Would holding onto the railings during a VO2max test on a treadmill increase the total time exercising (make the test easier)?
Would holding onto the railings during a VO2max test on a treadmill increase the total time exercising (make the test easier)?
Yes. And why stop there? Don't even do it. That's easiest.
It's not that I'm doing a VO2max test, and I m looking to slack off. This is a hypothetical question for a class. I thought the same thing too, but why? What happens physiologically to make it easier? It kind of goes against intuition because holding on to the railings actually restrict your movement and therefore may not even allow you to work at your hardest.
My theory would be that by holding onto the railing you are displacing some of the weight from your legs, therefore decreasing the friction (which in this case would mean decreasing the resistance) and thus reducing the amount of effort required.
Sort of the same concept as the antigravity treadmill that Salazar likes to use for his runners.