A SUGO:ESTED PROCEDURE FOR MEASURING

MAXIMAL OXYGEN DEBT

By

MELVIN GENE WRIGHT

it
Bachelor of Science
Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, Oklahoma
1957
Master of Science in Physical Education
Baylor University
Waco, Texas
1959

Submitted to the Faculty of the

Graduate College of the
Oklahoma State University
in partial fulfillment of
the requirements f'or
the Degree of
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
May, 1972
~~
)C/7~D
WQ$~s. _.
~·~
 OKLAHOMA
STATE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

AUG 161973

A SUGGESTED PROCEDURE FOR MEASURING

MAXIMAL OXYGEN DEBT

Thesis Approved:

Dean of the Graduate College

;;
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The investigator is sincerely thankful for Dr. Aix Barnard Harrison,

Professor, Health, Physical Education and Recreation, for his willing-
ness to be of assistance and guidance, for his outstanding ability to
communicate supportiveness, and his never-ending patience. For these,
and other countless ways in which he imparted his wisdom, the author
is eternally grateful.
Recognition and sincere appreciation are also extended to other
members of the committee for their cooperation and encouragement. They
are Dr. Albin Warner, Head, Health, Physical Education and Recreation;
Dr. John Bayless, Associate Professor, Health, Physical Education and
Recreation; Dr. Robert Alciatore, Professor of Education; and Dr. Robert
Mangum, Associate Professor of Education.
Finally, I would like to express appreciation to my wife, Althea,
and our children, Melanie and Lane, whose understanding, encouragement,
and sacrifice were instrumental in the preparation of this dissertation.

;;;
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter Page
I. INTRODUCTION • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0
• • • • • 1

Statement of the Problem• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 9

Sub-Pro.hlems of the Study • • • • • • , • • • • • • • • 9
Limitations of the Study • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 10
Delimitations. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • ••• 10
Assumptions • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • , • • • • • 10
Significance of the Study • • • • • • • • • • , • , •• 11
Definition of Physiological Terms • • • • • • • • • • • 12
Description of Instruments, • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 13
Summary , , • • • ~ • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • e 14

II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE • • ........ • • • I> •• 17

Studies Discussing the Relationship of' Lactic Acid •• , 17
The Effects of Training on Oxygen Debt • • • • • • • • • 22
The Effects of Exercise on Oxygen Consumption • • • • • 27
Summary of Related Literature • • • • • • • • • • • • • 32
III. ME'l'HODS AND PROCEDURES • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 34
Selection of Subjects • • • • , • • • • • • • • • • • • 34
Selection of the Procedures for Producing
Maximum Oxygen Debt • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 34
Testing Procedures for the Standardization
of Maximum Oxygen Debt • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 37
Grouping and Analysis of Data • • • • • • • • • • • • • 39
Sunnnary • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • • • 40

IV. RESULTS ••• • • • • • • • • • • • • • .... "' • e • . . • 42

Reliability • • • • • .. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 42
Validity. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 43
Means and Standard Deviations of Raw Scores • • • • • • 50
Correlations at the ,01 Level of Confidence • • • • • • 54
Non-Significant and Special Correlations • • • • • • • • 57
Summary of Results • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 57
v. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS, ...' .• • • • • •••• 60
Conclusior:i.s • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • , • • • • • • 61
Recommendations • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 62
 TABLE OF CONTENTS (CONTINUED)

Chapter Page

Bim.IOGRAPHY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • 64
APPENDIX •• . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

'tT
 LIST OF TABLES

Table Page
I. Maximum Oxygen Debts • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 36
II. Means and Standard Deviations of Variables Measured
in This Study • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • ... 51
III. Intercorrelation Matrix ot Variables. • • • • • • • 55
IV. Raw Data • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • e e e • e • 0 e e G 68

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure Page
1. o2 Intakes During Recovery.. . .. .. . . . . . .. . • e • 45
2. Time Taken for o 2 Consumption to Return to 20 Per Cent
15 Per Cent, and Ten Per Cent Above Resting. • • • . ' • • 47
3, Rate of o2 Consumption at Ten2 Per Cent, 15 Per Cent, and
20 Per Cent Above Resting O Consumption • • • • • .• e 48
4. o2 Debt Repaid at Ten Per Cent, 15 Per Cent, and 20 Per
Cent Above Resting o2 Consumption • • • • • • • • . ' • . . 49
 CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

There are basically two types of muscular work discussed by

physiological researchers today. These are aerobic (with oxygen) and
anaerobic (without oxygen).
In aerobic work the subject can take in enough oxygen to meet the
work requirements and thus sustain the pace for a long period of timec
This type of work has also been described as steady state worka This
means that the body can take in tlie oxygen that it needs while per-
forming the work load. The body generally meets its oxygen needs in
this way. Aerobic work was extensively researched by Dr. Kenneth
Cooper and reported in his book entitledAer~bics. 1 . It was found
that the heart rate during aerobic work usually remains below 180 beats
per minute. Continued participation in aerobic work increases oxygen
consumption by increasing the efficiency of the means of supply and
delivery. In other words, aerobic work improves the overall condition
of the body, especially its most important parts, the lungs, heart,
blood vessels and the body tissue.
In anaerobic work the he.art rate is always up above 180 beats per
minute, and the work load is so intense that the subject can maintain
the pace for only a short period of time. It is during this emergency

1Kenneth H. Cooper, Aerobics, Bantam Books, !neg (New York, 1968)0

1
 2

type of physical exercise that oxygen debt occurs.

An adequate supply of oxygen is necessary for normal life and
activity. It is used by all the cells for oxidative processes in the
metabolic changes from which energy is derived~ Whenever more energy
is required, metabolism is increas·ed, and hence, the need for oxygen is
also increased. It is important to realize that man practically lives
a hand-to-mouth existence as far as his oxygen supply is concernedo
There is, however, a certain amount of oxygen present in the body which
can be used in emergency. This oxygen is found in the blood and in the
lungs. 2
The muscles do have the ability to work temporarily without oxygen.
To understand this we must realize that man gets his energy from the
food he eats. We must also understand how this energy is used to per-
form the mechanical work of muscular contraction. The energy liberated
during the breakdown of food is not directly used to do work. Rather
it is employed to manufacture another chemical compound called adenosine
triphosphate or, more simply, ATP, which is stored in large quantities
in all muscle cells, Only from the energy released by the breakdownof
this c0mpound can the cell perform its specialized worko 3
The structure of ATP consists of one very complex component,
adenosine, and three less complicated parts called phosphorus groups.
For the purposes of this discussion, its chemical importance lies in
the phosphate groups. When one of these phosphate bonds is broken, at

2Peter V. Karpovich, Pnrsiolo~ of Muscular Activity, W. Bo

Saunders Company (Philadelp ia, 19 5), po 55~ '
3Donald K. Matthews, E. L. Fox, The Physiological Basis of Physi-
calFducation and Athletics, W. B. Saunders Company {Philadelpnia,
1971), P• 80 -
 3

least 7,000 calories of energy are liberated and adenosine diphosphate

(ADP) plus free phosphate (Pi) are formed. This energy released during
the breakdown of ATP represents the immediate source of energy that can
be used by the muscle cell to perform its work.
Because ATP is the immediate source of energy for muscle contrac-
tion, an explanation of its source is needed. There are three systems
that supply ATP, but the one known as the ATP-PC system is the most
important to this discussion. It involves the breakdown of only one
compound, phosphocreatine (PC). Phosphocreatine, like ATP, is stored
in large quantities in muscle cells. It is also similar to ATP in
that when its phosphate group is removed, a large amount of energy is
liberated. The end products of this are creatine and free phosphateo
This energy is immediately available and is used directly to resynthe-
size ATP. For example, as rapidly as ATP is broken down during mus-
cular contraction, it is continuously re-formed from ADP and Pi by the
energy liberated during the breakdown of the stored PC.4
The importance of the ATP-PC system to physical education and
athletics is exemplified by the powerful quick starts of sprinters,
football players, high jumpers, and shot-putters, and by similar feats
that require a few seconds to complete (running all-out up a flight of
stairs). This system is not dependent upon a series of reactions nor
on the oxygen we breathe and for this reason it represents the most
rapid available source of ATP for use by the muscle.5
The second of the three systems deals with lactacida The

4rbid., Po 9.
5Ibid., po 26.
 4

significance of the lactacid oxygen debt as related to exercise per-

formance lies in the amount of lactic acid that can be accumulated
during maximal effort. The maximum amount of energy obtainable from
the lactacid mechanism is about twice that of the alactacid or ATP-PC
systemo However, to obtain a comparable amount of energy from this
lactacid mechanism requires a longer period of time and, therefore,
supplies only about half as much power as the ATP-PC systemo During
exercise the function of this mechanism is to sustain maximal effort
after the ATP-PC system is exhausted.
•
For example, champion athletes
can run 100, 200, and 400 meters in 10.2, 20o5, and 45e2 seconds,
respectively. The ATP-PC system is probably exhausted at the end of
100 meters, yet each 100 meters of the 200- and 400-meter events is
run at about the same speed. 6
Oxygen debt is a term that was coined by A. Vo Hill in 1927. It
is defined as the quantity of oxygen required by the contracting
muscles over and above the quantity actually supplied to them during
their activity. 7 The debt is represented by an elevated oxygen con-
sumption during the period of recovery from physical effort. This
elevated rate during recovery reflects a deficit incurred during the
performance of the tasko The oxygen debt reflects this discrepancy
between the oxygen requirement of the task and the oxygen uptake during
the performance of the task.
Through the research of Hill, Margaria, and other early leaders,
a concept of two separate stages of oxygen debt was established, an

and
 5

alactacid stage and a lactic acid stage.

Light to moderate work loads are performed during the alactacid
stage of oxygen debt, and steady state is maintained during this period.
The alactacid debt occurs at the initial phase of work with oxygen
debts of up to two and one-half liters per minute, while heart rates
were not elevated higher than 16o beats per minute. The stage is
accompanied by increases of lactic acid in the muscle tissue, but not
in the blood stream, and the debt is quickly repaid, generally within

three to five minutes.

During the lactic acid stage of oxygen debt, there is an accurrru.-
lation of excessive lactic acid in the blood stream and this is linearly
related to the amount of work performed. Heart rates are elevated to
above 180 beats per minute and the removal of excessive lactic acid
during recovery is much slower, taking from 15 to 90 minutes.
The calculation of maximum oxygen debt may appear to be a simple
matter to the casual observer. However, large differences exist be-
tween maximum theoretical values for the oxygen debt following muscular
exercise (three-five liters) and some experimentally determined values
( 12-20 liters) o 8 The wide range of maximal oxygen debts that have
been reported is a major concern. Values ranging from 12-20 liters
have been reported for hµman subjects, but Margaria et al., in a
detailed kinetic analysis, have indicated that the maximum value for

8 Ho Welch, Jo Faulkner, J. Barclay, and G9 Brooks, "Ventilatory

Response During Recovery From Mus~ular Work and Its Relation to Oxygen
Debt," Medicine and Science in Sports, Vol. 2, No. l (1970)~ pp. 15-
19. - -
 6

the oxygen debt should be only about four liters. 9 This value is sup-
ported by experiments on dog skeletal rrru.scle. The largest debts in
the animal experiments were equivalent to four 0r:.fiite:'litar, oxygen •debt
in a 70 kg. man.
At face value, the calculation of oxygen debt appears to be
a simple procedure: one need merely total the net recovery
oxygen. Yet, most interesting, and confusing, is the wide
variation in maxirrru.m oxygen debt values. Karpovich dubiously
noted a 22.8 liter oxygen debt which had been reported by
Krestovnikoff. Winton and Bayliss report that from 15 to 20
liter debts may be incurred. Margaria defends, biochemically,
a maxirrru.m debt of approximately eight litersG Such wide
variation in oxygen debt values suggests errors in method
of measurement. Generally higher debts will be incurred
after all-out effort of short duration.lo
Calculating the oxygen debt leaves rrru.ch room for variation and
error since recovery may have many meanings. Recovery values within
50 ml. of resting values may be accepted by some as evidence of com-
plete recovery. Other researchers may establish a 25 ml. variation
before adjudging recovery to be complete. If the post-work oxygen
consumption values remain elevated for many hours, the oxygen debt
calculated would greatly increase. 11
We know that during vigorous exercise, the blood circulation
quickens, blood and lymph stream through the rrru.scles supplying the
cells w\th oxygen and nutrition and removing waste products. The
heart's activity is accelerated, exercising and strengthening its
own fibers, while it is pumping the blood. The work of all rrru.scles

