Gas Exchange Threshold and V[Combining Dot Above]O2max Testing for Athletes

Pettitt, RW, Clark, IE, Ebner, SM, Sedgeman, DT, and Murray, SR. Gas exchange threshold and V[Combining Dot Above]O2max testing for athletes: An update. J Strength Cond Res 27(2): 549–555, 2013—Standardized graded exercise test (GXT) protocols are ineffective for testing endurance athletes. Scientists have called for the abandonment of traditional techniques for corroborating “true” maximum oxygen uptake (V[Combining Dot Above]O2max), as measured during a GXT. Instead, a new technique, the verification bout subsequent to the GXT, has emerged for establishing the “true” V[Combining Dot Above]O2max. The addition of the verification bout reframes how the GXT should be viewed. In this article, we summarize the methods for developing custom GXT protocols, identifying threshold and interpolating power or outdoor running velocity, and implicating the verification bout.