Abstract
The Wattbike includes a 3-minute aerobic test (3mAT) along with an estimation of Vo2max. The estimation equation that is used is froma previous study using a different protocol and sedentary subjects. The purpose of this study was to determine whether (a) the 3mAT is able to elicit Vo2max, and (b) whether this estimation is accurate. Thirteen cyclists (10 men; age: 29.2±10.0 years, height 178.7±8.3 cm, and mass 75.1±12.5 kg) with a range of experience volunteered for this study. At the first visit, a self-paced VO2max (SPV) test was performed to obtain the "true" Vo2max. At the second session, subjects completed the 3mAT. Primary dependent variables included maximal values of oxygen consumption (VO2), carbon dioxide production (VCO2), heart rate (HR), ventilation (VE), and respiratory exchange ratio (RER). A repeated-measures analysis of variance showed no difference (p 5 0.367) between VO2max values (3mAT estimation: 54.3±9.3 ml kg21 min21, 3mAT measured: 52.568.7, SPV: 54.069.7). Paired-samples t-tests showed thatHR (p50.027) was higher in the SPV (184.7610.6 vs. 180.966.3 b min21), whereas RER and VCO2 were both higher in the 3mAT (1.29±0.10 vs. 1.19±0.06 and 4.92±1.01 vs. 4.62±0.98, respectively; both p , 0.05). The intraclass correlation between the VO2max measured from the SPV and 3mAT was 0.96 (95% CI: 0.88-0.99, p,0.001), and between the 3mAT measured and estimated values was 0.91 (95%CI: 0.71-0.97 p,0.001). If an athlete has access to a Wattbike, they can complete the 3mAT, receive their VO2max estimation, and be confident of its accuracy.