ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Physiol.
Sec. Exercise Physiology
This article is part of the Research TopicKey Topics in Integrative Physiology - Consolidating Whole-Body Physiology Using Cutting-Edge KnowledgeView all 4 articles
An evidence-based multi-factorial model to predict the oxygen cost of ventilation during ramp-incremental cycle ergometry exercise
Provisionally accepted
- 1Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
- 2University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Australia
- 3Univerzita Jana Evangelisty Purkyne v Usti nad Labem, Ústí nad Labem, Czechia
- 4Department Of Sports Medicine and Active Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Usti Nad Labem, Czechia
- 5University of Idaho, Moscow, United States
- 6Saint Mary's College of California, Moraga, United States
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Abstract: Introduction During maximal ramp-incremental exercise (RIE), the oxygen uptake power output relationship (V̇ O₂gain) may deviate from linearity near exhaustion. An increased oxygen cost of ventilation (V̇ O₂VENT) is a plausible but under-quantified contributor. This study tested a non-linear multi-factorial model using measured V̇ O2VENT and six predictors: resting expired ventilation (V̇ E), weight, height, age, V̇ O₂peak, and maximal heart rate (HRMax) to 1) estimate V̇ O₂VENT and its contribution to maximal oxygen uptake (V̇ O₂max) in an independent dataset, and 2) determine whether correcting V̇ O₂ by V̇ O₂VENT (V̇ O₂VCORR) alters V̇ O₂max and V̇ O₂gain estimates. Methods Published data from 42 participants (11 females, 31 males; 29 ± 6.5 y; V̇ O₂max = 4.02 ± 1.06 L·min⁻¹) were used to derive the model. Leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV) assessed validity, with predictive accuracy and coefficient stability evaluated via bootstrap resampling. The model was applied to an independent RIE dataset to generate V̇ O₂VCORR, compared with uncorrected V̇ O₂ across six %Wpeak intensities using repeated-measures ANOVA and final 30 s slope analysis. Results The model explained 81% of V̇ O₂VENT variance (adjusted R² = 0.78 ). V̇ O₂VENT represented 17.43 % ± 3.58 % of V̇ O₂ at V̇ O₂max, Across 35–100 % Wpeak, V̇ O₂VCORR values (L·min⁻¹) increased with intensity [1.77 ± 0.43, 2.68 ± 0.57, 3.43 ± 0.72, 3.72 ± 0.79, 3.84 ± 0.86, and
Keywords: Oxygen cost of breathing, Ventilation, Ramp-incremental exercise, CYCLE ERGOMETRY, Computational model.
Received: 09 Sep 2025; Accepted: 02 Jan 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 O'Malley, Robergs, Hrach, Vella and Marks. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Bridgette O'Malley
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