Opportunity: heart rate zone testing

If you are between the ages of 40 and 59, live near Knoxville, and would like to find out what your aerobic fitness level is and determine the optimal heart rate training zone for you (plus maKe $50 in the process) this is for you.

One of my exercise physiology classmates is working on his thesis. He needs volunteers over the next week to do treadmill testing. Each person will do 2 tests on 2 consecutive days, each one taking about 30 minutes of your time.

The first day is a submaximal test and the second day is a maximal test. For participating you will:

(1) Find out what your maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) is (this measures your aerobic fitness level).

(2) Get information on your heart rate response

(3) Get a scientific determination of your otimal Heart Rate training zones

(4) get $50

There are some differences in numbers 1-3 between a treadmill and a cycle ergometer (running vs. cycling) but the information is still useful for cyclists and definately useful for anyone who cross trains.

He needs 10 more people. Male or female. Testing is scheduled to continue through Friday April 11th. He will fit the testing into your schedule, days weekends, or after work; whatever is convenient for you.

The investigator's name is Jungmin Lee. Email address: jlee55*utk.edu
Cell Phone: (865) 202-9545.

You do not have to be a highly trained athlete to participate. I've done these tests myself and I'm 50 pounds overweight.

I'm attaching a copy of his flyer.

Thanks

 

The flyer was too big to post. However, all contact info is in the original post.

 

Hey Mike, I'd come, but it is just a little too far. Hope he makes out good with this project.

 

I told him I would do it. I will see if he responds. I'll let the group know what I went through if this works for both of us.

 

OK, are you ready for a good laugh!!! Well here it comes.

Mike Lundy posted that a graduate student at UT is looking for participants in a VO2 (volume of oxygen output) study. It requires going in twice, walking on a treadmill and having a mask strapped over your face. From this they can measure your VO2. They are testing this new quick machine against the old “standard” machine to see if it is as accurate.

Well today,I went to have my VO2 tested for the first time. Now the last time my heart was tested was for some unusual p waves my ECG showed up. I had a heart rate monitor strapped on and got on a treadmill that kept increasing until I was at 150 bpm (beats per minute). Then you jump off the machine and they tell you not to breathe while they take an ultrasound movie of your heart. Try getting your heart to 150 bpm and not gulping gallons of air at the same time. It ain’t easy!!! Anyway, the nurses said I did well. Most of their clients only lasted 2 to 3 minutes while I lasted 12. Cardiologist also said I was in good sharp.

So armed with that knowledge I eagerly go in to have my virile health testing again. I met a nice young man who had me fill out a medical questionnaire and liability waiver. I commented “I bet I am the oldest person you have tested.” He looked at me and said he didn’t think so. He asked how old I was. When I told him, he couldn’t believe it. (I bet he thought he should go out and get a portable defibulator for the old geezer!) So yes I am his oldest subject.

He put on a heart monitor, put a mask over my face and stuck me on the treadmill. He said it would go 3 minutes at a certain incline, then increase speed for another 3 minutes, etc until my heart rate went up to 183 bpm. Now I was thinking to myself, I will really be huffing and puffing because I start breathing hard at 160 bpm!!! So I prepared myself to get some SERIOUS huffing and puffing in. The test started. First 3 minutes was a breeze. Second 3 minutes I was still breathing out of my nose albeit with more volume and frequency. Third 3 minutes started and I was walking about as fast as I could without jogging. I started breathing through my mouth and thought to myself, I still have a long way to go because I was not breathing that hard when he said I was finished. I was surprised. I asked, is my heart rate 183? He said no, it was 138. That was my limit for my age. He reversed the numbers when he told me the first time. Well that made a lot more sense to me.

So I asked him what was my VO2 (Mike you can explain what that is much better than I) and he said 29.4% I smiled and asked if that was good (knowing all my years of jogging and biking were paying off) and he looked at the scale and it said POOR!!! He immediately backtracked and said, for someone my age it is probably good but he wasn’t sure. I personally think the machine malfunctioned. How could I not get a stellar report????

So I had my ego duly deflated. I still have to go in again to obtain my “poor” rating on the old standard machine. That will teach me to get my head to big. Looks like I need to trade in my V Rex for a Hoveround.

