Abstract
Peak oxygen pulse (O(2)P(peak)) is an important index of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). The FRIEND database is a global source of reference values for CRF. However, no reference equation is tailored for endurance athletes (EA) to predict O(2)P(peak). Here, we adjusted the well-established FRIEND equation for O(2)P(peak) to the characteristics of the EA population. 32 (34.0%) female EA and 62 (66.0%) male well-trained EA underwent maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test on a treadmill. V̇O(2max) was 4.5 ± 0.5 L min(-1) in males and 3.1 ± 0.4 L min(-1) in females. O(2)P(peak) was 23.6 ± 2.8 mL beat(-1) and 16.4 ± 2.0 mL beat(-1) for males and females, respectively. Firstly, we externally validated the original FRIEND equation. Secondly, using multiple linear regression, we adjusted the FRIEND equation for O(2)P(peak) to the population of EA. The original FRIEND equation underestimated O(2)P(peak) for 2.9 ± 2.9 mL beat(-1) (P < .001) in males and 2.2 ± 2.1 mL beat(-1) (P < .001) in females. The updated equation was 1.36 + 1.07 (23.2 · 0.09 · age - 6.6 [if female]). The new equation explained 62% of the variance and significantly predicted O(2)P(peak) (R(2) = 0.62, β = 0.78, P < .001). The error of the EA-adjusted model was 0.1 ± 2.9 mL beat(-1) (P = .82) and 0.2 ± 2.1 mL beat(-1) (P = .65) for males and females respectively. Recalibration of the original FRIEND equation significantly enhances its accuracy among EA. The error of the EA-adjusted model was negligible. A new recalibrated equation should be used to predict O(2)P(peak) in the population of EA.