Prediction method for the volume of the excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) following supramaximal exercise.

Abstract

Short (up to 60 s) supramaximal (about 400 W on the average) exercise is accompanied by specific biochemical processes in the working muscles and by a general increase in energy metabolism. Outwardly, this is manifested by an excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). Since its actual measurement is time consuming and associated sometimes with difficulties, we propose a fixed 3-min test for EPOC prediction. The measured volumes of oxygen consumption are related to the corresponding periods in a coordinate system as reciprocal values. The linear equation, whose parameters were calculated by the method of least squares or were determined graphically, provided for prediction of the EPOC volume with satisfactory accuracy and precision. The obtained increase of the predicted values over the actually measured values was below 5%, and the correlation coefficient r = 0.98. Other parameters of the recovery process were also calculated, such as tau (half-time) of EPOC and the rate constant k.