Ventilatory Threshold On Different Exercise Modalities Is Sex Dependent.

T. A. Holly, G. W. Gleim, and J. A. Nicholas.

Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, N. Y. 10021.

Ventilatory threshold (VT) was measured in twenty subjects (10 men, 10 women, mean age=29) on 4 modalities (treadmill, T; bike, B; rower, R; arm ergometer, A). VT was higher for men than for women on all modes (f=23.5, p=0.001), but lower if expressed as %VO2max (f=12.26, and p=0.003). In men, the VT for T differed from B (3.0 vs. 2.8 1/min, respectively, f=5.1, p=0.05), while R (2.5 1/min) was lower than T and B (f=6.1, p=0.036), and A (1.5 1/min) was lower than all three (f=156.5, p=0.001). Women showed no difference T, B, and R (2.0, 2.0, and 1.9 1min), but A (1.1 1/min) was significantly lower (f=171.2, p=0,001).

If VT is to be used as an upper limit for exercise prescription, separate arm testing is necessary in both men and women. Rowing and biking must also be tested separately in men, but they are likely to be the same as treadmill walking in women.

Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 19:s84, 1987.