Critical power as a measure of physical work capacity and anaerobic threshold

Abstract

There is a linear relation between the maximal work and the maximal time [Tlim] over which the work was performed until the onset of local muscular exhaustion. This linear relation could be expressed by the equation: Wlim = a + bTlim, where maximal work (Wlim) was thought to result from the use of an energy reserve (a) and an energy reconstitution whose maximal rate was b. This concept was extended to total body work (bicycle ergometer). Eight male and 8 female college students underwent exercise tests at 400, 350, 300, 275 and 300, 250, 200, 175, W, respectively, to the onset of fatigue. The regression analysis revealed that the linearity of individual plots was 0.982 < R2 < 0.998 (P < 0.01). Experimental results indicated that the maximal energy reconstitution rate (b) was correlated with the onset of anaerobic threshold (AT) as determined by the gas exchange method (r = 0.928, P < 0.01). The sum of a and b (energy reserve and maximal rate of energy reconstitution) was highly correlated with .ovrhdot.VO2 max [maximal O2 uptake] (r = 0.956, P < 0.001) and the regression equation [.ovrhdot.VO2 max (1/min) = 0.00795 .times. [a + b] + 0.114] could be used to predict .ovrhdot.VO2 max with a SEE [standard error of the estimate] of 0.241/min.