A cadence based sub-maximal field test for the prediction of peak oxygen consumption in elite wheelchair basketball athletes

Twenty-four elite wheelchair basketball athletes were recruited to assess the feasibility and concurrent validity of a cadence based sub-maximal field test. Sub-maximal trials consisted of two, five-minute workloads at 60 and 80 pushes per minute (pushes/min). The field test was performed by wheeling around an indoor basketball court to the beep of a metronome. Peak oxygen consumption, while arm cranking, was determined using an automated metabolic measurement system. Stepwise forward linear regression was used to develop prediction equations for peak VO₂ (VO₂ peak) for both cadences, resulting in the following equations; 60 pushes/min VO₂ peak (L/min) = 0.74 + 0.31(classification) + 0.003(distance covered) - 0.15(RPE), r ² = 0.73, SEE = 0.48 L/min; 80 pushes/min VO₂ peak (L/min) = 1.50 + 0.0029(distance covered) - 0.16(RPE) + 0.235(classification), r ² = 0.74, SEE = 0.45 L/min. There were no significant differences between the actual and the estimated VO₂ peak values at either cadence. In addition the estimated VO₂ peak from both cadence equations were linearly correlated (r = 0.87). Bland-Altman plots revealed no cases where the difference between the actual and predicted VO₂ peak was greater than two standard deviations beyond the mean of the differences, demonstrating good agreement. Due to the homogeneity of the sample, the test-retest reliability (interclass correlation coefficients) was moderate to poor for select variables; HR = 0.42, RPE = 0.63, distance covered = 0.50 and HR = 0.65, RPE = 0.70, distance covered = 0.62 for 60 and 80 pushes/min, respectively. The results of this preliminary study indicate that this sub-maximal field test is efficient, simple to perform, and predicts VO ₂ peak in competitive wheelchair basketball athletes with similar accuracy to prediction equations designed for able-bodied individuals.