9R. Margaria, P. Aghemo, and E. Rovelli, "Measurement of Mus-

cular,Power (Anaerobic) in Man," Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol. 2
(1966), PP• 1662-1664.
10:se nJamin
' . R'1cc1,
. P• 182.
11Ibid. , P• 183.
 7

is affected by the efficiency of the hearte If a muscle does its job

well, the quality of its contractions must be improved through such
factors as: fuel being made available in greater amount because of
improved circulation of blood through the muscle; better coordination
of the individual muscle fibers and more complete use of all muscle
fibers. Therefore, .it is easy to see that the cardiovascular system
performs a vital service in the performance of sustained muscular
activityo 12 This is especially true when the exercise is vigorous
enough to cause an individual to reach his maximum oxygen debto It
is not only dependent upon the strength of t~e muscles involved in
the activity but must rely greatly on the effective functioning of
the circulatory system. 13
Johnson, Brouha, and Darling £eel that whatever exercise is used
to assess work capacity, the exercise must put the cardiovascular
system under considerable stress. The work should be of such intensity
that about one-third of all subjects stop from exhaustion within five
minutes .. 14

The methods known for assessing or evaluating physical efficiency

may be classified as field or laboratory tests. Nagle, Naughton, and
Balke believe that physical fitness is most accurately assessed in the
laboratory by making physiological measurements on a motor-driven

12 Ho Harrison Clarke, Application of Measurement to Health and

Physical F.ducation, Prentice-Hall, Inc., {Englewood Cliffs, 196"7');
P• 179.
13 Ibid., p. 1830

~o E. Johnson, Lo Brouha, and Ro Co Darling, 11A Test of Physical

Fitness for Strenuous Exertion," Revo Ganado Biol., 1 (June, 1942),
Po 80 ~ ~
 8

treadmill or riding a stationary bicycle ergometer. 1 5

Most of the tests being used today are aerobic or a combination
of aerobic and anaerobic. The most widely used tests are: 1) Balke's

Treadmill Test, 2) Balke and Cooper's Fifteen and Twelve Minute Running
Tests, 3) Astrand's Bicycle Ergometer Test, and 4) Step Tests (Harvard
Step Test and Tuttle Pulse-Ratio)o The general public is most con-
cerned with this type of testing because it is an evaluation of an
individual's ability to function in normal day to day living.
This study is concerned with an anaerobic test that will push the
individual to complete exhaustion and to his maximal oxygen debt
capacityo The oxygen debt test is the only way we have of measuring
an individual's ability to perform under very strenuous emergency type
conditions. There has been no widespread demand for a test of maximal
oxygen debt in the past, and as a result, very few have been developedo
For example, there have been only two field tests reported in the lit-
erature to dateo Both of these tests involved the subjects running up
a short flight of stairs. Margaria16 developed a test in 1966, and
Costill17 and his associates followed with a similar test in 1969.
The main method of examining;maximal oxygen debt capacity of an
individual has therefore been by laboratory procedureso There have
been two paramount problems facing researchers that have been doing

l5Fo Jo Nagle 1 B. Balke, and J.P. Naughton, Gradational Step

11
Tests for Assessing Work Capacity," Journal of Applied Physiology
(July, 1965), P• 745.
16Ro Margaria, PQ Aghemo, and Ee Revelli, ppo 1662-16640
l7Do Costill, W. Hoffman, Po Kehoe, S. J. Miller, and W. Ce Meyers,
''Maximum Anaerobic Power Among College Football Players," Journal of
Sports Medicine, Volo 8 (1969), PP• 103-106.
 9

maximal oxygen dept work in laboratories. The first problem has been
that .there is no uniform method for eliciting maximal oxygen debt.
Hermansen18 described the second obstacle when he stated that the
range of variability of anaerobic work has not been determined because
there has been no accepted test procedure to measure this capacity&
Because the measuring of oxygen debt capacity is so important in
evaluating an individual's ability to perform strenuous exercise, the
purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a procedure to both
elicit and measure maximal oxygen debt.

Statement of the Problem

The purpose of_ .this study was to develop and evaluate a procedure
for eliciting and measuring maximal oxygen debt~

Sub-Problems of the Study

The sub-problems of the study were:

1) To determine a treadmill test procedure which can uniformly be
expected to elicit a maximal oxygen debt~
2) To determine reliability of this test procedureo
3) To determine the relationship between maximal oxygen debt as
measured by recovery of oxygen intake to within ten per cent
of the resting baseline and any one of several recovery variables
which might occur before this baseline is reached~ Specifically,
these variables are oxygen intake at levels of 15 and 20 per cent
above resting, heart rate levels at 10, 15, and 20 per cent above

18Lo Hermansen, "Anaerobic Energy Releasei" Medicine and Science

in Sports, Vol. I (1969), ppe 32-38w -
 10

resting, carbon dioxide production and respiratory quotient.

Limitations of the Study

1) Although verbal encouragement and monetary rewards were initiated

by the researcher, the motivation factor was somewhat of a problem.
2) Orientation of subjects to the equipment and testing procedures
preceded the test administration, but this was not successful in
relieving completely the testing apprehension in the subjects.
3). Environmental factors such as eating and sleeping were not regu-
lated.
4) All subjects were volunteers and not randomly selecteda

Delimitations

The subjects in this study were limited to male physical education

majors and minors at Oklahoma State University.

Assumptions

1) It was assumed that all subjects were in good medical condition

because they were accepted as physical education majors and minors
at Oklahoma State University.
2) The subjects exerted a maximum effort in performing the required
tests.
3) The verbal encouragement that was initiated by the researcher had
the same motivational effect on all subjects.
4) Skill factors would not significantly effect test results because
of the nature of the test which required only the skills of running
and breathing.
 11

5) It was assumed that logical validity could be used because the

test was an oxygen debt test.

Significan,ce of the Study

In a recent article, Welch expressed concern over the great

variation in the estimates of the maximum oxygen debt. 19 For example,
. . 20 21
a range from 12 to 20 liters is common in research reports, ' but
detailed kinetic analysis suggest that the maximum value for oxygen
should be no more than four liters. 22
Ao Vo Hill, in a 1924 research report, declared that oxygen debt
was an extremely beneficial measure of the energy levels derived
during muscular work. 23 However, as Welch points out, the great
variation in estimates of the maximum oxygen debt challenges the
utility of the concept.
Despite attempts to arrive at a uniform method for determining
oxygen debt, none has yet to be established which is universally

l9Hugh Go Welch, ITohn A. Faulkner, Jack K. Barclay, and George

Brooks, "Ventilatory Responses During Recovery From Muscular Work and
Its Relation With Oxygen Debt," Medicine ~ Science 2:!?; Sports, Volo
2 {Spring, 1970), po 15.
20A0 V. Hill, C. H.. Long, and Ho Lupton, ''Muscular Exercise,
Lactic Acid, and the Supply and Utilization of Oxygen," ME;;!dicine and
Science~ Sports, Vol. 2, No. 1 (1970), p. 15. · ..........
21s. Robinson, D. L. Robinson, R~ J. Mountjoy, and Re W. Blllard,
"Irifluence of Fatigue on the Efficiency of Men During Exhaustive Runs,"
Journal 2£ Applied Physiology, Vol. 12 (March, 1958), p. 197.
22ao Margaria, P. Cerretelli, Ro E. DiPrompero, Co Massari, and
Go Torelli, "Kinetics and Mechanism of Oxygen Debt Contraction in Man,"
Journal of Applied Physiology, Volo 18 (1963), p. 372.
23Hugh G. Welch, John A. Faulkner, Jack Ke Barclay, and George A.
Brooks, p~ 15.
 12

acceptable. The research in this area presents a vast number of methods

for doing oxygen debt experiments, but even the variations in baselines
are so great and the period of recovery so variable (12 minutes24 to
two hours 2 5) that they are nearly useless~
Hermansen26 states in his article on anaerobic energy release
that the range of variability of anaerobic work has not been determined
because there has been no accepted test procedure to measure this
capacity.
Therefore, a uniform procedure for determining the oxygen debt
capacity is indeed necessary before research in this important physic-
logical area can be meaningfully interpreted.

Definition of Physiological Terms

1) Aerobic Capacity - It is the maximal amount of oxygen an individual

can consume per minute for extended time periods.
2) Anaerobic Capacity - It is the maximal amount of muscular work an
individual can perform without oxygen. It is measured by the
excess oxygen that is consumed during a recovery period over the
normal resting oxygen intake.
3) Oxygen Debt - A deficit in oxygen intake during any activity that
must be repaid during a recovery period.
4) Maximum Oxygen Debt - The largest amount of oxygen debt an

24navid A. Cunningham and John A. Faulkner, "The Effect of Training

on Aerobic and Anaerobic Metabolism During Short Exhaustive Runs,".
Medicine~ Science in SE9rts, Vol. I (June 1, 1969), pQ 65.
25Robinson et al., P• 372.
26L. Hermansen, "Anaerobic Energy Release," Medicine and Science in
Sports, Vol. I (1969), PP• 32-38.
 13

individual can accurrm.late as a result of some all-out exercise

such as the treadmill run. Maximum oxygen debt for this study
has been determined after the completion of the all-out run by
measuring oxygen consumed until the subject reached "ten per cent"
above his resting oxygen consumption.
5) · EKG - Electrocardiograph or record of the electrical potential of
the heart.
6) Respiratory Qu.otient (g,.Q.) - The ratio of the carbon dioxide
output to oxygen consumed •

. Description of Instruments

1) Large :!!!2-Way Breathing Valve. - A .Device which enabled the sub-

jects to take in atmospheric ~ir and then to expire the air into
a tis sot tank for measurement of maximal· breathing capacity.
(Model - Triple flJ" Valve; Warren E. Collins, Inc., 220 Wood
Road, Baintree, Mass.)
2) Physiograph - An apparatus that was used to monitor and record
heart rate during work and recovery. (Type PMP-4A-Four Channels;
E & M Instrument Co., Inc., Houston, Texas.)
3) Quinton Motorized Treadmill - An apparatus with a continuously
moving belt which could be made to run at various speeds and
inclinations, thus standardizing work loads e (Model 642; Speed ;
Range 1.5-25 miles per hour; Elevation (per cent grade) 0-40;
Seattle, Washington.)
4) Telemetry - A .unit that sent a signal by radio waves (no wires)
from a small transmitter which was attached to the subject to a
receiver from which the signal was recorded on the physiograph.
 (Model F.M. 1100-7; E & M Instrument Co., Inc., Houston, Texas.)
5) Tissot~ - A large stainless steel tank which was used for
collecting volumes of expired air during rest and work. [Warren
E. Collins, Inc., 555 Huntington Ave., Boston 15, Mass.; Capacity-
120 liters (0 mm - 720 mm); Serial No. 1440.]
6) Transmitter~ Electrodes - Equipment that transmitted heart
sounds by radio waves into the telemetry apparatus. (Model FoM~-
llOO-E2, Part No. 98-100-71; E & M Instrument Co., Inc., Houston,
Texas.)
7) Douglas Bag - (Hydro Tex Corp., Chicago, Ill.) Plastic bags with
capacity of from 100-400 liters that were used to collect expired
air during recovery.
8) Pulmo-Analyzer - (Godart Instrumentation Association, New York,
N.Y.) An instrument used to analyze the percentage of oxygen and
carbon dioxide in samples of expired air.
9) ~ Clip - A device used to clamp the nostrils shut.
10) All-Out Run - The subject running until complete exhaustion.

