Background: Prescription of supramaximal HIIT is ideally based on an all-out test. This is, however, not suitable for people with COPD, leading to the use of workloads obtained during a maximal incremental test (CPET), which are less specific for the prescription of supramaximal HIIT. Hence, we evaluated the feasibility of a submaximal anaerobic test, the BCST, that has been used in older adults to prescribe supramaximal HIIT, and the anaerobic cycle capacity of people with COPD vs. matched healthy controls (HC).

Methods: Sixteen persons with COPD and HC performed a CPET and a BCST. The BCST is an incremental stepwise test (30s cycling, 30s rest) with two end-of-test criteria: 1) Rating of perceived exertion (RPE) ?17 or 2) cadence <75 RPM for >5s. End-of-test RPE, symptoms, peak workload (Wpeak) and cardiorespiratory demand were obtained to assess feasibility.

Results: A higher Wpeak and lower RPE, symptoms and cardiorespiratory demand were observed in the BCST vs. CPET in both groups (Table1). Absolute BCST Wpeak was significantly lower, while relative BCST Wpeak (%Wpeak CPET) was similar in people with COPD (146±24%) vs. HC (157±17%)(P=0.114).

Conclusion: In people with COPD, the BCST is a feasible short-duration submaximal anaerobic test specific for prescribing supramaximal HIIT. Compared to the CPET, it allows for higher workloads with lower cardiorespiratory demand and symptom burden.