Optimal Duration of Endurance Performance on the Cycle Ergometer in Relation to Maximal Oxygen Intake

The problem was to determine the optimal duration of endurance performance on the bicycle ergometer using max Vdoto2 as the criterion of validity. Max Vdoto2 was measured in 50 male college students using the, step-increment method (the initial resistance was 2·5 at 60 rpm on a bicycle ergometer, and was increased by 0·5 kg each two minutes until the subject would no longer turn.the ergometer, or when the rate fell to 40 to 50 rev/min).,In contrast, the endurance performance test was of the ‘ steady- pace ’ type in which all of the subjects began pedalling at the same initial rate of 69. pedal rpm at a work rate of 1656 kgm/min for 12 minutes. Although the rate of pedalling (and thus the Work rate) declined as fatigue developed, the friction load remained constant at124 kg throughout the test. There were 12 endurance scores for each individual, endurance being measured as the cumulated work done up to a particular minute. The 12 scores ranged from no decrement in the case of a few subjects with complete endurance to 24 percent in the subjeots with least endurance. The validity correlations (i.e., the min-by-min correlations between, max Vdoto2and the 12 endurance scores), progressively increased to Y = 0·78 at minute 12. An empirical equation of the form, Y =C − at, was used to fit. a smooth curve to the trend of the correlations so its' changing rate of curvature could be determined quantitatively. The rate of change was found to slow down considerably in the; later stages of performance, especially after minutes 7 or 8, where the change, was less than 0·04 correlation units. It was concluded that max Vdoto2 does hot predict endurance performance effectively unless the performance is continued for a least 8 minutes under the conditions of the present experiment. With a,12 minute test, the validity is 96 percent of the asymptotic value, suggesting little further gains can be expected beyond 12 minutes.