25/08/2020

PNOĒ
CERTIFICATION
PROGRAM
Lesson Two – How to
Complete a Perfect
Ramp Test Every Time MODULE 1I

TESTING AND
ANALYSIS

OUTLINE

• How to prepare your customer for testing

• How to prepare yourself for testing
• Protocol choices – Ramp vs. Stepp
• How do you set test parameters – Parameter Check

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P R E- T E ST
R E CO M M E N DAT I O N S

• Customer Preparation and

Expectations Videos (Science
Room)
• RMR
• Fitness Test
• RMR and Fitness Test
• Customer Test Preparation and
Expectations Information Sheet
(Science Room)
• Customer Questionnaire
• Health Clearance (PAR-Q+ or
PARMedEX+)

CUSTOMER TEST PREPARATION AND

EXPECTATIONS VIDEO

• View the customer preparation and expectations videos and article in the
Science Room

Fitness Test Customer Preparation Video

RMR Test Customer Preparation Video
RMR and Fitness Test Customer Preparation Video
Customer Test Preparation and Expectations Information Sheet

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Demographics

• Age
• Height
• Weight

Training History (over last 3 months)

PRE-TEST • Resistance including frequency, type and load
CUSTOMER • Cardio including frequency, type, intensity and duration
• Intervals including frequency, type, intensity, and duration
QUESTIONNAIRE
Goals

• Short Term
• Long Term

Preferred # of training days per week

What are the current zones you are using?

What is the highest HR you see during training?

What are your PBs in the last two years (e.g. 5k, 10k,
half marathon, marathon etc.)
ATHLETE
What is your FTP (for cyclists)
SPECIFIC
QUESTIONS
What are your perceived limitations to
performance?
Future competition dates?

Devices/apps you use?

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PAR-Q+ PAR-Q+

ONLINE
QUESTIONNAIRE
OPTIONS Use for those
who didn’t
PARmed-X+ pass PAR-Q+
PARmed-X+

PNOĒ UNIT BASIC OPERATIONS

1. Set up and preparation of the device (day before and prior to the client arriving)
2. Use of app
3. Syncing the device and completing a calibration with ambient air and gas cylinder
4. Fitting the mask/belt
5. Selecting a PNOĒ protocol
6. Completing a test
7. Cleaning the device

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PNOĒ OPERATIONS VIDEO

• View the Operations Manual video in the Science Room

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THE IMPORTANCE OF PROTOCOL

SELECTION

Analysis is reliant upon complete data

Remember YOUR goal for testing

• VO2peak?
• Accurate zoning?
• Activity specific (cycling vs. running)?
• Sport specific (e.g. endurance vs. power)?
• Track cycling vs. road racing in cycling

Manipulate your protocols to match your test goals

Use your tool…don’t let it use you

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RAMP VS. STEP

Ramp

• Short incremental (e.g. one minute) or continuous intensity increases to exhaustion

• Must incorporate all intensities from Zone 1 (recovery) to Zone 5 (highest intensity)
• Shorter protocol (9-12 minutes - not including warm up or recovery)
• Results in more accurate analysis of key performance indicators including VO2peak,VT1,
VT2 and zoning

Step

• Longer incremental (e.g. five minute) intensity increases applied until exhaustion
• Longer protocol good for testing endurance athletes
• More data at each intensity for comparison of performance over time
• Allows for homeostasis (including RER)
• Not best option for zoning and VO2peak

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BIKE VS. TREADMILL

While the treadmill appears to be the most widely used modality due to familiarity with upright
locomotion and greater muscle mass utilization, cycling protocols present an opportunity to test
individuals with coordination or orthopedic limitations. Furthermore, opting to use a cycle ergometer over
treadmill may result in a more quantifiable workload (Watts) and provides an opportunity to use a
progressive ramp protocol allowing for more reproducible outcomes. However,VO2max attained using
treadmill protocols tend to produce up to 20% greater VO2max values when compared to cycle protocols.

Beltz, N. M., Gibson, A. L., Janot, J. M., Kravitz, L., Mermier, C. M., & Dalleck, L. C. (2016). Graded
Exercise Testing Protocols for the Determination of VO2max: Historical Perspectives, Progress,
and Future Considerations. Journal of sports medicine (Hindawi Publishing Corporation), 2016,
3968393. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/3968393

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IMPORTANT THINGS TO CONSIDER

Test on a bike if you are are testing a

Results are ACTIVITY SPECIFIC for key cyclist or will employ a bike during training
performance indicators Ensure they maintain 80-100 cadence
throughout the test!

Test on a treadmill if you are testing a
runner OR will employ running (or similar
lower extremity locomotor activity)
Use a 2-3% grade with all runners who
will train outside (non-treadmill) to
account for road resistance
Do both cycling and running protocols if
working with triathletes as limitations and
zoning will be significantly different.
You must standardize cadence during
cycling tests. Recommend using 80-100
RPM.

