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VO2 Max Test Run vs Cycle
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yesterday, i participated in a professional vo2 max test. i kind of lucked out; a professor at a university was doing a study on cyclists, and did the vo2 max test and hydrostatic weighing for free as part of it.

but it left me wondering if i reached my max...

the test was performed on a cycle with gradually increasing resistance until failure. it took 17 minutes. there is a mouthpiece with a gas analysis machine hooked up to a computer.

my confusion lies in what caused my final failure. strength or oxygen delivery?

i was designed with a smaller build, and i am by no means a 'sprinter'. i can spin along with reasonable power for an endurance ride, but successful sprint and strength intervals are very foreign to me. i cried uncle when i just couldn't get the pedals to turn anymore. but here's the weird thing.... my max hr ended up at 186. in a 10k run with a race# on, i get to 198 bpm at the finish line. on the analysis graph, it appears that heart rate, resistance, and vo2 all rise in a linear fashion until failure. vo2 never tapered off, so if i could have done another increment, i could have registered another uptick in vo2 - i think. it seems that if i did the test on the treadmill and went to 198 bpm (and much higher perceived exertion), is that a better opportunity to stress test the vo2 system?

also, i am training for boston right now, and am only spending limited time on the bike, so maybe my legs just weren't ready to take my heart rate up to where i was asking it to go?

or.... is cycling max hr in fact that much lower than running?

It's not easy to juggle a pregnant wife and a troubled child, but somehow I managed to squeeze in 8 hours of TV a day - Homer Simpson
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Re: VO2 Max Test Run vs Cycle [TheMonkey] [ In reply to ]
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Mine was two beats lower, but they said that was unusual. It is normal that if you're not cycling as much, that number would be lower.
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Re: VO2 Max Test Run vs Cycle [TheMonkey] [ In reply to ]
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Bike VO2 max is almost always (except in trained cyclists) lower than run VO2 max. Run VO2 max is usually limited by your cardiovascular system. Bike VO2 max is usually leg muscle fatigue limited, not cardiovascular system limited. Your LT and max HR is usually lower on a bike test.

Mike P.
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Re: VO2 Max Test Run vs Cycle [Mike Prevost] [ In reply to ]
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thanks mike -

your statement about lt being lower on a bike makes sense to me. it was tested at 167 bpm on the bike yesterday, and i know it's 172ish on the run. but...

for max hr, isn't 186 bike unusually lower than a 198 run? 13 (oops... 12) beats sounds like a big difference to me.

also - as i approach failure, is it normal for vo2 max to increase every time effort increases? i thought that it would level off, or at least start to have diminishing gains before failure.

It's not easy to juggle a pregnant wife and a troubled child, but somehow I managed to squeeze in 8 hours of TV a day - Homer Simpson
Last edited by: TheMonkey: Feb 25, 04 14:35
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Re: VO2 Max Test Run vs Cycle [TheMonkey] [ In reply to ]
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strength or oxygen delivery?

Aerobic capacity is the limiter in cycling for more than 10-12 minutes. Metabolism is your limiter in a step test. You couldn't turn the pedals over any more because your leg muscle cells ran out of ability to keep the ATP train rolling. Hence, that point is the point at which you can process no more O2 -- VO2max.

here's the weird thing.... my max hr ended up at 186. in a 10k run with a race# on, i get to 198 bpm at the finish line.

The 10k was longer, and your HR had more time to rise over the course of the effort. If you did a 35-minute bike TT, your ending HR would likely be higher than 186. But, a bike VO2max test isn't interested in your HR; it's interested in how much oxygen you can process, and at what power levels. You also probably (like most of us) have a higher respiratory and heart rate when running hard than when cycling hard. Normal.

on the analysis graph, it appears that heart rate, resistance, and vo2 all rise in a linear fashion until failure. vo2 never tapered off, so if i could have done another increment, i could have registered another uptick in vo2 -

Yup. Well, that's how it goes. If you get more fit, maybe you can step up to the next wattage level next time.

it seems that if i did the test on the treadmill and went to 198 bpm (and much higher perceived exertion), is that a better opportunity to stress test the vo2 system?

Just because your HR is higher on the run doesn't mean you are processing more O2 through your body.
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Re: VO2 Max Test Run vs Cycle [TheMonkey] [ In reply to ]
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The 12 beat difference between the two sports doesn't surprise me. I'm not much different (max HR of 163 on the bike in a lab and 177 on the run). I think being adequately warmed up plays an important role also...especially on the bike. When I ride outdoors, I need a solid hour and a hill or two before my legs start functioning properly and not going lactic at lower wattages. I was just tested myself last week and my VO2max on the treadmill has always been much higher than my bike VO2max, even though cycling is my strong suit and my running is relatively weak.

TriDi
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