Summary

There are basically two types of rrru.scular work discussed by physio-

logical researchers today. These are aerobic (with oxygen) and an-
aerobic (without oxygen). In aerobic work the subject can take in
enough oxygen to meet the work requirements and thus sustain the pace
for a long period of time. It was found that the heart rate during
aerobic work usually remains below 180 bpm. In anaerobic work the
heart rate is always up above 180 bpm, and the work load is so intense
that the subject can maintain the pace for only a short period of time.
 15

It is during this emergency type of physical exercise that oxygen debt

occurs.
Oxygen debt is a term that was coined by A•. V. Hill in 1927. It
is defined as the quantity of oxygen required by the contracting muscles
over and above the quantity actually supplied to them during their
activity. Tte debt is represented by an elevated oxygen consumption
during the period of recovery from physical effort. There are two
separate stages of oxygen debt, an alactacid stage and a lactic acid
stage. Light to moderate work loads are performed during the alactacid
stage of oxygen debt, with heart rates no higher than 160 bpm. The
stage is accompanied by .increas·es of lactic acid in the muscle tissue,
but not in the blood stream, and the debt is generally repaid within
three to five minutes. During the lactic acid stage of oxygen debt,
there is an accumulation of excessive lactic acid in the blood stream.
Heart rates are elevated to above 180 bpm, and recovery is much slower,
taking from 15 to 90 minutes.
The wide range of maximal oxygen debts that have been reported is
a major concern. Values ranging from 12-20 liters have been reported
for human subjects. Such wide variation in oxygen debt values suggests
errors in the method of measurement. Calculating the oxygen debt
leaves much room for variation and error since recovery may have many
meanings. Researchers have used different baselines to determine when
recovery was completed, and therefore have reported wide variations in
debt repayments.
This study is concerned with an anaerobic test that will push the
individual to complete exhaustion and to his maximal oxygen debt capac-
ity. There have been two paramount problems facing researchers in doing
 16

maximal oxygen debt work. The first problem has been that there is no
uniform method for eliciting maximal oxygen debt. The second obstacle
is that the range of variability of anaerobic work has not been deter-
mined because there has been no accepted test procedure to measure this
capacity. Because the measuring of oxygen debt capacity is so important
in evaluating an individual's ability to perform strenuous exercise, the
purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a procedure to both
elicit and measure maximal oxygen debt.
 CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Studies Discussing the Relationship

of Lactic Acid

In 1923, A. V. Hill introduced the term "Oxygen Debt," and many

researchers have been working since that time to prove or discount the
importance of oxygen debt in assessing work capacity.
A. V. Hill and H. Lupton were two of the first pioneers in the
study of oxygen debt and the accumulation of lactic acid in the rrru.scles.
In one of their earliest studies they discussed the following important
1
concepts.
Lqctic acid is a very important ingredient in the economy of the
rrru.scle. Its oxidation provides the power required to do external work,
and it appears to be derived from the glycogen stored. When a man~s
rrru.scles are exercised at a constant speed, the lactic acid content of
the active rrru.scle increases gradually from its resting minimum~ The
rise in lactic acid content increases the rate of oxidation, and i f the
oxygen supply is adequate, a steady state is reached in which the rate
of lactic acid production is balanced by the rate of its oxidative
removal. Therefore, its concentration remains constant in the muscle

1A. V. Hill and H. Lupton, "Muscular Exercise, Lactic Acid, and

the Supply and Utilization of Oxygen," ~ Quarterly Journal of Medi-
cine, Vol. 16 (1923), pp. 135-171.

17
 18

as long as exercise at that speed is maintained. If the severity of the

exercise becomes too great, the supply of oxygen cannot cope with the
production of lactic acid, and exhaustion rapidly sets in. It is under
these conditions that oxygen debt occurs.
Harvard and Reaz conducted an experiment on the influence of exer-
cise on the inorganic phosphates of the blood and urine in man. 2 The
exercise consisted of the subject running vigorously up and down the
laboratory stairs until he was exhausted. At various times during the
experiment samples of blood were taken and the inorganic phosphate con-
tent of the whole blood was analyzed. The results indicated 'that after
short vigorous exercise the inorganic phosphate .in blood first rises a
little above, then falls considerably below, the normal value in man.
The men that were in athletic training did not fall as far below normal
as untrained subjects. The authors concluded that the changes observed
in blood phosphate were due mainly to changes in the lactacidogen con-
tent of the muscle.
The purpose of an experiment by Fletcher and Hopkins3 was to
'
examine the effect of an abundant supply of oxygen upon the development
of lactic acid in surviving exercised muscle, and upon the stability of
the acid within the muscle after its formation.
This experiment made it clear that the exercised muscle, when ex-
posed to a sufficient supply of oxygen, has in itself the power of
dealing in some way with lactic acid which has accumulated during

2a. E. Harvard and G. A. Reaz, "The Influence of Exercise on the

Inorganic Phosphates of the Blood and Urine," Journal of Physiology,
Vol. 61 (1926), pp. 35-48. ~

3w. M. Fletcher and F. G. Hopkins, "Lactic Acid in Amphibian

Muscle," Journal of Physiology, Vol. 35 (1907), pp. 247-309.
 19

fatigue. While the fibers are recovering from fatigue and regaining
irritability in an atmosphere of pure oxygen, their content of lactic
acid was greatly reduced.
An experiment to investigate the production and removal of lactic

acid, the amount and payment of oxygen debt in man was conducted by
Margaria, Edwards, and Dill. 4 They summarized their findings as follows:
1. The removal of lactic acid from the blood during recovery
is an exponential function of time, its speed of disap-
pearance is proportional to the concentration of the
lactic acid at that moment.
.,
2. No extra lactic acid appears in the blood up to a rate
of work corresponding to about two-thirds of the maximum
metabolic rate, after which the lactic acid increases ·
very.:~.apidly.
3. The removal of lactic acid in the body is a very slow
process, only one-half is removed in fifteen minutes.
4. The alactacid oxygen debt is approximately a linear
function of the oxygen intake in exercise. It is sup-
posed to be related to the oxidation of substances
(ordinary fuel) furnishing the energy for the resynthe-
sis of phosphogen split down during muscular contrac-
tion.
5. The lactacid oxygen debt starts coming into play only
when there may be reasons to believe that the work is
carried on in anaerobic condition. Its amount, rela-
tively to the total amount of oxygen debt, increases
particularly rapidly at the maximum rates of work.
6. The speed of payment of the-alactacid oxygen debt and
the speed of disappearance of lactic acid from the blood
vary with the oxygen tension in the inspired air.
7. The disappearance of lactic acid from the blood at the
beginning of recovery after strenuous exercise shows a
lag which does not seem to be fully explained either by
delay in the diffusion of lactic acid from muscles to

4a. Margaria, H. T. Edwards, and D. B. Dill, "The Possible Mech-

anisms of Contracting and Paying the Oxygen Debt and the Role of Lactic
Acid in Muscular Contraction," American Journal of Physiology, Vol.
106 (1933), PP• 689-715.
 20

the blood or by a slower oxidation of lactic acid,, or by

a delayed lactic acid production.5
Margaria and F.dwards 6 in a later- study looked at the variation of
the total amount of lactic acid in the body during recovery from mus-
cular work. The following conclusions were made:
1. The lactic acid concentration in the blood may be taken
as proportional to the total amount of lactic acid in
the body.
2. At the beginning of recovery, at the time when a rapid
payment of oxygen debt occurs, no corresponding rapid
removal of lactic acid is observed, thus confirming that
this fraction of the oxygen debt is not related t~ the
lactic acid mechanism. ·
3. A delay in the removal of lactic acid, which lasts three
to four manutes after the end of a five-minute period of
exercise to exhaustion was observede
4. The speed of removal of .lactic acid during recovery ap-
pears to be higher the smaller the amount of lactic acid
produced during exercise.7
In another study Margaria and F.dwards8 did an experiment which
consisted of two short and strenuous runs with a five-minute rest
period in between. The subject exhausted his alactacid mechanisms for
contracting oxygen debt during the first run. The second run was per-
formed nearly exclusively·at the expense of the lactacid mechanism.
In this way the existence of the alactacid mechanism for contracting
oxygen debt could be detected, and its relative importance evaluated.

5Ibid., P• 715.

6a. Margaria and H. T. F.dwards, "The Removal of Lactic Acid From

the Body During Recovery From :Muscular Exercise," American Journal of
Physiology, Vol. 107 (1934), pp~ 681-686. -
7R. Margaria et al., (1934), p. 686.
8R.. Margaria and H. T. F.dwards, "The Sources of Energy in Muscular
Work Performed in Anaerobic Conditions,'' American Journal of Physiology,
Volo 108 (1934), ppe 340-348. -
 21

The authors summarized the findings as follows:

1, The increase in lactic acid concentration in the blood
following muscular work performed in anaerobic condi-
tions was a linear function of the amount of work.
2. The amount of work performed anaerobically was considered
to be proportional to the oxygen debt.
3. 'The fact that this relation is linear suggests that the
breakdown of glycogen into lactic acid was really one of
the mechanisms for contracting .on oxygen debt, and there-
fore for performing work anaerobically.
4. The amount of work performed at the expense of the alact-
acid mechanism was about half the amount of work attribut-
able to the lactacid mechanism.9
Dill, Edwards, Newman, and Margaria 10 did a study to analyze
recovery from anaerobic work. The exercise was performed on a tread-
mill, and data were collected during recovery for a period of 90 minutes
at intervals of ten minutes. The exercise period was very short with a
range from only five seconds to 96 seconds. The following conclusions
were reached:
1. The work was largely anaerobic, requiring the accumula-
tion of an oxygen debt whose magnitude was an approxi-
mate function of time.
2. The removal rate was a logarithmic function of time,
varying from time to time and from one person to another.
3. The lactic acid accumulated in this type of activity
was proportional to the duration of the work.
4. The excess respiratory quotient (RQ) is expressed as a
ratio of carbon dioxide produced to oxygen consumed for
the entire process of wo1f and recovery probably within
the range of 0~9 to 1.0.

9R. Margaria et al., (1934), pp~ 299-307.

10D. B. Dill, H. T. Edwards, E. U. Newman, and R. Margaria,
"Analysis of Recovery From Anaerobic Work," Arbeitsphysiologie, Vol.
9 (1934), PP~ 299-307.
11D. B. Dill et al., Vol. 9 (1937), P• 307 •
 22

Block and his associates 12 conducted an experiment to determine

the lactic acid in the blood of resting man. They found that lactic
acid concentration in the blood of a resting man was not related
simply to shifts in hydrogen concentration. They also found that of
the total lactic acid found in the blood under resting conditions,
only a part may originate from muscle activity. The authors concluded
that no definite evidence is at hand to indicate the source of the
remaining lactic acid, but they suggested that it may be a split prod-
uct of carbohydrate mobilized for the maintenance of the general
metabolism of the body.
Lactic acid was determined in muscle and blood obtained simul-
taneously from rats in rest or after exercise in an experiment by
Newman. 13 At the end of all grades of exercise the lactic acid con-
centration in blood and muscle were approximately equal. Thus in the
intact, exercising animal there was great and rapid diffusion of
lactate between blood and muscle. The assumption that lactic acid in
blood reflects its concentration in muscle was approximately true under
these experimental conditions.

