@article {Barker498, author = {A R Barker and C A Williams and A M Jones and N Armstrong}, title = {Establishing maximal oxygen uptake in young people during a ramp cycle test to exhaustion}, volume = {45}, number = {6}, pages = {498--503}, year = {2011}, doi = {10.1136/bjsm.2009.063180}, publisher = {British Association of Sport and Excercise Medicine}, abstract = {Objectives This study tested the hypotheses that (1) secondary criteria (respiratory exchange ratio (RER), heart rate, blood [lactate]) traditionally used to verify the determination of maximum oxygen uptake (V̇O2max) in children can result in the acceptance of a {\textquoteleft}submaximal{\textquoteright} V̇O2max or falsely reject a {\textquoteleft}true{\textquoteright} V̇O2max and (2) the V̇O2peak recorded during a ramp test in children is comparable to the V̇O2peak achieved during supramaximal testing. Methods Thirteen children (9{\textendash}10 years) completed a ramp cycle test to exhaustion to determine their V̇O2peak. After 15 min of recovery, the participants performed a supramaximal cycle test to exhaustion at 105\% of their ramp test peak power. Results Compared with the V̇O2peak during the ramp test, a significantly lower V̇O2 was recorded at a RER of 1.00 (1.293 litre/min (SD 0.265) vs 1.681 litre/min (SD 0.295), p\<0.001, n=12), at a heart rate of 195 beats/min (1.556 litre/min (SD 0.265) vs 1.721 litre/min (SD 0.318), p\<0.001, n=10) and at 85\% of age-predicted maximum (1.345 litre/min (SD 0.228) vs 1.690 litre/min (SD 0.284), p\<0.001, n=13). Supramaximal testing yielded a V̇O2peak that was not significantly different from the ramp test (1.615 litre/min (SD 0.307) vs 1.690 litre/min (SD 0.284), p=0.090, respectively). Conclusions The use of secondary criteria to verify a maximal effort in young people during ramp cycling exercise may result in the acceptance of a submaximal V̇O2max. As supramaximal testing elicits a V̇O2peak similar to the ramp protocol, thus satisfying the plateau criterion, the use of such tests is recommended as the appropriate method of confirming a {\textquoteleft}true{\textquoteright} V̇O2max with children. Keywords Children, Aerobic Fitness, Fitness Testing, Supramaximal Exercise.}, issn = {0306-3674}, URL = {https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/45/6/498}, eprint = {https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/45/6/498.full.pdf}, journal = {British Journal of Sports Medicine} }