Comparison of Peak Aerobic Capacity Between the Treadmill and a Skiing Ergometer

Introduction: The Concept2 SkiErg is increasing in popularity and is widely used to provide a low impact total body workout. Because of these benefits, the SkiErg could be an ideal tool for fitness testing. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare VO2peak values elicited from a treadmill (TM) and SkiErg (SE) graded exercise test (GXT). Methods: Twenty-two averagely fit females completed 2 GXT protocols to volitional exhaustion on a TM and SE. Peak VO2, HR, VE, TTE, and RER were compared using paired-samples t-tests with significant differences at p≤0.05. Max RPE was compared using a Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test. Results: TM was significantly greater than SE for VO2peak (43.82±1.07 vs 33.97±5.01 ml/kg/min, p<0.01), HR (189±8 vs 182±11 bpm, p<0.01), RPE (18.91+1.11vs 17.26+2.03, p=0.02), VE (95.44±11.26 vs 86.21±2.90 L/min, p=0.015), and TTE (550.16+137.56 vs 391.86±81.20 sec, p<0.01). RER was significantly greater on the SE (1.16±0.08 vs 1.12±0.06, p=0.024). Conclusion: Results suggest that TM elicits higher max values for VO2, HR, TTE, VE, and RPE compared to SE, while SE elicits a higher RER in the current population. SE could be used as an alternative mode of testing in averagely-fit females but does not directly compare to TM values.