Effect of A Slow Ramp Rate on Exercise Testing: A Healthy Volunteer Study

Ramp rates for incremental ramp rate exercise testing are not standardised. The ramp rate may influence the values obtained during exercise testing. We compared a slow ramp rate (SR) (3watts/minute) to a fast ramp rate (FR) (20 watts/minute) in 8 fit non elite cyclists using cycle ergometry. We measured peak power ,oxygen consumption (VO2) at anaerobic threshold (AT) and maximum aerobic capacity (VO2 max). A lower mean peak work (369 Watts vs 406 watts, P=0.004), higher mean AT (42.1 ml/min/kg vs 38.6 ml/min/kg, p=0.16) , lower mean VO2 max (51.7 ml/min/kg vs 54 ml/min/kg p=0.25) and higher ratio of AT to VO2 max (0.82 vs 0.71 p = 0.03) were obtained using the SR protocol. These results suggest that ramp protocols need to be considered when interpreting exercise tests clinically. We would suggest standardising ramp test protocols..