The Effects of Training on Oxygen Debt

There are studies that indicate that while an individual~s anaerobic

capacity is largely inherited, it is also trainable. Therefore, the
effect of training on anaerobic performance would be of interest to

12A. u. mock, D. B. Dill, and H. T. Edwards, "Lactic Acid in the

Blood of Resting Man,'' Journal of Clinical Investigation, Vol. 11
(1932), pp& 775-788. ~

l3E. U. Newman, "Distribution of Lactic Acid Between Blood Muscle

of Rats," .American Journal of Physiology, VoL 122 (1938), pp. 349-366.
 23

physical educators, coaches, and athletes who are involved with work
that produces oxygen debt. The following studies indicate that anaerobic
capacity can be increased through training.
Robinson designed a study to see how metabolic adaptations would
be affected by training. He used nine previously untrained college

men and trained them for middle distance running for a period of 28
weeks. 14 Timed races on the track were held each week and showed con-
sistent improvement in the running ability of the men. The subjects
also ran on the treadmill at an exhausting pace for three to five
minutes duration. This was repeated at intervals of two to three weeks
during the training period. The results indicated that the average
maximal oxygen consumption increased gradually and blood lactic acid
increased gradually at the completion of training.
In another study related to training effects, Robinson and Harmon15
tried to determine the results of training upon the lactic acid mechan-
ism in work. The training consisted of a supervised running program
with four workouts per week on the track. The subjects were tested in
the laboratory before training started and at regular intervals during
the training period on the treadmill. During the training period each

time a subj~ct was able to complete five minutes of the exhausting run
the grade or speed or both were increased for the next testing period.
An attempt was made to keep the work severe enough to exhaust him in

l4s. Robinson, "Metabolic Adaptations to Exhausting Work as Affected

by Training," American Journal of Physiology, Vol. 133 (1941), pp. 428-
429.
15s. Robinson and P. M. Harmon, "The Lactic Acid Mechanism in Rela-
tion to Training," American Journal of Physiology, VoL 132 (1941), pp.
757-769.
four to five minutes. The results indicated that the ability to accumu-
late lactic acid during anaerobic work increased with training.
Cureton developed a treadmill test to study the physical fitness
of champion athletes. 16 The test consisted of an all-out run on the
treadmill at ten miles an hour and a grade of 8.6 per cent. The average
net oxygen debt of the champion athletes was 7.23 liters and a compara-
tive sample of young men averaged 7.37 liters. The difference was not
significant and Cureton concluded that oxygen debt was not a good or-
ganic test. He felt there was no way to tell the extent that "will-
power" determines the results, but it appeared that the non-champions
tried just as hard as the champions if oxygen debt was a measure of the
distress that they were willing to tolerate.
Efficiency in performance depends upon the oxygen supply and
utilization, but it also depends upon the efficiency of "buffering."
In this process the lactic acid produced by the working muscles was
neutralized in part by alkaline buffers (sodium bicarbonate, hemoglobin,
phosphocreatine) and part was reconverted to glycogen. This buffering
was facilitated by oxygen and, if there was insufficient oxygen avail-
able to oxidize the lactic acid and to facilitate the reconversion,
the lactic acid accumulates.
Cureton further commented on the following important aspects of
oxygen debt. In a "steady state" exercise the oxygen debt was neg-
ligible, but in an "all-out" maximal run to exhaustion the conditions
are very different. Efficiency (defined as the ease with which the
work is continued) was inversely related to the feelings of oxygen

16Thomas K. Cureton, Physical Fitness of Champion Athletes, (The

University of Illinois Press, Urbana, 195l"f,'" pp. 314-350~
 25

deficiency or carbon dioxide concentration during the run. When these

conditions mount, the feelings of internal stress become unbearable.
A highly trained runner was able to keep the·oxygen deficiency or carbon
dioxide concentration from mounting very fast and thus postpone the very
distressful feelings and run longer. Finally, at the end of a longer
run the distress mounts in the trained runner just the same, as in an
untrained runner, but the trained runner could run for a longer time.
In conclusion, Cureton stated that oxygen debt was not related in
a single manner to all-out running time. He gave three extraneous
factors which interfere with the relationship of performance. The
factors were listed in the following order:
1. Skill in running (not tensing up, proper balance,
good stride) •
2. Will power.
3. Physical build, especially strength. 17
18
Pauline Hodgson studied the effects of metabolism on participa-
tion in basketball. The results indicated that oxygen debt, expressed
in liters per kilogram of body weight, varied from .025 to .86~ The
return of the rate of oxygen consumption to within five per cent of the
pre-exercise level required from 15 to over 60 minutes.
The oxygen intake during exercise and recovery was determined for

l 7Thomas K. Cureton, (1951), P• 332.

18Pauline Hodgson, "Studies in the Physiology of Activity: III.
On Certain Reaction of College Women Following Participation in
Three-Count Basketball," Research Quarterly, Vc;>L 24 (1953), ppe
102-111.
 26

subjects working on a bicycle ergometer in an experiment by Henry. 19

His results were in agreement with Hi1120 and Margaria•s 21 theoretical
position that the so-called alactic oxygen is probably not due to the
lag of the circulation or other adjustment processes in the initial
phase of moderate exercise, but is instead a necessary consequence of
exercise oxygen consumption being controlled by the production of oxi-
dizable substrate. This production is in direct linear proportion to
the work done by the muscles and is not characteristic of the individual.
Robinson and his associates 22 conducted a study to determine the oxygen
requirement in runners at different periods of exhausting runs at con-
stant speed and the effects of varying the pace of exhausting runs of
fixed distancesa The data indicated that in order to run a given middle
distance race in minimum time, the runner should follow a pace which
would delay until near the end of the race the sudden change in physic-
logical state in which the energy cost of running and development of
fatigue were greatly accelerated. Therefore, the runner should run the
first part of his race a little slower than the average speed and make
a faster finish in order to utilize the oxygen debt to the maximum.
They concluded, if a runner starts out too fast in a race, he acquires
most of his oxygen debt at the beginning, before his oxygen intake has

l9F. M. Henry, "Aerobic Oxygen Consumption and Alactic Debt in

Muscular Work," Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol. 3 (1951), ppa 427-
438. .
20Aa_ V. Hill, Vol. 16 (1923), P• 148.
21R. ,.Margaria et al., Vol. 106 (l933), P• 715.
22s. Robinson, D. L. Robinson, D. J. Mountjoy, and R. W. Bullard,
"Influence of Fatigue on the Efficiency of Men During Exhaustion Runs,"
Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol. 12 (1958), pp. 197-201.
 27

reached its maxinru.m, and he was then forced to run the remainder of the
race with a high concentration of lactic acid in his nru.scles.
Matthews and his co-workers 23 conducted an experiment on aerobic
and anaerobic work efficiency. Oxygen consumption was determined for
seven subjects who rode a bicycle ergometer under three different paces
(steady pace, light-heavy pace, and heavy-light pace). The steady pace
was found to be significantly better.

The Effects of Exercise on Oxygen Consumption

Wasserman and his associates 24 designed a study to quantify the

relationship of metabolism, oxidative sources, and the circulatory and
respiratory responses during exercise. The data indicated that the
time required for a steady state in oxygen consumption was related to
work intensity. A true steady state was reached within four minutes
for moderate work, but not, in less than ten minutes, if at all, in
the case of very heavy work. Lactate concentration in the blood changed
very little at moderate work, increased at heavy work, and .increased to
a greater degree at the very heavy work intensities. All subjects
demonstrated a positive relationship between the oxygen debt and the
increase in blood lactate during exercise. The effects of work in-
tensity and duration on metabolic circulatory and ventilatory response
to exercise was quantified.

23n. K. Matthews, R. Bowers, E. Fox, and W. Wilgas, "Aerobic and

Anaerobic Work Efficiency," Research Quarterly, Vol. 34 (1963), pp.
356-360.
~ . Wasserman, A. Van Kessel, and G. furton, "Interaction of
Physiological Mechanisms During Exercise," Journal of Applied Physiology,
Vol. 22 (1967), ppe 71~85.
 28

The purpose of an experiment by Cerretilli and his co-workers 25

was to analyze the energy expenditure as related to the work performance
in exercising dogs. Oxygen consumption and lactic acid production were
determined at rest and during exercise. With the incline of the tread-
mill being constant, the oxygen consumption was found to increase
linearly with the speed. Also, the lactic acid production increases
at higher metabolic levels.
A. study to determine relationship in terms of time changes in
oxygen consumption and oxygen debt was conducted by Schneider and his
associates. 26 Oxygen debt following the exercise periods varied with
the intensity and oxygen requirement of the work but did not vary with
the duration of work performed at a given rate. The oxygen debt was
neither repaid nor increased durii:l.g work even though the oxygen require-
ment for the work was far below the man's aerobic capacity. When the
oxygen need had developed, the rate of oxygen consumption exactly sat-
isfied this need and.no more, thus 1(::3aving an oxygen debt to be repaid
after exercise.
Welch and his co-researchers 27 observed the ventilatory responses
during recovery from muscular work and their relation to oxygen debt.

25P. Cerretelli, J. Piper, F. Mongili, and B. Ricci, "Aerobic and

Anaerobic Metabolism in ~ercising Dogs," Journal of Applied Physiology,
Vol. 19 (1964), pp. 25-28. ~

