title: Reference values for cardiorespiratory response and fitness on the treadmill in a 20- to 85-year-old population.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Existing reference values for clinical exercise testing have been derived from small nonrandom samples, lacking women and older individuals and some with poor or no maximal end criteria. The objective was to study the cardiorespiratory response during maximal exercise in a representative predominantly Caucasian sample of men and women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nine hundred four randomly sampled men and women, 20 to 85 years old, exercised on a treadmill to exhaustion. Oxygen uptake (V.O2), heart rate (HR), BP, blood lactate concentration, and ventilatory variables were measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seven hundred fifty-nine participants met the criteria for an acceptable maximal V.O2 (V.O2max) based on a respiratory exchange ratio≥1.10 or a Borg score≥17. In the 20- to 29-year-old age group, V.O2max (mL/kg/min) was 40.3 (±7.1) in women and 48.6 (±9.6) in men. A linear decline (8% per decade) was observed after age 30 years in both sexes. Maximal HR decreased with age by ±6.3 beats/min per decade. The maximal oxygen pulse was 33% lower in women and decreased significantly with age in both sexes by 5% and 3% per decade for women and men, respectively. Women's maximal ventilation was 66% that of men and decreased with age after 40 to 49 years in both sexes. Breathing reserve was higher and blood lactate was lower in women than in men.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study establishes reference values for V.O2max (absolute, relative to body weight and fat-free weight), maximal HR, oxygen pulse, BP, ventilation, breathing reserve, respiratory exchange ratio, and blood lactate concentration during maximal exercise on treadmill in a large population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sports Medicine, The Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Oslo; Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Ullevål, Oslo. Electronic address: elisabeth.edvardsen@nih.no.
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Edvardsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Sports Medicine, The Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Oslo.
authors.forename: Bjørge Herman
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.affiliation: Department of Sports Medicine, The Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Oslo.
authors.forename: Ingar Morten
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Holme
authors.affiliation: Department of Education and Sport Science, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway.
authors.forename: Sindre Mikael
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Dyrstad
authors.affiliation: Department of Sports Medicine, The Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Oslo.
authors.forename: Sigmund Alfred
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Anderssen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007773:Lactates / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*; D012016:Reference Values
chemical_list: D007773:Lactates