Development of peak oxygen uptake from 11–16 years determined using both treadmill and cycle ergometry

Abstract

Purposes: To investigate the development of peak oxygen uptake (V˙ O 2 ) assessed on both a treadmill and a cycle ergometer in relation with sex and concurrent changes in age, body mass, fat-free mass (FFM), and maturity status and to evaluate currently proposed ‘clinical red flags’ or health-related cut-points for peak V˙ O 2 . Methods: Multiplicative multilevel modelling, which enables the effects of variables to be partitioned concurrently within an allometric framework, was used to analyze the peak V˙ O 2 s of 138 (72 boys) students initially aged 11–14 years and tested on three annual occasions. Models were founded on 640 (340 from boys) determinations of peak V˙ O 2 , supported by anthropometric measures and maturity status. Results: Mean peak V˙ O 2 s were 11–14% higher on a treadmill. The data did not meet the statistical assumptions underpinning ratio scaling of peak V˙ O 2 with body mass. With body mass appropriately controlled for boys’ peak V˙ O 2 s were higher than girls’ values and the difference increased with age. The development of peak V˙ O 2 was sex-specific, but within sex models were similar on both ergometers with FFM the dominant anthropometric factor. Conclusions: Data should not be pooled for analysis but data from either ergometer can be used independently to interpret the development of peak V˙ O 2 in youth. On both ergometers and in both sexes, FFM is the most powerful morphological influence on the development of peak V˙ O 2 . ‘Clinical red flags’ or health-related cut-points proposed without consideration of exercise mode and founded on peak V˙ O 2 in ratio with body mass are fallacious.