Maximal Aerobic Capacity and Body Composition Assessment

A maximal exercise test on a bicycle ergometer (Lode Excalibur, Groningen, The Netherlands) was performed to establish maximal aerobic capacity (VO_2max). After an initial workload of 100 Watt for 5 min, workload was subsequently increased by either 25 W/min or 40 W/2 min until the participant could not maintain the required pedaling frequency of at least 60 rpm. Participants were allowed to eat and drink before the test; nothing specific was prescribed. Oxygen consumption was measured with indirect calorimetry (Oxycon Carefusion, Hoechberg, Germany), and VO2 max was recorded [19 (link)]. Heart rate was monitored by using a heart rate monitor (Polar T31-coded, Oulu, Finland) and connected exercise tracker (Polar FT1). In addition, body length (Seca 213 portable stadiometer, Hamburg, Germany) and weight (Seca 761 scale) were measured. Thereafter, DEXA measurements were carried out using a Lunar Prodigy Advanced DEXA scanner (GE Health Care, Madison, WI, USA) [20 (link)]. A quality assurance test was performed to ensure system suitability and precision of the scanner. Whole body scans were performed according to the manufacturer’s protocol and identical scan protocols were used for all subjects.