Treadmill testing:
(1) Exercise is at 3.5 mph with a 10% grade
(2) Oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production and heart rate are measured during the third minute of exercising.
Using Treadmill Data
maximum oxygen uptake in liters per minute =
= (0.835 * (oxygen consumption in liters/min)) - (0.003 * (heart rate in beats per minute)) + (0.017 * (height in cm)) - 1.133
maximum oxygen uptake in mL per kg per minute =
= (-0.085 * (heart rate in beats per minute)) - (9.459 * (carbon dioxide production in liters per minute)) + (0.977 * (oxygen consumption in mL per kg per minute)) + (1.683 * (age in years)) + 23.14
where:
• oxygen consumption in mL per kg per min = (oxygen consumption in L/min) * 1000 / (body weight in kilograms)
multiple correlation (R) values
• for maximum oxygen uptake in L/min: 0.95
• for maximum oxygen uptake in L/kg/min: 0.94
Not Using Treadmill Data
maximum oxygen uptake in liters per minute =
= (0.051 * (age in years)) + (0.014 * (height in cm)) + (0.023 * (weight in kilograms)) - 1.543
maximum oxygen uptake in mL per kg per minute =
= (1.341 * (age in years)) + (0.248 * (height in cm)) - (0.522 * (weight in kg)) + 17.84
multiple correlation (R) values
• for maximum oxygen uptake in L/min: 0.62
• for maximum oxygen uptake in L/kg/min: 0.52
Limitation:
• The equations based on body measurement alone tended to underestimate the maximum oxygen uptake slightly (by 0.09 L/min or 2.2 mL/kg/min).
