Prediction of peak oxygen uptake from age and power output at RPE 15 in obese women

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop a simple, convenient and indirect method for predicting peak oxygen uptake ($\dot{V}{\text{O}}_{{2{\text{peak}}}}$) from a sub-maximal graded exercise test (GXT), in obese women. Thirty obese women performed GXT to volitional exhaustion. During GXT, oxygen uptake and the power at RPE 15 ($P_{{{\text{RPE}}\;15}}$) were measured, and $\dot{V}{\text{O}}_{{2{\text{peak}}}}$ was determined. Following assessment of the relationships between $\dot{V}{\text{O}}_{{2{\text{peak}}}}$ and $P_{{{\text{RPE}}\;15}}$, age, height and mass were made available in a stepwise multiple regression analysis with $\dot{V}{\text{O}}_{{2{\text{peak}}}}$ as the dependent variable. The equation to predict $\dot{V}{\text{O}}_{{2{\text{peak}}}}$ was:

$$ \dot{V}{\text{O}}_{{ 2 {\text{peak}}}} ({\text{l}}\,{\hbox{min}}^{ -1}) = 1.355 - 9.920{\text{e}}^{ - 3} \times {\text{age + 8}} . 4 9 7 {\text{e}}^{ - 3} \times P_{{{\text{RPE}}\;15}} $$

(r = 0.83; SEE = 0.156 l min⁻¹). This study suggests that age and $P_{{{\text{RPE}}\;15}}$ elicited during a sub-maximal GXT provides a reasonably accurate prediction of $\dot{V}{\text{O}}_{{2{\text{peak}}}}$ in obese women.