Strategies for provoking speech during the Talk Test

Abstract

The Talk Test (lT) has been shown to be effective in prescribing exercise. Two strategies have been widely used: recitation of a standard paragraph during incremental exercise, and responding to recorded interviews during steady-state exercise. We compared heart rate (HR) and work rate (METs) responses using the two strategies. Healthy volunteers (n=20) performed incremental exercise tests to define ventilatory threshold (VT) and intensity associated with lT and a free-range walk while responding to recorded questions.