The Relationship Between Maximal Oxygen Consumption and Inspiratory Muscle Activation Pattern Under Loaded Inspiratory Muscle Tests in Healthy Adults

Maximal oxygen consumption, VO2max, is the gold standard to evaluate human aerobic fitness, which stands for the maximal capacity of cardiorespiratory system and musculoskeletal system to transport and utilize oxygen. Previous study showed that there is significant correlation between maximal oxygen consumption from cardiopulmonary exercise test and strength and endurance of lower extremities. In people with sedentary lifestyle, they often limited by the lower limb muscle performance during cardiopulmonary exercise test. Their breathing patterns are more irregular than athletes during cardiopulmonary exercise test. However, there is no study comparing the activation pattern of respiratory muscles between these two groups. Whether the breathing pattern in people with lower exercise capacity is less efficient under exertional activities still unknown. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between maximal oxygen consumption and inspiratory muscle activation pattern in healthy adults.