Purpose: To test the efficacy of a plateau in heart rate (HRplat) as an effective indicator for confirming [Formula: see text]max attainment in a middle-aged to older sample.
Methods: Nine men and eleven women (age 60 ± 8.5 years, [Formula: see text]max 35.9 ± 9.4 ml/kg/min, N = 20) completed a single [Formula: see text]max test on both the treadmill and cycle ergometer.[Formula: see text]max was confirmed using a plateau in [Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text]plat) of ≤ 150 ml/min, a verification bout, and HRplat (≤ 4 bpm).
Results: [Formula: see text]plat occurred in 100% and 95% of participants on the treadmill and cycle ergometer, respectively. Verification criteria ([Formula: see text]max during verification ≤ 2% of [Formula: see text]max during incremental test) were met by 80% of participants on both modalities. HRplat was achieved by 90% and 70% of participants on the treadmill and cycle ergometer, respectively.
Conclusion: These results suggest that a verification bout is reliable for confirming [Formula: see text]max in older adults on both modalities. In our sample of middle-aged and older adults, [Formula: see text]plat was the most robust method to assess [Formula: see text]max when indirect calorimetry is available. Although more research is warranted, when indirect calorimetry is not available, a HRplat of ≤ 4 bpm may be a useful alternative to get an accurate representation of maximal effort in middle-aged and older adults.
Keywords: Age; Criteria; Plateau; Verification; max; peak.