Classification(s): Exercise Testing; Exercise Training

Introduction: The exercise intensity at the Talk Test (TT) has been shown to be highly correlated with objective physiological markers, to be a useful outcome marker in patients with heart disease, to be a useful tool for avoiding exertional ischemia, and to be responsive to both positive and negative changes in exercise capacity.

Purpose: This study evaluated the ability of the intensity at the TT during exercise testing to define absolute training workloads.

Design: Randomized observational study

Methods: Sedentary adults (N = 13) performed an incremental Balke type exercise test (3.0-3.5 mph @ 0%grade, +2% grade/2-min). Heart rate (HR), rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and TT were evaluated at each stage. Subsequently, they performed 3 / 20-min exercise bouts with the workload over the last 10-min of each bout equal to the absolute intensity at the first equivocal stage of the TT (EQ), at the last positive stage of the TT (LP), and at the stage preceding the LP (LP-1).

Results: During EQ, LP, and LP-1, HR was 160 + 21, 151 + 20, and 140 + 23 bpm, or 82 + 9, 79 + 9 and 73 + 11 %HRmax; RPE (CR scale) was 6.3 + 2.2, 4.4 + 1.8, and 3.6 + 1.5. The TT Score, ranked as 1 = comfortable speech, 2 = slightly uncomfortable speech, and 3 = speech not comfortable, was 2.6 + 0.5, 1.8 + 0.4, and 1.4 + 0.5 at EQ, LP, and LP-1, respectively. Two subjects were unable to complete the 20-min exercise bout at the EQ intensity.

Conclusions: The results suggest that to prescribe absolute training intensity from the TT and to get appropriate HR, RPE, and TT responses in sedentary individuals during training, the workload needs to be scaled back, to approximately 1 stage (~0.7-1.0 METs) below the LP stage observed during an incremental test.