Hindawi Publishing Corporation Journal of Sports Medicine Volume 2016, Article ID 3968393, 12 pages http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/3968393 Review Article Graded Exercise Testing Protocols for the Determination of VO2max: Historical Perspectives, Progress, and Future Considerations Nicholas M. Beltz,1 Ann L. Gibson,1 Jeffrey M. Janot,2 Len Kravitz,1 Christine M. Mermier,1 and Lance C. Dalleck3 1 Health,Exercise&SportsSciencesDepartment,University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA 2Department of Kinesiology, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI, USA 3Recreation, Exercise & Sports Science Department, Western State Colorado University, Gunnison, CO, USA Correspondence should be addressed to Nicholas M. Beltz;
[email protected] Received 2 August 2016; Revised 14 October 2016; Accepted 31 October 2016 Academic Editor: Andrew Bosch Copyright © 2016 Nicholas M. Beltz et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Graded exercise testing (GXT) is the most widely used assessment to examine the dynamic relationship between exercise and integrated physiological systems. The information from GXT can be applied across the spectrum of sport performance, occupational safety screening, research, and clinical diagnostics. The suitability of GXT to determine a valid maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) has been under investigation for decades. Although a set of recommended criteria exists to verify attainment of VO2max, the methods that originally established these criteria have been scrutinized. Many studies do not apply identical criteria or fail to consider individual variability in physiological responses. As an alternative to using traditional criteria, recent research efforts have been directed toward using a supramaximal verification protocol performed after a GXT to confirm attainment2 ofVO max.