Comparative Analysis of Direct and Indirect Methods for the Determination of Maximal Oxygen Uptake in Sedentary Young Adults

Abstract

Maximal oxygen uptake is a powerful prognostic indicator and a reliable measure of physical conditioning. It can be measured directly by cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) or indirectly by formulas derived from conventional protocols. We compared the VO 2 max obtained by formula using exercise testing with Bruce protocol (BP) with the VO 2 max obtained by CPET on the treadmill. We selected 41 healthy, non-obese, physically inactive young volunteers, aged between 21 and 50 years, residents of Florianópolis, Brazil. Twenty-one women (52%) with mean age of 35.62 ± 8.83 years, and 20 males, with mean age of 32.