| At the onset of moderate intensity exercise (below the ventilatory threshold) VO2 increases in a mono-exponential fashion. The precision with which the parameters of this response (tau and amplitude) are estimated may be improved by using data from repeated identical exercise tests and/or by smoothing the breath-by-breath (B X B) data. Fourteen subjects performed six 3-min cycle ergometer tests. B X B VO2, 3-b, 5-b, and 7-b rolling averages were fit to a mono-exponential model. Smoothing did not affect parameter estimates but improved the precision of the estimates. Combining 7-b data from five identical tests reduced the standard errors of tau and amplitude; therefore, using five tests with 7-b rolling averages is optimal. |
