Table 2.  VO2 measures (L·min-1) of kayakers.

Author

Subjects
(male)

Ergometer
VO2 (L·min-1) *

Kayak paddling
VO2 (L·min-1)

Leg

Arm

(Legs+arms)

Kayak

500m

1000m

  Tesh et al.
(1976)

6 elite kayakers

5.41

4.61

4.2

4.71

  Pendergast et al.
(1979)

8 unskilled kayakers

3.1

2.9

3.9

3.5

  Tesch
(1983)

6 elite kayakers

5.36

4.3

4.67

  Hahn et al.
(1988)

5 elite kayakers

5.17

4.62

  Pendergast et al.
(1989)

17 kayakers
(range of skill level)

4.61

2.82

3.81

  Fry and Morton
(1991)

38 well trained kayakers

4.78

  Billat et al.
(1996)

9 elite kayakers

4.01

  van Someren et al.
(1999)

9 well trained kayakers

4.27

  Bishop et al.
(2002)

8 experienced kayak paddlers

     

4.0

   
* denotes that the ergometer exercise tests were carried out to exhaustion, representing the max VO2.
denotes that the kayak paddling tests were maximal efforts for that distance, not maximal exercise tests.