Question

Lalita is a 25-year-old triathlete who is serving as the subject for your class’s graded treadmill test. You have decided to use the Bruce protocol for this test. At the end of the test, her RER is 0.98, her RPE is 20, and the highest heart rate that she achieved was 165 beats ∙ min⁻¹. Did she reach her V̇O₂max?

Bruce protocol for Women - VO2MAX= (4.38 x time) - 3.90

Answer 1

Here, RER stands for Respiratory Exchange Ratio which is the amount of CO2 produced divided by amount of O2 used. A RER of 0.98 means a mixture of both carbohydrates and fats are being used up for providing energy.

RPE stands for Rating of Perceived Exertion. RPE of 20 means maximal exertion.

Maximum Heart Rate given is 165 beats/min.

We need the time taken by the athlete in treadmill. But from the above information, it is hard to find out. It would have been a bit more easy to calculate if the Resting Heart Rate was given.

Usually, the readings for a woman athlete of age 25years are :- <23.6 -very poor 23.6-28.9- poor

29-32.9 - fair 33-36.9-good 37-41-Excellent

>41-Superior.