How To Do Just About Everything
Rate: (1 Ratings)
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) is a great tool in determining a person's total gross VO2, which is the total rate of oxygen consumption during both rest and exercise. In other words, gross VO2 = resting VO2 + exercise VO2. This figure is expressed in ml.kg-1.min-1 and is used when figuring out the energy used during such activities as walking, running, or in this case, bench stepping. This equation is especially helpful for trainers who have clients in the process of improving their aerobic training.
For this example of calculating energy expenditure, we will use a bench step height of 15 inches at a cadence of 24 steps per minute (step.min-1). The official equation for gross VO2 according to ACSM is as follows:
VO2 = [Frequency (F) in steps.min-1 x 0.2] + (step height in m/step x F x 1.33 x 1.8) + resting VO2
VO2 = 4.8ml.kg-1.min-1 + 21.90 ml.kg-1.min-1
+ 3.5 ml.kg-1.min-1
= 30.2 ml.kg-1.min-1
Men = Poor (<35), Fair (36-39), Good (40-42), Excellent (43-47), Superior (48+)
Women = Poor (<29), Fair (30-32), Good (33-35), Excellent (36-39), Superior (40+)
Novice 
Comments
NikoKrommydas said
on 3/29/2008 Rosey,
The math error has been corrected. I apologize for that.
Also, the value 4.8 comes from step one, which is included as part of the exercise VO2.
roseycat707 said
on 3/23/2008 You made a math error.
4.8ml.kg-1.min-1 + 21.90 ml.kg-1.min-1 + 3.5 ml.kg-1.min-1 = 30.2, NOT 29.5
also, where does 4.8 come from? You say to add resting vo2 and ex vo2, but that would be 21.9 + 3.5 = 25.4
kamoguy said
on 3/16/2008 You have a lot of detail here. Calculating VO2 is useful in a lot of fitness settings.