26E. G. Schneider, S. Robinson, and J. L. Newton, "Oxygen Debt in

~~~obic Work," Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol. 25 (1968), pp. 58-

27 H.· G. Welch, J~ A. Faulkner, J. K. Barclar, and G. A. Brooks,

"V.entilatory Response During Recovery From Muscular Work and Its
Re.lation With o2 Debt," Medicine ~ Scie~ce in Sports, Vol. 2 (1970),
15-19.
 29

They found that the rate of ventilation was extremely high during severe
work and remained elevated during the first few minutes of recovery.
The authors concluded that the oxygen cost of breathing during recovery
might influence the measurement of oxygen debt.
In discussing the important concepts of the "energy release
28
processes," Knuttgen stated that:
It was generally accepted that the immediate source of
energy for muscle contraction was adenosinetriphosphate (ATP).
As ATP served as a linking system in the transfer of energy,
the degradation of ATP to adenosine diphosphate and inorganic
phosphate must be followed by the resynthesis of ATP in order
for energy consuming activity to continue. Creative phosphate
(CP) act as a high-energy phosphate reservoir. If ATP and
accompanying CP were the sole sources of energy for muscular
contraction there would be severe limitations on the length
of time that muscular contraction would continue. Therefore,
the necessity for the related processes of glycolytic and
oxidation phosphocreatine. The breakdown of glycogen to
pyruvic acid was referred to as glycolytic phosphorylation.
One mole of either glycogen or glucose breaking down to pyruvic
acid was responsible for the resynthesis of ATP. It should
9
also be emphasized that in exercise both c~ bohydrate and
free fatty acids served as energy sources.
According to Knuttgen every person has what could be termed an
"Anaerobic Capacity." This consists of the energy that could be re-
leased without the availability and/or involvement of an appropriate
quantity of oxygen. Because of this so-called anaerobic capacity, a
person
(a) Can perform physical activity while suspending lung
ventilation or,
(b) Can perform a level of activity which demands oxygen

28 H. G. Knuttgen, "Physical Working Capacity and Physical Per-

formance," Medicine and Science ~ SRorts, Vol. 1 (1969), pp. 1-8.
29H. G. Knuttgen, (1969), P• 3°
 30

delivery in excess of his aerobic capacity for some

minutes. 30
He further claims that during the recovery from these types of physical
efforts, excess oxygen consumptions (oxygen debts) are measured far in
excess of the limited oxygen stores the body might have hado
It is Knuttgen' s belief that oxygen debt actually constitutes one
of the great unsolved problems of exercise physiology. Knuttgen stated
that usually when we speak of oxygen debt, people will relate it to
lactic acid. He cited some recent findings that disturb the classic
concepts of the relationship among hypoxia, lactic acid production,
and oxygen debt. They are:
(a) Finding lactic acid production in spite of an apparent
abundance of oxygen in the tissues.
(b) Finding the uptake of lactate from the blood by working
nru.scle as well as resting tissue.
(c) Evidence of a possible uncoupling of the reaction in the
respiratory chain which could mean a large oxygen consump-
tion, as in recovery, without ATP resynthesis.3 1
Hermansen3 2 states in his article on anaerobic energy release
that the range of variability of anaerobic work has not been deter-
mined, because there has been no accepted test procedure to measure
this capacity. According to Hermansen, the use of oxygen debt as a
measurement of anaerobic capacity has been considered to be of little

30H. G. Knuttgen, (1969), P• 4.

31Ibid.

32L. Hermansen, "Anaerobic Energy Release," Medicine and Science

in Sports, Vol$ I (1969), PP• 32-38. -
 31

importance, due to the fact that several factors are believed to affect
the resting oxygen uptake, and consequently the oxygen debt. In spite
of this, Hermansen claims, oxygen debt has been measured to determine
whether the classical concept of oxygen debt could be used to distinguish
between groups which are supposed to have different abilities to perform
short exhaustive exercise.
Hermansen compared well-trained subjects by looking at their oxygen
debt values. These results indicated that the classical concept of
oxygen debt may be used to describe a person's ability to perform ex-
haustive exercise of short duration. His measurements on the swimmers
also indicated that the oxygen debt may be increased during a training
period.
Cowan and Solandt33 attempted to solve the problem of the duration
of the recovery period following strenuous nru.scular work. The work
they used was performed on a bicycle ergometer. After a preliminary
period of 15 minutes pedaling, an eight minute respiratory metabolism
was taken. The subject then stepped off the ergometer and ran, in
place, as fast as possible for 30 seconds. The subject then resumed
his seat on the bicycle and continued pedaling at the former rate. The
post-exercise collection was started at the beginning of the mild bi-
cycle exercise and was continued for one and one-half hours after the
exercise.
The duration of the recovery period following the running was
complete in 20 to 45 minutes using a steady state of mjJ_d exercise as

33c. R. Cowan and O. M. Solandt, "The Duration of the Recovery

Period Following Strenuous Muscular Exercise Measured to a Base Line
of Steady, MjJ_d Exercise," Journal of Physiology, Vol. 89 (1934),
PP• 462-466. -
 32

a base line. Recovery to the basal state, after similar exercise, takes
at least 90 minutes.

Summary of Related Literature

A. V. Hill, who was an early pioneer in the study of anaerobic

work, coined the term "oxygen debt" in 1927. Through the research of
Hill and other early leaders34 , 35 ' 36 , · 37' 38 the concept of two

separate stages of oxygen debt was established. These stages were an

alactacid stage and a lactic acid stageG
During the alactacid stage of oxygen debt, light to moderate work
loads were performed, and a steady state was maintained during this
period. The alactacid debt occurred at the initial phase of work with
oxygen debts of up to two and one-half liters per minute, while heart
rates were not elevated higher than 160 beats per minute. This stage
was accompanied by increases of lactic acid in the muscle tissue, but
not in the blood stream, and the debt was quickly repaid generally
within three to five minutes.
During the lactic acid stage of oxygen debt there was an accumu-
lation of excessive lactic acid in the blood stream and it was linearly
related to the amount of work performed. Heart rates were elevated to
above 180 beats per minute and the removal o.f excessive lactic acid

34A. U. Hill and H. Lupton, (1923), PP• 135-171.

3 5R& Margaria et al., (1933), pp. 689-715.
36R. Margaria et al., Vol. 107 (1934), pp. 681-686.

37R. Margaria et al., Vol. 108 (1934), PP• 344-348.

38n. B. Dill et al., (1937), PP• 299-307.

 33

during recovery was much slower, taking from 15-90 minutes.

Studies that investigated the effects of training on oxygen debt
were also reviewed. The literature established the fact that oxygen
debt capacity is trainable.39, 40, 41, 42

Gisolfe and his associates43 conducted a study to look at recovery

following exhausting runs. They concluded that it is better ,for
athletes to exercise intermittently at moderate rates following an
exhausting competitive event.
In a current article, 44 Knuttgen states that recent findings have
challenged the classical concepts of lactic acid production and oxygen
debt. It is Knuttgen's belief that oxygen debt actually constitutes
one of the great unsolved problems of exercise physiology. The classi-
cal concept that oxygen debt may be used to describe a person's ability
to perform exhaustive exercise of short duration was confirmed by
Hermansen. 45

39s. Robinson, (1951), pp. 428-429.

40s. Robinson and P. M. Harmon, (1951), PP• 757-769.

4lF. M. Henry and W. E. Berg, (1950), pp. 103-111.

42L. Hermansen, (1969), PP• 32-38.
43c. Gisolfe, S. Robinson, and E. S. Turrell, (1969), pp. 1767-1772.
44H. Ge Knuttgen, (1962), PP• 629-644.
4 5L. Hermansen, (1969), PP• 32-38.
 CHAPTER III

METHODS AND PROCEDURES

The purpose of this study was to propose a method for standardizing

the procedures for measuring maximal oxygen debt. A procedure for
measuring maximal oxygen debt will be proposed in this chapter.

Selection of Subjects

The subjects were solicited by direct appeal from physical educa-

tion activity classes which contained only male physical education
majors and minors. Forty male subjects between the ages of 17 and 30
years of age volunteered to participate in this study.

Selection of the Procedures for

Producing Maximum Oxygen Debt

The initial step was to select a test or exercise that would pro-
duce the largest oxygen debt. The various alternatives in the labora-
tory were to work with the bicycle ergometer or with the treadmill.
The treadmill was chosen because previous research1 has shown that
running elicits a greater oxygen debt than any other type of exercise.
For this reason' the researcher decided to utilize the treadmill. The
problem then was narrowed down to what kind of a treadmill test would

1
Kenneth Cooper, M. D., Aerobics (New York: M. Evans and Co.,
1968), P• 29.

'"> I
 35

be used. Several alternatives were available on the treadmill. These

ranged from walking uphill to running at a fast pace on the level to
elicit the maximal debt. This part of the study was a pretest to
establish a uniform procedure to elicit maximum oxygen debt. Four
alternative procedures were chosen and tested using four subjectss
Test one consisted of walking at 3.5 miles per hour (mph) at 8.5
per cent grade for five minutes; then the subject jogged at a speed of
seven mph at a grade of three per cent for five minutes. Immediately
after the completion of the jog, the subject performed an all-out run
at ten mph at seven per cent grade. During the changing of grade~
speed, the subject stepped off of the treadmill belt and stood on the
mounting platform while the researcher mechanically adjusted the tread-
mill.
A test developed by Johnson and associates was used as the second
test for determining maxirrru.m oxygen debt. 2 The subject warmed up by
walking at a grade of 8.6 per cent for five minutes at 3.5 mph. After
the completion of the warm up, the subject sat on a chair for five
minutes. At a signal the subject performed an all-out run at a speed
of seven mph and at a grade of 8.6 per cent.
Cureton's All-Out Test for Champion Athletes was chosen for the
third test. This test consisted of running to exha~stion at a speed of
ten mph and at a grade of 8.6 per cent.3
Test four was developed by the author and consisted of two parts.

2a.
E.. Johnson, L. Brouha, and R. C. Darling, "A Test of Physical
Fitness for Strenuous Exertion," Rev. Canad. Biol., 1 (June, 1942), pp.
491-503. ~ ~

3Thomas K. Cureton, Jr., Physical Fitness of ChaJXion Athletes,

The University of Illinois Press, Urbana (1951), p. 3 •
 36

The first part was a warm up which involved walking at 3.5 mph at 15 per
cent grade for five minutes. The second part required the subject to

perform an all-out walk at 3.5 mph at a 30 per cent grade.

The measurement of oxygen debt took place immediately after the
all-out performance on each of the four tests, and consisted of measuring
the excess oxygen that was consumed during a recovery period of 30 min-
utes over the subject's resting oxygen consumption. Resting (sitting
position) . oxygen consumption was taken for three minutes before the ex-
haustive run. This procedure is described in detail below.
As mentioned above, the author used four subjects to determine
which test produced the greatest maximum oxygen debt. A rotation pro-
cedure was established to counter-balance training effects.
Test one produced the greatest mean oxygen debt (6.26 liters)9
Table I. lists the debt of each subject on each of the four tests.

TABLE I
MAXIMUM OXYGEN DEBTS
(liters)

Subjects Test 1 Test 2 Test 3 Test 4

1 8.49 L. 2.00 L. 6045 L. 6.45 L.,

2 6.78 L. 1.80 L. 4.12 L. 6.04 L..
3 5.86·1. 1.48 L. 0.52 L. 5.. 58 L.
4· 3.92 L. 4.07 L. 2.82 L. 3.40 L.
X = 6.26 X= 2.,34 -X == 3.48 i.= 5.37
 37

Test one procedures were then modified to determine if a greater

maximum oxygen debt could be obtained. The modification consisted of
eliminating the walking stage of the test. This modification produced

a greater maximum oxygen debt (X = 6.90). Therefore, this test and pro-
cedure was selected as the one to be used in this study.

Testing Procedures for the Standardization

of Maximum Oxygen Debt

The subjects reported to the Physiology of Exercise Laboratory,

located in the Colvin Physical Education Ce.nter, during t~e last week
of October, 1970, between 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. for explanation,
demonstration, and practice of testing procedures and orientation to
the laboratory equipment.
During the month of November each subject returned to the labora-
tory to take the maximal oxygen debt test. Most of the subjects re-
ported between 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 p0m. on Monday through Fridays
Because of the subjects' schedules, some of the tests were run on the
weekends.
The subjects were instructed to report to the laboratory in gym
shorts, tennis shoes, and T-shirt. When the subject arrived at the
laboratory, he was instructed to rest for five minutes in the sitting
