Maximal Treadmill versus Cycle Ergometry Testing in Children: Differences, Reliability, and Variability of Responses

Abstract

This study was designed to determine the differing cardiorespiratory responses between maximal treadmill (TM) and cycle (CY) ergometry, and the reliability and variability of these responses in 46 children 7 to 9 years old (23 boys and 23 girls). Two maximal TM and two maximal CY tests were administered, as well as a body composition assessment. The TM resulted in a 9.4%, 11,1%, and 10.2% higher maximal oxygen consumption values (V̇O 2 , ml·kg −1 ·min −1 ) than the CY in boys, girls, and the total population, respectively. Both the TM and the CY proved to be reliable measures of maximal V̇O 2 (ml·kg −1 ·min −1 ) in both boys and girls, with intraclass correlations ranging from R = .63 to .90. Variability was significantly less ( p ≤ .05) on the CY (V̇O 2 in L·min −1 ) than the TM, 4.4% versus 6.2%, respectively.