Oxygen uptake and carbon dioxide output were measured in 32 untrained subjects during exercise on the bicycle ergometer. It was shown that the work respiratory quotient (RQ) under standardized conditions can be used as a measure of physical fitness. ΔRQ (work RQ minus 0.75) increases logarithmically with the work load and maximal O2 uptake is reached at a ΔRQ value of 0.40. This observation offered the possibility of predicting the maximal O2 uptake of a person, based on the measurement of RQ during a single bicycle ergometer test at a submaximal load. For each work RQ between 0.95 and 1.15 a factor was presented, together with the aid of a simple equation, which gave a good approximation (generally better than ±10%) of the maximal O2 uptake.
Maximal oxygen uptakes were compared with the results from five different tests of physical work capacity in 96 men, 23–62 years of age. In addition, the 'predicted' maximal oxygen uptakes, according to the Ǻstrand-Ryhming nomogram, were compared with the actual measured maximal oxygen uptakes in the 28 subjects who were between 20 and 30 years of age. There was a statistically significant correlation between the maximal oxygen uptake and the following tests: the Harvard step test (P < .001); a new modified step test in which adjustments were made for the body weight and the length of the legs of the subject (P < .001); the Master step test (P < .05); and the Amplituden-Puls-Frequenz test, (P < .02). There was no statistically significant correlation between the maximal oxygen uptake and the Leistungs-Pulsindex. The correlation between the predicted maximal oxygen uptake and the measured maximal oxygen uptake was statistically significant at the .01 level. Submitted on May 16, 1960
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.