position before the test was started. After the rest period, the sub-
jects were asked to remove their shirts and sit down by the Tissot Tank
while the electrodes for the E & M Telemetry were attached to their
sternum and rib cage. The transmitter was taped on to the side just
behind the rib electrode. An ace bandage was then applied to keep
electrode movement to a minimums Following the attachment of the
 38

electrodes, the E & M Telemetry Receiver was adjusted for the best pos-
sible physiograph reading of the EKG signal. The physiograph was set
to have a 0.5 centimeter per second paper speed with the time and event
marker recording each second. Resting heart rates were recorded on the
physiograph through telemetry with the subject sitting down.
The maximum oxygen debt test was conducted in three steps. The
first step was to measure the subject's resting (sitting position) oxy-
gen consumption before the all-out run by having the subject breathe
into the Tissot Tank for three minutes. Samples were>taken from the
Tissot Taruc in two liter rubber anasthesia bags, which were analyzed
for oxygen and carbon dioxide per cent in the Palmo-Analyzer. Calcu-
lation of resting oxygen consumption was then made by following the pro-
cedures outlined in Consolazio's text.4
The second phase consisted of the subject jogging at a speed of
seven mph at a grade of three per cent for five minutes. At the end
of the jog, the subjects' heart rates showed that they were near crest-
load.
Immediately after the completion of the jog, the subject performed
an all-out run, running as long as possible at ten mph at seven per cent
grade. During the changing of the grade and speed, the subject stepped
off the treadmill. This change took from ten to 15 seconds of time.
Because motivation of the subjects to produce their maximum effort
was very important, the researcher used monetary rewards along with
verbal encouragement. The subjects with the longest runs on the tread-
mill during the all-out run were rewarded monetarily. The best time

4c. Consolazio et al., (1963), PP• 5-12, 39.

 39

received five dollars and the rewards decreased one dollar for each

place down through fifth place.

The third step was the collection of the subjects' expired respira-
tion during recovery in Douglas Bags. At the end of the all-out run
the subjects were helped to a stool that was placed nearby, and a large
two-way breathing valve (model - "Triple J" Valve: Warren E. Collins,
Inc.,.· 220 Wood Road, Baintree, Mass.) was placed in their mouth and a
nose clip attached to the nose. This took from three to five seconds.
Because of the rapid and heavy breathing from the exhaustive performance,
the subject expired his air into a 400 liter Douglas Bag the first 15
minutes. From that point, the respiration was collected in 100 liter
bags at five minute intervals. Oxygen consumption was computed after
each five minute jog, using Consolazio's5 method. When the rate of
oxygen consumption dropped to within "ten per cent" of the resting con-
sumption, the measurement was stopped.
The respiration collected in the Douglas Bags was transferred into
a Collins 100 liter Tissot Tank to obtain an accurate measurement of
the volume. Samples were taken from the Tissot Tank in two liter rub-
ber anasthesia bags for analysis.
The first 20 subjects were retested to determine the reliability
of the test using the same procedures described abovee

Grouping and Analysis of Data

Reliability was determined by test-retest correlation of the first

20 subjects.
 40

Product Moment Correlations were computed to determine what rela-

tionships existed between maximal oxygen debt and time of work, resting
heart rate, heart rate after the jog, maximum heart rate, oxygen con-
sumption at 20 per cent, 15 per cent, and ten per cent above resting
oxygen consumption, and oxygen consumption after 30 minutes of recovery,
after 45 minutes of recovery, and 60 minutes of recovery. R.Q., oxygen,
carbon dioxide, and true oxygen were plotted graphically against time
of recovery to check for trends and relationships with oxygen debt re-
payment.

Summary

The subjects were solicited by direct appeal from physical educa-

-,
tion activity classes which contained only male physical education
majors. Forty male subjects volunteered to participate in this study.
The initial step was to select a test or exercise that would pro-
duce the largest oxygen debt. The treadmill apparatus was chosen be-
. cause previous research had indicated that running would elicit the
largest oxygen debt. Four alternative treadmill tests were chosen and
tested by using four subjects to find out which would produce the largest
debt. These tests ranged from walking uphill to running at a fast pace
on the level to elicit the maximal debt. The test that was selected
consisted of the subject jogging at a speed of seven mph at a grade of
three per cent for five minutes. Immediately after the completion of
the jog, the subject performed an all-out run at ten mph at seven per
cent grade. During the changing of grade and speed, the subject stepped
off of the ~readmill. This test was selected because it produced a
greater maxi.mum oxygen debt than the other tests.
 41

The subjects were instructed to report to the Physiology of Exer-

cise Laboratory for an explanation, demonstration, and practice of
testing procedures and orientation to the equipment. The maxirrru.m oxygen
debt test was conducted in three steps. The first step was to measure
the subject's resting oxygen consumption by having the ·subject breathe
into the Tissot Tank for three minutes. The second phase consisted of
the subject jogging for five minutes to warm up and then running until
they were exhausted. Immediately after the all-out run the subjec·ts
were helped to a stool and their expired respiration was collected in
Douglas Bags. Because of rapid and heavy breathing from the exhaustive
performance, the subject expired his air into a 400 liter bag for 15
minutes. From that point, the respiration was collected in 100 liter
bags at five minute intervals. Oxygen consumption was computed after
each five minute jog until it dropped back down to within "ten per cent"
of the resting consumption.
Reliability was determined by test-retest correlation of the first
20 subjects. other correlations were also computed to determine what
relationships existed between maximal oxygen debt and the other vari-
ables.
 CHAPTER IV

RESULTS

The author has attempted to develop and evaluate a laboratory pro-

cedure for measuring maximal oxygen debt which could be used by research
physiologists.

Reliability

One of the problems that research physiologists have faced in

studying maximal oxygen debt has been obtaining reliability for their
1 t
tests. In a recent article, Welch expressed concern about this problem
when he stated that to date researchers have not been able to obtain
high reliability coefficients when working with oxygen debt.
The reliability of the proposed procedure was calculated from the
retest of the first 20 subjects that took the test. The reliability
check produced a correlation of .837, which would indicate that the
reliability of this procedure was satisfactory. Matthews 2 noted that
reliability coefficients for "physiological variables" could be inter-
preted as "acceptable" i f they were e80 or above. 'r:his procedure

1
Hugh G. Welch, John A. Faulkner, Jack K. Barclay, and George
Brooks, · 11 ventilatory Responses During Recovery From Muscular Work and
Its Relation With Oxygen Debt," Medicine and Science in Sports, Vol. 2,
Spring, 1970, P• 15
2Donald K. Matthews, Measurement in Physical Education, W. B.
Saunders Co., Philadelphia, 1968, p. 25.

J.?
 43

apparently is more reliable than any previous method that has been re-
ported. Matthews also stated that a test could be reliable without
being valid, and that validity coefficients may be interpreted as:
"fair to good'' from • 70 to • 79, "very good 11 - -~~~O to •85, "excellent"
above • 85. 3 Smithells notes that quite a number of "acceptable"
validity coefficients may appear in the range of .70 to .79, as their
worth is dependent upon the complexity of the variables involved (the
administrator, time of day, nearness of last meal, nervousness, and
fatigue).

Validity

This study was undertaken with the assumption that logical validity
would be used because the test was an oxygen debt test. The fact was
accepted that the oxygen debt is that excessive amount of oxygen con-
sumed during recovery over and above what would have been used under
normal resting conditions. Axry measure that was taken of the excessive

oxygen consumption was considered to be a measure of oxygen debt.

Karpovich5 explains oxygen debt by saying that the debt is determined
by measuring the total amount of oxygen consumed during the period of

recovery. Then the amount of oxygen which would have been normally con-
sumed during the sa:me period i f the subject had remained at rest is sul:>-
tracted to give the amount of oxygen debt.

3Donald K. Matthews, p. 22.

4Pbi1lip A. Smithells and Peter E. Cameron, Principles of Evalua-
~ in Physical F.ducation, Harper and Brothers, New Yo~k, 1972, p. 234.
5Peter V. Karpovich, P siolo of Muscular Activity, (~. B.
Saunders Co., Philadelphia, 19 5, p. 570
 44

Researchers in the past have arbitrarily picked a point to use as

a cut-off point for measuring maximal oxygen debt. The cut-off point
could either be a time period after the work was completed, or when the
oxygen consumption returned to a certain level. Cowan and Solandt 6 used
oxygen consumption after a mild exercise on a bicycle ergometer as their
baseline. The duration of the recovery period following was completed
in from 20 to 45 minutes during a steady state of mild exercise as a
baseline. Recovery to the basal state after similar exercise took at
least 90 minutes.
This is a good example of why the procedure of arbitrarily picking
a cut-off point has been followeds In almost all cases it takes from
an hour and a half to two hours for a subject to get back down to his
resting oxygen consumption level, which would be the logical way to
measure the complete oxygen debt repayment. However, the time involved
in following the debt repayment all the way back to resting has made it
an impossible situation. Ricci? states that post-work oxygen uptake
values may not return to pre-work values until 24 to 36 hours latere
Because of the problems associated with measuring debt repayment all
the way back to resting, the author picked a cut-off point at ten per
cent above the resting level.
To illustrate the validity of this test, time of recovery was
compared graphically with oxygen intake and percentages above resting

6c. R. Cowan and O. M. Solandt, "The Duration of the Recovery

Period Following Strenuous Muscular Exercise Measured to a Base Line
of Steady, Mild Exercise, 11 Journal of Physiology, Vol. 89 (1937), pp~
462-466. -
7:senjamin Ricci, Physiological Basis of Human Performance, Lea
Febiger, Philadelphia (1967), p. 194. -
 45

oxygen consumption. Figure 1 shows the relationship between the time

of recovery and the amount of oxygen being consumed at different time
intervals •

•6
N=lO
*

N=32
02 *
Intake .4
L/min •

•3

f6 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70
Time in Minutes
Figure 1. o2 Intakes During Recovery

As can be seen by the graph, the oxygen consumption came down steadily
from the first measurement to the last. The first samples were taken
after 15 minutes of recovery and mean oxygen intake at that point was
.53 liters per minute. The largest drop in oxygen consumption occurred
during the first 25 minutes as might be expected. The oxygen intake
after 20 minutes was .47 liters per minute and after 25 minutes it had
dropped to .39 liters per minute. From that point it decreased slowly
and uniformly as can be seen by the graph down to .27 liters per minute
 46

after 70 minutes of recovery. The .27 is below the mean resting oxygen
consumption (.295) for all of the subjects. However, by looking at
these three subjects individually it was found that their mean resting
oxygen consumption was • 265. Even though they were back down below t.he
mean resting level of the population, they had not returned to their
individual resting levels.
These data do not add anything to our argument particularly, ex-
cept that it is typical of the data that other similar studies have
found. Henry and DeMoor8 have shown the same trends on a graph in
their study on alactacid and lactacid components of the oxygen debt.
Figure 2 shows the relationship between time of recovery and oxy-
gen consumption rates at 20 per cent, 15 per cent, and ten per cent
above resting oxygen consumption. As can be seen from the graph, when
the three measurements were plotted, a straight line relationship was
found. This would indicate that choosing a percentage above resting
oxygen consumption is a valid procedure for measuring debt repayment.
Since the relationship is in a straight line, the oxygen consumption
rate could be projected all the way back to resting i f so desired. The
oxygen consumption was back to within 20 per cent of resting after 36
minutes of recovery. It took five more minutes for the oxygen con-
sumption to go on down to 15 per cent above resting (41 minutes). The
last calculated reading on the graph shows that oxygen consumption was
back to within ten per cent of the resting level after 46 minutes.
Assuming that the straight line relationship would continue and the

