Mean power output for muscular endurance exercises and maximal oxygen uptake in military young adults

Abstract

The American Heart Association recommends a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) and some alternative exercise tests to evaluate maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) of youth. Power output has shown a high correlation with VO2max on a CPET. However, the correlations between mean power output (MPO) for muscular endurance exercises and VO2max measured from a CPET are not established in young adults. Forty-five volunteers, with an average age of 29.93 ± 7.05 years, from a sample of 1120 military personnel in Taiwan who attended a 2-minute pushup test and a 2-minute sit-up test were included in the current study. These volunteers subsequently underwent a CPET using the Bruce protocol to assess VO2max. According to the physics rule, MPO (watts) for the muscular endurance test was defined as a product of moving distance and force: [1/5 × body height (m) × numbers performed × body mass (kg) × gravity (9.8 m/s2)]. Pearson correlation analyses were performed. For the 2-min pushups, the correlations (r) between pushup numbers and VO2max with and without body mass adjustment were 0.541 (P