Consider other modalities (e.g. rowing,

Stairmaster etc.) for those with Consider doing both a ramp and a step
orthopaedic conditions (must be able to test for endurance athletes
accurately measure speed or watts)

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PNOĒ RAMP PROTOCOLS

• Standardized 3-stage ramp protocol

• 3 minute warm up
• 9-12 minute test
• 2 minute inactive recovery
• Designed to:
• Simplify the process as there is only one treadmill, bike and rowing protocol for men and women of all
capabilities
• Ensure data is captured at all intensity levels allowing for accurate analysis

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GOLDILOCKS QUANDARY
C O M M O N T E S T I N G E R RO R S

Test starts too low leading with no changes in metrics during the first few test steps
• Test is too long leading to fatigue at the end of the test
Increments are too big or too small leading to the test being too short or too long
• Too long (>12 minutes) leads to fatigue by the end of the test
• Too short (<9 minutes) results in limited data and inaccurate analysis
Stopping the test early
• Limited data at high intensities leading to difficulty identifying Z4 and Z5, inaccurate
VO2peak and can’t identify performance limitations at high intensities
• Do NOT stop your customers based upon VO2/VCO2 and RER data!
• Push them to their maximum effort
• They do not have to finish the last step, so let them try

Eliminate testing errors by completing a PARAMETER CHECK

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Remember
• Ensure to use a 2% incline on the treadmill for the parameter check and
the ramp test
• Ensure that the cyclist maintains a cadence of 80-100RPM throughout the
test and don't allow them to drop under 70RPM at the highest wattages
Step 1 – Find Base Speed/Wattage
• Have customer determine what speed or wattage results in a HR
between 100-110bpm
PARAMETER • This will be their base speed/wattage

CHECK Step 2 – Find Speed/Wattage at 6/10 RPE

• By increasing the speed or wattage, ask your client to identify a 6/10
effort on RPE scale if they held this effort for 5 minutes
• You will not use this speed/wattage in your calculations but is important
as it will make the next step more accurate
Step 3 – Find Peak Speed/Wattage
• By increasing the speed or wattage, ask your client to identify a 9/10
effort on RPE scale if they held this effort for 2 minutes
• This will be their predicted peak speed/wattage

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PARAMETER CHECK

RPE scale

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PA R A M E T E R C A LCULAT I O N S
WAT TAGE EXA M P LE

1. Take the predicted peak speed/wattage and minus the base speed/wattage
2. Divide this number by 9 (will give you a 9-12 minute test every time)

(predicted peak speed/wattage – base speed/wattage)/9

Example using wattage (bike, rower, Assault bike etc.)

Base wattage = 100W Predicted top wattage = 320W

(320-100)/9 = 210/9 = 23.3W = 25W increments

The warm up will be completed at base wattage – one increment

100-25W = 75W

Recovery will be inactive

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PA R A M E T E R C A LCULAT I O N S
SP E E D E XA M P LE

1. Take the predicted peak speed/wattage and minus the base speed/wattage
2. Divide this number by 9 (will give you a 9-12 minute test every time)

(predicted peak speed/wattage – base speed/wattage)/9

Example using speed (treadmill) with a base speed of 6.2kph and a predicted peak wattage of 12.2kph

Base speed = 6.2kph – Predicted top speed = 12.2kph

(12.2-6.2)/9 = 6.0/9 = 0.67 = 0.7kph increments

The warm up will be completed at base speed – one increment

6.2 - 0.7kph = 5.5kph

Recovery will be inactive

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PNOĒ TREADMILL
RAMP PROTOCOL

• Do NOT use old standardized protocols

• Select New PNOĒ Treadmill Ramp Test

• It is locked (for now) so you must complete the following

process

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NEW PNOĒ TREADMILL RAMP TEST

PROTOCOL
E N T E R I N G I N PA R A M E T E R C H E C K I N F O I

• Select New PNOĒ Treadmill Ramp Test in the API

• Copy the protocol and save with your company name

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NEW PNOĒ TREADMI LL RAMP TEST PROTOCOL

ENTERI NG I N PARAMETER CHECK I NFO I I

• Open the newly saved protocol

• Under Edit Protocol – select the exercises Warm Up and Test and enter the parameters for your customer
from the Parameter Check (warm up = 5.5kph and test = 6.2kph initial speed with 0.7kph increment. (notice
my 2% grade throughout my test to mimic road resistance)
• You will not have to change the Recovery exercise as it is always a 2-minute inactive recovery (no movement
e.g. the customer will stop running and just stand motionless on the treadmill for two minutes)

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NEW PNOĒ TREADMI LL RAMP TEST

PROTOCOL

ENTERI NG I N PARAMETER CHECK I NFO I I I

• Under Edit Protocol – select the exercises Warm Up and Test

and enter the parameters for your customer from the
Parameter Check and select Update Exercise and Next
• In this case, warm up = 5.5kph and test = 6.2kph initial speed
with 0.7kph increment.
• Notice my 2% grade throughout my test to mimic road
resistance
• You will not have to change the Recovery exercise as it is
always a 2-minute inactive recovery (no movement e.g. the
customer will stop running and just stand motionless on the
treadmill for two minutes)
• Do NOT change any other parameters!

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NEW PNOĒ TREADMILL RAMP TEST

PROTOCOL
E N T E R I N G I N PA R A M E T E R C H E C K I N F O I V

• Review the protocol

• You can now select your new protocol on the app and begin
testing

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PARAMETER CHECK VIDEOS

• Watch treadmill and bike parameter check videos and article in the Science
Room

Bike Parameter Check Video

Treadmill Parameter Check Video
Parameter Check Review

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Prepare your customer for testing for the best results

Ensure you complete your due diligence by having your

customer complete a background questionnaire and
medical clearance

Know the basic operations of your PNOĒ unit inside

TAKE HOME out

Know WHY you are testing and select the best test
(ramp vs step) and modality

Complete a Parameter Check on each customer to

ensure you parameters are correct resulting in the best
analysis of your customers performance

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