8F. M. Henry and J. DeMoor, ";Lactic and Alactic Oxygen Consumption

in Moderate Exercise of Graded Intensity,". Journal of Applied Physi9low:,
Vol .. 8 (1956), PP• 608-614. .· ....
 47

oxygen consumption would drop at the same rate, two more readings were
projected. According to the pattern established, the mean oxygen con-
sumption would have been back down to five per cent above resting after
51 minutes and back down to resting after 56 minutes.

25
20
Per Cent
Above
Resting
o~
15
10 ~ '
Actual
------- Projected
Consumption 5 ''
~

0 ''
20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70
Time of Recovery in Minutes
Figure 2. Time Taken for o2 Consumption to Return to 20 Per Cent, 15
Per Cent and Ten·Per Cent Above Resting

Figure 3 shows that rate of oxygen consumption at ten per cent,

15 per cent, and 20 per cent above resting oxygen consumption. A
straight line relationship was also noted on this graph. When oxygen
consumption had returned to within ten per cent of the resting level
the rate of oxygen consumption was .32 liters per minute. The rate of
oxygen consumption was .34 liters per minute when it reached 20 per
cent above resting. This straight line relationship gives further sup-
port to the procedure of choosing the ten per cent above resting oxygen
consumption rate as a cut-off point. In fact, in view of the straight
 48

line relationship, the cut-off point could arbitrarily be set at 15 per

cent or 20 per cent above resting with equal validity.

*
*
.3
* ___R~~~ing L _____

5% lo% 15%
Per Cent Above Resting o2 Consumption
Figure 3. Rate of o2 Consumption at ~en Per Cent, 15 Per Cent and 20
Per Cent Above Resting O · Consumption

Figure 4 further supports the logic of arbitrarily setting a per-

centage above resting oxygen consumption as the base line when working
with maximal oxygen debt. This graph shows the liters of oxygen debt
repaid when the oxygen consumption rate had returned to within 20 per
cent, 15 per cent, and ten per cent of resting oxygen consumptiono A
mean debt of 5.7 liters was found after the oxygen consumption had re-
turned to within ten per cent of the resting level. At 15 per cent
above resting oxygen consumption 5.0 liters had been repaid. When the
oxygen consumption rate reached 20 per cent above resting, 4.2 liters
had been repaid. When these figures were plotted on a graph, they also
 49

revealed a straight line relationship. The line was extended s.o that the
am"unt: of debt repayment could be projected to resting. The 6.6 liters

would have been repaid when the oxygen consumption returned to five per
cent above resting. A debt repayment of 7.2 liters was projected when
the line was extended back to the level of resting oxygen consumption.
This debt repayment (7.20 liters) was very close to the maximal oxygen
debt reported by Cureton9 (7.23 liters) when he tested a group of top
athletes. He also reported debt repayments of 7.37 liters for a group
of non athletes from the same study, so it would appear that the debts
obtained in this study are in line with previous research.

8
.......
..........
7 .......
..........
- - - , - - Projected
Liters .......
..........
of 6 ....... ----Actual
Debt
Repaid 5
4
3
0 5 10 15 20
Per Cent Above Resting o2 Consumption
Figure 4. o2 Debt Repaid at Ten ~er Cent, 15 Per Cent, and 20 Per
Cent Above Resting O Consumption

9Thomas K. Cureton, Physical Fitness of Champion Athletes, The

University of Illinois Press, Urbana (1951T;" ppo 314-350.
 50

Three correlations were calculated between debt repayment after

30 minutes of recovery and debt repayment after the rate of oxygen con-

sumption had returned to 20 per cent, 15 per cent and ten per cent above
resting. The 30 minute recovery debt was used because this is an
arbitrary time commonly used in many laboratories today. These cor-
relations are mentioned here because they lend more support to the
logical validity of the test. All three correlations were high and
would fall in the excellent range. Oxygen debt repaid when the rate
of oxygen consumption was back to within 20 per cent of resting had a
correlation of .875 with debt repaid after 30 minutes of recovery. The
correlations went up slightly at the 15 per cent level (.879) and still
higher at ten per cent above resting oxygen consumption (.890) •.

Means and Standard Deviations of Raw Scores

Table II presents the means and standard deviations of the sub-

jects' raw scores on the various measurements taken on the test. The
mean maximum oxygen debt produced was 5.7 liters. The range was from
1.29 to 9.37 liters. This debt repayment was somewhat smaller than
typical debts reported in other studies. 10 However, when the debts
were projected on out to complete recovery, they seemed to be about the
same as those reported in other research.
Other interesting and relevant data presented in Table II include
the time of the all-out run on the treadmill (X .= one minute, 52
seconds), resting heart rate (X = 75 bpm), heart rate after the tread-
mill jog (X = 182 bpm), and the maximum heart rate after the treadmill

lOibid.
 51

TABLE II
MEANS AND STANDARD DEVIATIONS OF VARIABLF.S
MEASURED IN THIS STUDY

Variable Mean Standard

Deviation

Maximum Oxygen Debt

(Liters) 5.714248 2.192345
Time on Treadmill Run
(Min. & Sec.) 1 min., 55 seco
Resting Heart Rate
(bpm) 75.1000 1006983
HoRo After Treadmill Job
for Five Min. (bpm) 182.0000 1001678
Max. H.R. After Treadmill
Run (bpm) 206.9500 9.1596
Time to Reach Ot
Consumption
at 20 Per Cen Above
Resting Oxygen Consumption
(Min.) 36.0000 10.8722
Time to Reach Oxygen Con-
sumption at 15 Per Cent
Above Resting Oxygen
Consumption (Min.) 41.3750 11.4907
Time to Reach Oxygen Con-
sumption at Ten Per Cent
Above Resting Oxygen Con-
sumption (Min.) 46.6250 11.3199
Oxygen Consumption After 30
Minutes Recovery
(Liters per Minute) .38814 .06318
Oxygen Consumption After 45
Minutes Recovery
(Liters per Minute) .292 .1645
Resting Oxygen Consumption
(Liters per Minute) .295
Oxygen Consumption After
30 Minutes of Recovery
(Liters per Minute) .388 .063
 52

TABLE II (CONTINUED)

Variable Mean Standard

Devfation

Oxygen Consumption at
20 Per Cent Above Resting
(Liters per Minute) .364 .048
Oxygen Consumption at
15 Per Cent Above Resting
(Liters per Minute) .336 .040
Oxygen Consumption at
Ten Per Cent Above Resting
(Liters per Minute) .317 .040
Recovery Time in Minutes 46.62 1.3.6526
 53

run (X = 206 bpm). All of these mean scores tend to lend support to
the fact that the testing procedure was a good one for eliciting maxi-
ma1 oxygen debt. Johnson and his associates feel that whatever exer-
cise is used to assess work capacity, the exercise must put the cardio-
vascular system under considerable stress. The work should be of such
intensity that about one-third of all subjects stop from exhaustion
· t es. 11 The mean time of work on this test was one
wi·thin f.1.ve minu
minute and 52 seconds. The mean heart rate of 182 after the jog was
an indication that the subject was near crest load and about to start
anaerobic work. The purpose of the jog was to serve as a warm up and
bring the subject to near anaerobic stage. We know that anaerobic work
starts when the pulse rate is at or near 180 bpm. The mean heart rate
of 182 after the jog would indicate that the subjects were sufficiently
warmed up and ready to start anaerobic work.
The mean resting heart rate was 75 bpm. The range of the maximal
heart rates after the all-out run (192-228) and the mean maximal heart
rate (206) indicated that the test required maximal effort from the
subjects.
Several means related to the rate of oxygen consumption were also
calculated. The oxygen consumption was found to be .364 liters per
minute when the consumption rate had returned to within 20 per cent of
the resting rate. Oxygen consumption was also compared at 15 per cent
and ten per cent above the resting rate and the mean rates were .336
liters and .317 liters per minute respectively. Oxygen consumption was

1 1a. E. Johnson, L. Brouha, and R. C. Darling, 11A Test of Physical

Fitness for Strenuous Exertion," Rev. Canad. Biol., Vol. 1 (June, 1942),
P• 8. --- ----
 54

checked at intervals after 30 and 45 minutes of recovery. The average

rate of oxygen consumption a~er 30 minutes of recovery was .388 liters
per minute and the mean rate of oxygen consumption after 45 minutes of
recovery was .332 liters per minute. The resting oxygen consumption
was calculated and found to be .295 liters per minute. The time taken
to reach levels of oxygen consumption at 20 per cent, 15 per cent, and
ten per cent above resting were computed. It took 36 minutes to return
to within 20 per cent, 41 minutes to reach 15 per cent, and 46 minutes
to get back to ten per cent above resting oxygen consumption.

Correlations at the .01 Level of Confidence

A correlation matrix was constructed to show the relationship

between the various measures taken. These intercorrelations are pre-
sented in Table III.
The matrix shows 28 correlations that were significant at the .01
level of confidence. One of the first significant correlations on the
matrix was between the heart rate after the jog and the heart rate after
the all-out run. This correlation was .46, which was significant at the
.01 level of confidence. The higher the subject's heart rate, the less
fit he is for aerobic work. A subject with a high heart rate on the jog
would also have a high heart rate on the all-out run, which is an in-
dication of a lack of fitness for anaerobic work.
There were also significant correlations between maximum oxygen
debt and the rate of oxygen consumption after 30 minutes, 45 minutes,
and 60 minutes of recovery. These were .71, .68, and $53 respectively.
These relationships were expected because as the length of time is ex-
tended, the size of the debt increases. Recovery time also produced a
 TABLE III
INTERCORRE;LATION MATRIX OF VARIABLES

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Maximum Oxygen Debt

{Liters) 1- 1.000
Resting Heart Rate 2- .147 1.000
H.R. Arter Jog .3- .004 .J.41 1.000
H.R. After Run Ji,- .195 .163 .465 1.000
Oxygen Consumption After
30 Min. ·Recovery 5- .711a .116 · .034 .129 1.000
Oxygen Consumption After
45 Min. Recovery 6- .685a .064 .042 .218 .697a i.ooo
Oxygen Consumption After
6o Min. Recovery 7.:.. .537a -.008 .125 .237 ,262 .46oa 1.000
Time of Work
(in Min. and Sec.) 8- ,256 .• 050 .66</ -.189 .031 .158 .192 1,000
Oxygen Consumption at
2CJ1, Above Resting 9- -·148 .316b .048 -.022 .285 -.121 -~393b 2.286 1.000
Oxygen Consumption at
15% Above Resting 10- ,114 .465a -.127 .058 .420a .098 -,216 .008 .809a 1.000
Oxygen Consumption at
lf1% Above Resting 11- .150 .377b -.098 .100 .499a .070 -,238 -.128 .784a .874a 1.000
Recovery Time in Min. 12- .709a .084 -.038 .212 ,424a .689a .850a .297. -.485a -,175 -.205 1.000
Carbon Dioxide-When o2
Consumption was at lf1%
Above Resting 1.3- .323b ,193 .081 .200 .126 .209 ,430a .083 -.278 -.020 .110 .545a 1.000
2 .
R.Q. When O Consumption
was at lf1% Above Resting lli,- -.080 -.033 .270 -,151 -.382b -.068 ,36ob -.257 -.342b -,518a .524a .198 .200 1.000
2
True Oxygen--When O Con-
sumption was at lf1%
Above Resting 15-I ,272 .121 -·149 .163 ,247 .173 .066 .217 -.050 .257 .185 .291 .738a -,373b 1.000

a..Significance at the .01 level of confidence, rejection value= .403

b=Significance at the .05 level of confidence, rejection value= .312
N=40
Df=38
\Jt
Vt
 56

significant correlation of .70 with maximal oxygen debt.

Before the performance of the maximum treadmill run, the subject
performed a jog on the treadmill for five minutes in order to raise his
heart rate variable to near crest load level (heart rate, 180). This
jog heart rate variable produced a negative correlation of -.66 with the
time on the treadmill run variable. These two measures were inversely
related which means that the higher the subject's heart rate during the
standardized jog, the shorter the time he would last on the all-out runo
The rate of oxygen consumption after 30 minutes of recovery pro-
duced some obvious correlations with time related variables~ Other
correlations significant at the .01 level between rate of oxygen con-
sumption after 30 minutes recovery were with the rate of oxygen con-
sumption after it had returned to within 15 per cent of resting (.42),
oxygen consumption at ten per cent above resting (.49), and time of
recovery (.42). Oxygen consumption after 45 minutes ,of recovery pro-
duced a similar correlation of (.69) with the mean time of recovery.
The rate of consumption after 6o minutes of recovery produced a high
correlation with the time of recovery (.85) and another significant cor-
relation of (.43) with carbon dioxide being produced.
The rate of oxygen consumption at 20 per cent above resting pro-
duced a negative correlation of (-.48) with time of recovery. Oxygen
consumption at 15 per cent and ten per cent above resting also produced
negative correlations. However, they were with RQ's when the oxygen
consumption was back to ten per cent of resting. These correlations
were (-.51) and (-.57). Recovery time and carbon dioxide had a cor-
relation of .54, and RQ and carbon dioxide a .73. The last correlation
at the .01 level of confidence on the matrix was between RQ and oxygen
 57

consumption, and it was a negative -.57.

Non-Significant and Special Correlations

Correlations were computed using maximal oxygen debt as the crite-

rion variable with oxygen intake at 15 per cent and 20 per cent above