OK now you can laugh at me. I deserve it!!! :rolf2:

 

Though Mike will probably explain it in ENGLISH, here is what I found on VO2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VO2_max

 

Well Jon, I was amazed until I got to the second part and that is when I did start laughing. Its ok, you are probably doing better than I am.

 

VO2 Test Part 2

Well today I went back for the second part of the test. This is where they run you like an iditarod husky to find your maximum VO2 output. This time they used the "old standard" machine to test my maximum VO2 level.

If you have not done this before (and I have not), they put a headset on you with a mouth piece and nose clips. (This mask was not nearly as comfortable as the first mask they used.) This mask has a tube the size of a vacuum cleaner hose coming out of it. This goes into a box which measures stuff (I am not sure what) then continues into this giant bag. I asked the operator if it was a body bag. He laughed and said no, but I wasn't kidding! It was that big!!!

You get on the treadmill and it goes through the same routine as the first time. 3 minutes at an incline and 1.7 mph. Then each 3 minutes the speed increases. I lasted about 7 minutes the first time but they were not having me go as hard as I could. They put on the same heart rate monitor and off you go. The purpose this time is to go as long as you can. I was supposed to give him a 1 minute warning before I wanted to stop.

So off to the races we went. On the first 3 levels I was able to progressively walk faster and faster. On level 4 I went into a trot. I knew this was about my limit so I gave the 1 minute warning. At this point he jumped over to the big body bag and opened up a value so all my exhalent went into the bag. After a minute, he stopped the machine and I was through. He then unhooked the bag and connected it to the machine that then started sucking air out of the bag into the analyzer to measure my O2 and CO2 levels. Then it printed out the report and he handed me a copy.

I have been redeemed. I went from "Very poor" rating on the newer machine to "Good" on the standard machine. My VO2 level of the first machine was 29.4. On the "standard" machine it was 38.9.

If you are interested in the VO2 scales, click here.

I am glad I did it. I did get paid $50 for my efforts. And I feel a whole lot better now that I am in the "good" fitness range for someone my age. I cancelled my Hoveround order for now.

 

Jon,

Now I'll chime in some. I didn't want to say anything until you were done. The first test you did is called a sub-max test. As you found out it does not take you to your max. It uses a cut off point of 80% of your age adjusted maximun heart rate ((220-age)*0.8). Your VO2max is then estimated from this. As you found out, the estimates may not be very accurate.

The number you came up with is not a percent (%). It is the maximal amount of oxygen you can consume in mililiters per minute per kilogram of body weight. In your case it is 38.9 ml of O2 per kg of body weight. You can convert this information to calories consumed using the comversion factor of 5kcal per liter of O2.

Say you weighed 222 pounds (makes math easier). That would be 100 kg * 38.9 ml/min = 3,890 ml of O2 per min / 1,000 ml per liter = 3.98 L of O2 per min. Multiplay that by the conversion factor of 5 kcal per L of O2 and you get 19.45 kcal per min.

In other words, a 222# person with a VO2max of 38.9 ml/kg/min would expend 19.45 kcal per min at VO2max. You cannot exercise at VO2max for more than 12-15 minutes but most people can go at 75% of their VO2max for hours. That would work out to 14.6 Kcal/min or 875 kcal/hour.

Also, VO2max is slightly different for different forms of exercise i.e. running/ biking/swimming. It is also trainable, meaning it usually improves 10-15% with training.

More later.

 

Jon, I am really laughing now...

 

They won't allow me to test. Fraid I'll show the kids up too bad.

Buddy

 

They would probably be very surprised at how good your health really is. Many times people assume that because of ones age you must have a certain type of health...but that is not so. I am glad to be active and plan on being active for as long as I am able.

 

Hey Buddy;They really will not let you test? I am wondering why since i e-mailed him as well.Maybe i will call tomorrow see what they say.

 

Gene,

The study protocol is for men or women ages 40-59. So no one under 40 nor over 59 is included. When a study is designed, the researcher has to decide what type of population they wnat to include. No single study can cover everybody. Some other reseacher may decide to study a different population, say people 60 to 79; or mabey only those with a BMI over 30 (or under 30) or whatever.

Since this study was set up to look at the 40-59 age bracket, including people outside that age range would mess up the statistics. As graduate students, we are limited as to how big our studies can be.

 

Mike,thanks for all the info.Actually since i am only a young 56 i was curious as why he never responded at all.But his research so he can do only what he can do.