{V}hbox{O}_2hbox{max})$ from sub-maximal heart rate (HR) and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) values was moderated by gender and habitual activity. In total, 27 men and 18 women completed two GXTs to determine $dot{V}hbox{O}_2hbox{max},$ and three perceptually-regulated GXTs, incremented by RPE 9, 11, 13, 15 and 17. The RPE and HR were individually regressed against $dot{V}hbox{O}_2 (sim 0.96)$ to enable predictions of $dot{V}hbox{O}_2hbox{max}.$ The $dot{V}hbox{O}_2hbox{max}$ was predicted from three RPE ranges (9–17, 9–15, 9–13). The RPE ranges were extrapolated to RPE19, RPE20 and age-predicted maximal HR (HRmaxpred). ANOVA revealed no differences between measured and predicted $dot{V}hbox{O}_2hbox{max} (P > 0.05)$ when the RPE range 9–17 was extrapolated to RPE19 and HRmaxpred. Extrapolation of RPE 9–17 to RPE20 overestimated $dot{V}hbox{O}_2hbox{max} (P < 0.05),$ but no differences were observed when predicted from the RPE ranges 9–15 and 9–13. The prediction of $dot{V}hbox{O}_2hbox{max}$ was not moderated by gender or activity status. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that HR explained additional variance in $dot{V}hbox{O}_2$ when added to the RPE (2%). Hierarchical multiple regression analysis also indicated that $dot{V}hbox{O}_2hbox{max}$ was significantly correlated with power output at sub-maximal RPE values of 13 and 15 (P < 0.01) in men and women. The addition of HRmaxpred improved the accuracy of the prediction equation for men (P = 0.05) but not for women. The study confirmed the validity of estimating $dot{V}hbox{O}_2hbox{max}$ from perceptually-regulated, sub-maximal GXT and indicated the potential utility of regression analysis to gauge appropriate sub-maximal exercise intensities.