resting, RQ, and true oxygen. These. variables showed no significant
relationship to maximal oxygen debt. A correlation significant at the
.05 level of confidence (.32) was found between maximal oxygen debt and
carbon dioxide after oxygen consumption had returned to within ten per
cent of the resting level.
The debt repayments at 20 per cent and 15 per cent above resting
were correlated with the debt repaid at ten per cent above resting.
The correlations were (.80) for 20 per cent above resting and (.83)
for 15 per cent above resting, which is significant at the .01 level
of confidence.

Summary of Results

The reliability of the test was found to be .837, which would in-
dicate that the procedures were satisfactorily reliable. The reliability
check was made by the.test-retest method using the first 20 subjects
that took the test. This procedure apparently is more reliable than
any previous method that has been reported.

This study was undertaken with the assumption that logical validity
would be used because the test was any oxygen debt test. The fact was
accepted that oxygen debt is that excessive amount of oxygen consumed
during recovery. A measure that was taken of the excessive oxygen
consumption was considered to be a measure of oxygen debt. Because of
 58

the problems associated with measuring debt repayment all the way back
down to resting, an arbitrary cut off point of ten per cent above resting
was chosen for the baseline in this study. To illustrate the validity
of the test, time of recovery was compared graphically with oxygen in-
take and percentages above resting oxygen consumption. The data in this
graph are typical of the data that have been reported in previous
research, and therefore, document the fact that the procedures used in
this study are valid. other graphs were presented to show the relation-
ship between time of recovery and oxygen consumption, the rate of oxygen
consumption at ten per cent, 15 per cent, and 20 per cent above resting,
and oxygen debt repaid when the oxygen consumption rate had returned to

within 20 per cent, 15 per cent and ten per cent of resting oxygen con-
sumption. These variables all had a straight line relationship which
lends support to the procedure of setting an arbitrary base line at a
certain per cent above resting. The straight line trend makes it pos-
sible to project what would have happened if the measurement had been

continued.
The means from the subjects' raw scores on the various measure-
ments taken pointed out that the test was strenuous enough to elicit
maximum oxygen debt. The means of the heart rates after the jog (182)
and the all-out run (206) were particularly meaningful~ The heart rate
of 182 after the jog indicated that the subjects were warmed up and
ready to go into anaerobic work. We know that when the heart rate is
above 180 bpm the subject is doing anaerobic work. The mean of 206
after the all-out run would indicate that the subjects gave an all-out
)

effort0
A correlation matrix was presented to show the relationship between
 59

the various measures takene There were 28 correlations that were sig-
nificant at the .01 level of significance. Some of the highest correla-
tions were between maximal oxygen debt and the rate of oxygen consumption
after 30 minutes recovery (. 71), 45 minutes recovery (. 68), and 60 min-
utes recovery (.53). Recovery time also produced a significant correla-
tion of .70 with maximal oxygen debt. Other relevant correlations in-
cluded a negative (0.66) with time on the treadmill run and the heart
rate after the jog, a ( .42) between oxygen consumption after 30 minutes
recovery and oxygen consumption after it had returned to within 15 per
cent of resting (.42), and at ten per cent above resting (.49). All
of these correlations tend to lend support to the assumption that it
is logical to arbitrarily set a base line of ten per cent above resting
as a cut-off point when working with maximal oxygen debt.
 CHAPTER V

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The importance of the oxygen debt capacity of an individual has

been recognized by research physiologists for yearse There are
numerous sports that are performed anaerobically, but there has never
been an accepted procedure for eliciting or measuring maxirrru.m oxygen
debt. Despite attempts to arrive at a uniform method for determining
oxygen debt, none has been established which is universally accepted.
The research in this area presents a vast number of methods for doing
oxygen debt experiments, but the variations in base lines are so great
and the period of recovery so variable that they are nearly useless. 1
The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a laboratory
procedure for eliciting and measuring maximal oxygen debt, which could
be used by research physiologists. To achieve this purpose, four tests
that had been previously used to elicit oxygen debt were used in a pre-
test experiment to see which one would produce the largest mean oxygen
debt. The test that produced the largest debt was modified slightly,
and a small increase in oxygen debt was observed. As a.result of this
pre-testing the following procedures were used to elicit maximal oxygen
debt. The subject started with a warm-up jog on the treadmill at a
speed of seven miles per hour and at a grade of three per cent for five

1n. Cunningham, June, 1969.

/...()
 61

minutes:.· · Immediately after the completion of the jog, the subject per-

formed an all-out run at ten miles per hour and seven per cent grade.
During the changing of the grade and speed the subject stepped off of
the treadmill. The subjects• expired air was collected and analyzed
during recovery until the oxygen consumption rate returned to within

ten per cent of the resting oxygen consumption.

other problems dealt with specifically were: 1) to determine the

reliability of test procedure, 2) to determine i f a significant rela-

tionship exists between maximal oxygen debt as measured by recovery of
oxygen intake to within ten per cent of the resting base line and any
one of several recovery variables which might occur before this base
line is reached.

Conclusions

Within the limits of this study the following conclusions were

made:
1. This testing procedure was found to have satisfactory reliability

( .837) 0

2. This testing procedure apparently was a good one for eliciting

maximal oxygen debt.

3e The mean debt repaid was 5~7 liters when the oxygen consumption
rate was back to within ten per cent of resting. The projected
debt with oxygen consumption back to resting was 7.2 liters.
4. The logical validity of the test was supported by straight line
relationships between the variables measured.
 62

5. An aribtrary cut-off point could be set at 15 per cent or 20 per

cent above resting.
60 Oxygen intake at 15 per cent and 20 per cent above resting did not
have a significant relationship with maximal oxygen debt.
7. RQ calculated when oxygen consumption had returned to within ten
per cent of resting had no .significant relationship with maximal
oxygen debt.
8. True oxygen calculated when oxygen consumption had returned to
within ten per cent of resting had no significant relationship
with maximal oxygen debt.
9o Carbon dioxide calculated when oxygen consumption had returned to
within ten per cent of resting had no significant relationship
with maximal oxygen debt.

Recommendations

There is no question concerning the importance of understanding

more about oxygen debt and its relationship to man's ability to do
exhaustive emergency type work.
It appears that a study of maximum oxygen debt using 15 or 20 per
cent above resting oxygen consumption as a cut-off point or base line
would be a valid approacho
The problem of establishing a base line has been mentioned many
times in the literature. The resting base line seems to be the most
often used one. However, this tends to create problems because resting
oxygen consumptions are often low and the slightest error can cause
large discrepancies in the size of oxygen debts. Therefore, it seems
logical to conduct further study of oxygen debt using oxygen consumption
 63

after a mild exercise as the base line, such as Cowan and Solandt did

in 1937.

Reliability has been one of the unsolved mysteries in working

with oxygen debt. The procedure proposed in this study had a reliability
coefficient of 0837, which appears to be higher than any reported to
date. It would be helpful if more work using this procedure could be
conducted to further check the reliability.
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APPENDIX
 TABLE IV

RAW DATA

Subject Maximum Time on Resting H,R, After Max, H,R, Resting Carbon Resting True Oxygen True ~en R,Q, Rest:i,ng R,Qa2
Number Oxygen Treadmill Heart Treadmill After Carbon Dioxide Oxygen at Rest With · With
Debt Run (Min, Rate Jog for Treadmill Dioxide With o2 Consumption (Liters) Consumption · Consumption
(Liters) & Sec,) (bpm) 5 Min, Run (Liters) Consumption (Liters) at 101, Above . at 101, Above
(bpm) (bpm) at 101, Above Resting Resting
~·
Resting (Liters)
(Liters)

1 8.80 2:ll 80 188 200 2,64 2,71 ,232 2.45 2,98 1,5 ,89
2 8,28 3:33 72 180 204 2,34 2.19 ;286 3,41 3,0 .68 ,72
3 9,37 1:28 72 192 232 3,02 2.71 ,330 2.80 3,97 1,05 .68
4 4,29 1:15 72 184 212 2,ll 2,19 ,301 3,04 3,05 ,70 ,74
5 8,73 3:20 76 176 212 2,11 2,19 .292 2,86 3.40 ,89 ,59
6 4,09 1:15 68 184 196 2,71 2,34 .265 3,15 3,01 ,71 .75
7 8,37 1:35 84 180 204 2.26 2.26 .331 2.55 3.42 .60 .64
8 2,53 1:32 60 180 208 2,34 1.73 ,278 2.60 2.15 ,87 ,76
9 8,36 1:31 80 180 212. 2,34 1,89 ,377 3,25 2.76 ,70 ,67
10 5,18 0:53 68 196 208 1,58 1,73 · ,308 2.15 2,13 ,73 ,78
11 6.22 2:23 72 180 · 212 2,81 3.09 ,236 3,71 4,4 ,75 ,76
12 4,59 2:02 76 184 204 2.26 1,66 ,301 2,35 2,3 ,95 .67
13 2.42 1:41 92 184 208 2.19 2.19 ,356 1,75 3,17 1.25 .70
14 3,94 1:32 68 168 208 2.11 l.73 .274 1,50 2,17 1,35 ,81
15 6,87 1:20 80 188 216 2.56 2.26 .270 · 2,39 2.95 1.01 ,77
16 5,85 1:52 56 176 200 2,79 2,26 .264 3,14 3.1 .87 ,72
17 3,95 1:-29 72 184 210 2.64 1.96 ,317 3,45 2,90 ,76 .66
18 5,98 1:12 60 176 196 2,56 2.19 .306 2.82 3,00 ,91 .72
19 5.75 0:.38 76 192 228 1.96 2.19 ,322 2.04 3,5 1,00 .64
20 5,46 3:0.3 92 J.60 192 2,79 1.96 •.361 2,55 . 2.9 1,5 .64

°'
00
 TABLE IV (OONTINUFD)

Subject MaxillR1m Time on Resting H.R. After Max. H.R. Resting Carbon Resting True Oxygen True O:xy§en R.Q. Resting R.Q.
Number Oxygen Treadmill Heart Treadmill After Carbon Dioxid Oxygen at Rest With O . With cl-
Debt Run (Min. Rate Jog for Treadmill Dioxide With O~ Consumption (Liters) Co~ion Con~ion
(Liters) & Sec.) (bpm) 5 Min. Run (Liters) Con~ion {Liters) at l Above at l Above
{bpm) (bpm) at l Above Resting Resting
Resting (Liters)
(Liters)

21 7.10 l:03 6o 192 204 2.49 2.ll .307 2.92 3.2 .85 .66
22 9.23 2:43 84 176 200 2.56 . 2.19 -- - . -- . -.285 2.33 .3.0 -1.l - --~-74 ___
23 8•.33 1:51 80 192 220 2.64 2.71 .248 2.95 3.21 .87 .89
24 4.78 2:17 92 204 224 2.19 1.96 .250 1.95 2.75 1.13 .69
25 1.29 1:26 72 192 200 2.56 2.ll .320 1.72 2.4 1.4 .85
26 2.53 2:08 6o 176 208 2.64 1.89 .31 2.84 2.97 .90 .62
27 4.52 1140 64 180 204 1.96 2.26 .240 2.50 2.89 .80· .79
28 5.48 1:.34 72 180 200 2.79 2.49 .313 2.85 3.80 .95 .64
29 5.70 l:35 6o 192 204 3.09 1.96 .272 3.5 3.0 .86 .64
.30 3.80 1152 80 176 192 2.19 1.66 .284 2.02 2.33 1.56 .70
31 8.05 1104 88 192 220 2.64 1.89 .332 2.25 3.04 1.1 .61
32 2.57 1:31 80 188 216 2.79 2.79 .328 4.43 4.27 .64 .64
33 7.09 1:13 100 192 204 2.87 2.56 .347 .3.21 3.46 .85 .74
34 3.80 2:15 80 180 204 2.26 1.96 .351 2.62 2.96 .86 .65
35 8.49 5:10 68 148 208 3.02 2.34 .280 2.39 4.87 1.21 .51
36 8.31 1145 72 i88 200 2.26 2.41 .310 2_.40 3.05 .90 .79
37 3.70 2:44 64 168 196 2.56 2.04 .262 2.60 2.52 .92 .80
38 5.59 1:30 72 180 200 2.49 2.19 ,343 3,0 3,5 ,80 .62
39 5,23 2:08 92 172 200 2,26 2,56 .320 2.19 3.3 1.1 .76
40 3,95 1:56 88 180 212 2,41 2,56 ,313 2,85 3.61 ,81 .69

$
 VITA I}

Melvin Gene Wright

Candidate for the Degree of
Doctor of Education

Thesis: A SUGGESTED PROCEDURE FOR MEASURING MAXIMAL OXYGEN DEBT

Major Field: Higher Education
Biographical:
Personal Data: B:)rn in Amarillo, Texas, June 4, 1935, the son
of Mr. and Mrs. Claude Wright~ Married Althea Jacobson,
June 23, 1956.
Education: Attended elementary, junior high, and high school
in Amarillo, Texas; graduated from Amarillo High School in
1953.; received Bachelor of Science degree from Oklahoma State
University, May, 1957, with a major in Physical Education;
received Master of Science in Physical Education from Baylor
University, Waco, Texas, 1959. Completed requirements for
Doctor of Education degree in May, 1972. ·
Professional Experience: Appointed Freshman basketball coach
and graduate assistant in the Department of Health, Physical
Education, and Recreation, Baylor University, 1957; Profes-
sional baseball with the Kansas City Athletics, 1957, 1958,
1959, and 1960 seasons. Appointed physical education teacher
and head baseball coach at Amarillo Junior College, Amarillo,
Texas, 1965; appointed Head Resident in Oklahoma State Uni-
versity residence hall, 1968; appointed Complex Director of
Willham Complex at Oklahoma State University, 1969; appointed
Assistant Director of Housing at Oklahoma State University,
1970; appointed Academic Counselor in Oklahoma State Uni-
versity Athletic Department and physical education instructor,
1971; member of the American Association of Health, Physical
Education, and Recreation; Oklahoma Association of Health,
Physical Education, and Recreation; and American Association
of Higher Education •.