# Physiological Profiles of Recreational Runners and Cyclists Aged 20 to 60 Years
## 4 Discussion
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Age Group** & **FVC** & **FEV\({}_{1}\)** & **PEF** & **VO\({}_{2}\)max** & **Power** & **Lmax** \\
**[Years]** & **[\% Pred.]** & **[\% Pred.]** & **[\% Pred.]** & **[mL/kg/min]** & **Output\({}^{\texttt{a}}\)** & **[mmol/L]** \\ \hline
40–49.9 & & & & & & & \\ C (n = 23) & 103.2 (12.2) & 101.4 (10.6) & 98.4 (10.9) & 42.1 (6.7) & 3.22 (0.76) & 9.9 (2.0) \\ R (n = 29) & 103.6 (11.7) & 109.7 (9.2) & 103.7 (12.8) & 48.7 (4.2) & 13.2 (1.2) & 9.9 (1.6) \\ d-value & 0.033 & 0.836 & 0.446 & 1.18 & - & 0 \\ Effect size & small & large & medium & large & - & small \\
50–60 & & & & & & \\ C (n = 21) & 90.3 (12.6) & 97.9 (9.6) & 89.3 (10.7) & 40.9 (8.4) & 3.24 (0.40) & 10.3 (1.5) \\ R (n = 18) & 95.7 (12.5) & 97.9 (12.2) & 105.2 (14.8) & 48.2 (4.5) & 11.7 (0.8) & 9.0 (2.2) \\ d-value & 0.43 & 0 & 1.231 & 1.083 & - & 0.69 \\ Effect size & medium & small & large & large & - & medium \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular} \({}^{\texttt{a}}\) power output: maximum power output in cyclists in W/kg (top row), maximum power output on a treadmill is expressed as maximum running speed km/h on a treadmill with inclination 5%.  
\end{table} 
Table 4: _Cont._position during cycle ergometry involves less muscle mass than in running on a treadmill; therefore, the values of VO2 max are lower than in running [25]. The differences may also be caused by differences in body composition and body mass in cyclist and runners. It is also worth mentioning comparative studies where running intervention programs were more effective than other types of exercise in a middle-aged population [6]. In general, the values found in recreational runners and cyclists exhibit a slight but permanent decrease in maximum oxygen consumption and maximum exercise performance. However, their values in all age groups are considerably higher (corresponding to 140 to 150%) than in the general nonsporting population [18; 19; 20; 21]. A physiological decrease of these values with increasing age was smaller than in the general population. This decline can be offset by better labor economics [25]; older athletes generally have a higher percentage of VO2 max corresponding to the anaerobic threshold than younger athletes. Absolute heart rate values corresponding to the anaerobic threshold also decrease with age, but the anaerobic threshold expressed as a percentage of the maximum heart rate tends to be similar at younger and older ages. A decrease in heart rate at standard, r. submaximal and maximum respiration load in the elderly is usually compensated for by an increase in systolic volume and by improving end-diastolic volume filling rates [25]. Similarly, the results of other studies in middle-aged and older athletes [7; 10] document that the decrease in absolute values of work capacity due to increasing age can be compensated for by a number of physiological mechanisms that can maintain working capacity even in old age. Regarding sex differences, VO2 max values for female cyclists of the three younger age categories corresponded to approximately 81 to 84% of those of male cyclists, but in the highest age category, VO2 max values for female cyclists corresponded to 97% of their male counterparts. Similarly, values of maximum power output and maximum blood lactate in female cyclists of the three younger age categories corresponded to approximately 78 to 83% and 86 to 91% those of male cyclists, respectively. In the highest age category, the values of maximum power output and maximum blood lactate in female cyclists corresponded to 98% and 96% of their male counterparts, respectively. VO2 max values in female runners across all the age categories corresponded to approximately 90 to 99% those of male runners. The values of maximum power output and maximum blood lactate in female runners corresponded to 85 to 90% and 81 to 101% of their male counterparts, respectively.