Anticipating maximal or submaximal exercise: no differences in cardiopulmonary responses

Background: Anticipation before the start of exercise may influence the cardiopulmonary responses during exercise. If anticipation influences the responses differently with maximal and submaximal exercises, normative values for submaximal responses will not be comparable unless exercise has been continued to the same end point. Methods: Twelve healthy subjects (five men) aged 18–27 years had a maximal exercise test and a submaximal exercise test on a cycle ergometer on different days and in random order. They were not aware of the specific purpose of the study and were informed 15 min before the tests whether it should be maximal or submaximal. Workload increased with 15 W min^?1 until exhaustion or to 80% of predicted maximal heart rate (HR). HR, oxygen uptake (VO₂), carbon dioxide production (VCO₂), minute ventilation (V_E) and tidal volume (V_T) were averaged over 20 s intervals. Linear regression of the HR–VO₂ relationship and quadratic regression of the V_T–V_E relationship were performed for each individual, and the regression coefficients for maximal and submaximal tests were compared. Results: The regression models described the V_T–V_E responses with a R² > 0·85 in 23 of 24 tests, and the HR‐VO₂ responses with a R² > 0·90 in all tests. The regression coefficients of the relationships were not significantly different with maximal and submaximal exercises. Conclusion: Anticipation appears not to influence the responses to progressive maximal and submaximal exercise tests with the same rate of increase in load. Normative values at submaximal exercise levels are not influenced by the targeted end point of exercise.