Laboratory determination of maximum oxygen consumption. Do we actually test the maximum values?

The main aim of the article is to enhance the reader interest to the current state of determination ofmaximum oxygen consumption. The issue is still current. Scientists are constantly discussing the testingprotocol design.We want to provide not only an objective view on concept of the testing protocol, but also we wantto have a keen interest in validity criteria of maximum oxygen consumption. In general, VO2 changes≤ 150 ml/min between two consecutive stages is still considered as the primary criteria. On the otherhand, we can also found more strict values VO2 changes ≤ 50–100 ml/min in scientific literature. Besidesthat, the secondary criteria are often used the respiratory exchange ratio ≥ 1.15 and reached ≥ 90 %age predicted maximum heart rate). Subsequently, recent evidence suggests that using verificationphase is a valid tool for scientist (verification phase usually starts until 20 minutes after the completionof the progressive test).This article is not a meta-analysis. The article provides basic information about the fi eld of performancediagnostics. Key aspects of valid VO2max criteria are that they should be objective and specifi cto the subject.