Vo2 Max Lab Report
The value of VO2 max represents a body’s ability to generate energy, such as ATP, necessary for physical activities (Di Giuseppe, 2003). The equation VO2 max (mL/kg/min) is 132.853 – 0.1696m – 0.3877a + 6.3150g – 3.2649t – 0.1565r, where m is mass of a person in kilogram, a is the age of the person, g is equal to one for male zero for female, t is time in minutes, and r is heart rate calculated in beats in a minute. There are a lot of ways to measure the VO2 ¬max; in this experiment, students will walk around the school four times, approximately 1.6 kilometers, as quickly as possible, then starts counting one’s heart rate immediately after the walk. Another way to measure the VO2 max is to do a treadmill test such as the Bruce treadmill test.
…show more content…
For men, the VO2 max is equal to 14.8 - (1.379 x T) + (0.451 x T2) - (0.012 x T3). For women, the VO2 max is 4.38 x T - 3.9, where T represents the time in minutes spent on the treadmill (Sport fitness advisor, n.d.). Bruce treadmill test is not the only treadmill protocol to evaluate VO2 max, in fact there are many of them. For example, the Balke treadmill test, Naughton treadmill test, and the Ellestad treadmill test. In comparison to the Bruce treadmill test, the Balke treadmill test is carried out at a slower pace which allows cardiac patients to be able to take the test. Patients who take the Balk treadmill protocol will first start with a 10-minute warm up at their desired pace to get their muscles warmed up. Then the test is divided into two pathways: males’ and females’. If the test taker is a male, he is going to start at a constant speed of 3.3 mph. There is 0% incline during the first minute, after one minute the inclination increases by 2% and 1% thereafter every minute. However, if the test taker is a female, she is going to start with 3.0 mph, then it will increase 2.5% every three minutes. Notice that differ from Bruce treadmill test where both inclination and speed increase over a course of time, the Balke treadmill only increases the inclination. The test taker has to keep walking until he/she is exhausted and cannot carry on anymore (Creighton, 2015).
For men, the VO2 max is equal to 14.8 - (1.379 x T) + (0.451 x T2) - (0.012 x T3). For women, the VO2 max is 4.38 x T - 3.9, where T represents the time in minutes spent on the treadmill (Sport fitness advisor, n.d.). Bruce treadmill test is not the only treadmill protocol to evaluate VO2 max, in fact there are many of them. For example, the Balke treadmill test, Naughton treadmill test, and the Ellestad treadmill test. In comparison to the Bruce treadmill test, the Balke treadmill test is carried out at a slower pace which allows cardiac patients to be able to take the test. Patients who take the Balk treadmill protocol will first start with a 10-minute warm up at their desired pace to get their muscles warmed up. Then the test is divided into two pathways: males’ and females’. If the test taker is a male, he is going to start at a constant speed of 3.3 mph. There is 0% incline during the first minute, after one minute the inclination increases by 2% and 1% thereafter every minute. However, if the test taker is a female, she is going to start with 3.0 mph, then it will increase 2.5% every three minutes. Notice that differ from Bruce treadmill test where both inclination and speed increase over a course of time, the Balke treadmill only increases the inclination. The test taker has to keep walking until he/she is exhausted and cannot carry on anymore (Creighton, 2015).