Author(s)

James A. Yaggie, W. Jeffrey Armstrong, Ian K. Ratz, Stephen J. McGregor

Applied Physiology Laboratory, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, USA.
Department of Health & Physical Education, Western Oregon University, Monmouth, USA.
Department of Health and Human Performance, The University of Findlay, Findlay, USA.

For individuals with lower extremity injury or disability, upper body exercise provides a mechanism of functional mobility training, car-diovascular fitness, as well as a means for clinical fitness assessment. However, the validity of fitness assessment relies on the efficacy of di-agnostic tools and measures in order to provide meaningful data to clinicians. The purpose of this investigation was to determine if the SciFit^TMPro II Arm Ergometer, a widely available upper body ergometer (UBE), is a reliable device for the determination of VO_2Peak in fit able-bodied swimmers. Eight trained male swimmers (28 ± 9 yrs) performed two incremental protocols VO_2Peak consisting of a 4-min warm-up at 15 W followed by 2 min at 50 W and progressing 10 W every 2 min until volitional exhaustion. There was a linear relationship between workload and VO₂ in all trials (R = 0.96; p ≤ 0.01) while Cronbach’s alpha for test-retest reliability for VO₂ was 0.98. In conclusion, the UBE is an accurate and reliable device for determination of VO_2Peak in trained swimmers, and further may be a viable alternative trainingVO_2Peak injured athlete.

Reliability; Validity; Upper Body Ergometry; Swimmers

Yaggie, J. , Armstrong, W. , Ratz, I. and McGregor, S. (2014) Validation of VO_2Peakand performance using a SciFit^TM Arm Ergometer. Open Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation, 2, 33-37. doi: 10.4236/ojtr.2014.21007.