Lessons From History For V̇ O2max And The V̇ O2 Plateau, Part 1, 1920 – 1961: Original Concepts Were Based On Discontinuous Exercise Protocols

Robert Andrew Robergs^1*Bridgette O'Malley²Sam Torrens³Craig Ryan McNulty³Praneel Titheradge⁴Julien S. Baker⁵Todd Anthony Astorino⁶Simon Green⁷Marek Nalos⁸

• ¹Univerzita Jana Evangelisty Purkyne v Usti nad Labem, Ústí nad Labem, Czechia
• ²University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Australia
• ³Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
• ⁴Charles Sturt University - Port Macquarie Campus, Port Macquarie, Australia
• ⁵Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR China
• ⁶California State University San Marcos, San Marcos, United States
• ⁷Western Sydney University - Campbelltown Campus, Sydney, Australia
• ⁸Fakultni nemocnice Plzen, Pilsen, Czechia

Purpose: The maximal rate of oxygen uptake (V̇ O2max) has an early history (1920 to 1961) based on discontinuous incremental exercise protocols. Regardless, debate continues on many sub-topics and methodologies involved in this measure. There could be lessons to learn about the relevance, or not, of content within the accumulating knowledge of this topic if there is a detailed account of the research of this time-period. Methods: Manuscript references were retrieved from PubMed and Google Scholar for the targeted topics and time-period. Results: In 1923 and 1924, Hill proposed that during discontinuous incremental exercise bouts, there is eventually a levelling in V̇ O2 despite increasing exercise intensity or sustained effort. Subsequent researchers in the 1950's described this 'levelling in V̇ O2' observation as a plateau, which functioned to verify V̇ O2max. However, when critiquing the data from studies with valid methodology, evidence of a V̇ O2 plateau at or near V̇ O2max was only seen in a subset of participants in 1924 (2 of 7), with added evidence in 1959 (2 of 4) and 1961 (4 of 5). Collectively, 50 % of the subjects were unable to attain a V̇ O2 plateau response at V̇ O2max. Conclusions: Despite major limitations to the published research and data interpretations prior to 1961, such work led to the incorrect (not evidence-based) expectation that all participants should demonstrate a V̇ O2 plateau at or near V̇ O2max. The inter-connectedness of V̇ O2max and the V̇ O2 plateau concepts thereby became engrained into the pre-1970s, and perhaps later, epistemology of exercise physiology.