Comparison of Peak Oxygen Uptake and Test-Retest Reliability of Physiological Parameters between Closed-End and Incremental Upper-Body Poling Tests

Abstract

Objective: To compare peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) and the test-retest reliability of physiological parameters between a 1-min and a 3-min closed-end and an incremental open-end upper-body poling test.Methods: On two separate test days, 24 healthy, upper-body trained men (age: 28.3 ± 9.3 years, body mass: 77.4 ± 8.9 kg, height: 182 ± 7 cm) performed a 1-min, a 3-min and an incremental test to volitional exhaustion in the same random order. Respiratory parameters, heart rate (HR), blood lactate concentration (BLa), rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and power output were measured. VO2peak was determined as the single highest 30-s average. Relative reliability was assessed with the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC2, 1) and absolute reliability with the standard error of measurement (SEM) and smallest detectable change (SDC).Results: The incremental (3.50 ± 0.46 L·min−1 and 45.4 ± 5.5 mL·kg−1·min−1) and the 3-min test (3.42 ± 0.47 L·min−1 and 44.5 ± 5.5 mL·kg−1·min−1) resulted in significantly higher absolute and body-mass normalized VO2peak compared to the 1-min test (3.13 ± 0.40 L·min−1 and 40.4 ± 5.0 mL·kg−1·min−1) (all comparisons, p < 0.001). Furthermore, the incremental test resulted in a significantly higher VO2peak as compared to the 3-min test (p < 0.001). VO2peak was significantly higher on day 1 than day 2 for the 1-min test (p < 0.05) and displayed a trend toward higher values on day 2 for the incremental test (p = 0.07). High and very high ICCs across all physiological parameters were found for the 1-min (0.827–0.956), the 3-min (0.916–0.949), and the incremental test (0.728–0.956). The SDC was consistently small for HR (1-min: 4%, 3-min: 4%, incremental: 3%), moderate for absolute and body-mass normalized VO2peak (1-min: 5%, 3-min: 6%, incremental: 7%) and large for BLa (1-min: 20%, 3-min: 12%, incremental: 22%).Conclusions: Whereas both the 3-min and the incremental test display high relative reliability, the incremental test induces slightly higher VO2peak. However, the 3-min test seems to be more stable with respect to day-to-day differences in VO2peak. The 1-min test would provide a reliable alternative when short test-duration is desirable, but is not recommended for testing VO2peak due to the clearly lower values.

Effects of different increments in workload and duration on peak physiological responses during seated upper-body poling

“…Figure 1 Test set-up with the participant seated in front of the Concept2 Ski-Ergometer. This figure has previously been published by our research group (Baumgart et al 2017). Permission of reprint has been granted Figure 2 Power output, V ̇O2, V ̇CO2 and VE for the four test protocols in 13 male upper-body trained participants.…”

“…For example, in Para ice hockey, Para cross-country sit skiing and Para biathlon, testing V ̇O2peak in the upper-body poling (UBP) mode may be a more sport-specific alternative compared to the ACE or wheelchair ergometer mode. Furthermore, the reliability of seated UBP for testing V ̇O2peak has been established while employing different incremental and all-out closed-ended test protocols in able-bodied cross-country skiers (Baumgart et al 2017).…”

Development of a Framework for the Investigation of Speed, Power, and Kinematic Patterns in Para Cross-Country Sit-Skiing: A Case Study of an LW12 Athlete

“…Even though the VO 2peak of the XC sit-skier (53 mL·kg −1 ·min −1 ) in this study is above the mean provided for a group of Nordic sit-skiers in a previous study (46 mL·kg −1 ·min −1 ) (Baumgart et al, 2018a ), it is much lower compared to elite standing XC skiers (80–90 mL·kg −1 ·min −1 ) (Haugen et al, 2018 ). Accordingly, training in the sitting mode taxes the cardio-respiratory system to a lesser extent (Reybrouck et al, 1975 ; Hegge et al, 2015a ; Baumgart et al, 2017 ). Furthermore, not only the absolute values but also the % of maximal speed and power output utilized during HIT and LIT were lower than what has previously been found in XC skiers (Stöggl and Holmberg, 2016 ; Solli et al, 2018 ; Haugnes et al, 2019 ).…”

Test–Retest Reliability of Physiological Variables During Submaximal Seated Upper-Body Poling in Able-Bodied Participants

“…To date, good-to-excellent test-retest reliability of physiological variables has been established during submaximal ( Van't Hul et al, 2003;Eng et al, 2004) and maximal lower-body exercise (McArdle et al, 1972;Beekley et al, 2004;Sartor et al, 2013;Ekblom-Bak et al, 2014). Furthermore, during maximal upperbody exercise testing, the reliability of peak physiological variables was shown to be good to excellent (Leicht et al, 2009(Leicht et al, , 2013Flueck et al, 2015;Baumgart et al, 2017;Gauthier et al, 2017a). The only two studies that investigated the test-retest reliability of physiological variables during submaximal upper-body exercise, did so at moderate intensity, in both patients with spinal cord injury and able-bodied participants, and employed an arm crank ergometer (Hol et al, 2007;Bulthuis et al, 2010).…”

“…In a sports context, testing should be performed in specific exercise modalities to ensure that the investigated variables are reflective of the demands of the sport in question ( Pechar et al, 1974 ; Roels et al, 2005 ). This also applies to sitting Para cross-country skiers, Para biathletes, and Para ice hockey players, for whom the seated upper-body poling (UBP) modality is sport-specific ( Baumgart et al, 2017 ).…”