Identification of the plateau in maximal oxygen consumption: proposal and application of a new method of analysis

Objective: The classic criterion for VO2max plateau identification was proposed by Taylor et al. (1955), however, there are many critiques of this method. In this paper, we propose a new statistic-based VO2max plateau identification methodology. In addition, we aim to test for eventual differences between characteristics of the individuals who presented and those who did not present the maximum VO2max plateau. Method: Forty-one (n = 41) physically active men participated. The subjects underwent a cardiopulmonary exercise test using ramp protocol to measure the VO2max and other physiological variables. The identification of VO2max plateau was performed by segmented linear regression with unknown breakpoints for each individual. Results: Although 58.54% (24) of the sample presented VO2max plateau, no significant differences were observed in metabolic, ventilatory and velocity variables between the groups. Conclusion: The methodology presents advantages, since it is adequate to analyze VO2 variations individually and because it is based on statistical techniques, which considers the continuous records of the maximal effort test, not segmenting it in sections for analysis. The comparison between groups, according to the occurrence of the plateau, showed no differences between them.