Although originally used with able-bodied healthy subjects, high intensity cycle ergometry can be used in conjunction with specific populations to assess subjects with chronic disease or physical disability. The rationale for such an application has been that the factors limiting physical performance may be muscular or neurological in nature, rather than cardiorespiratory. Therefore, testing their peripheral function may have diagnostic and prognostic value. However, important questions remain about the feasibility and reliability of high intensity cycle ergometry when subjects with a physical disability perform the test. 

 

Problems of standardisation arise because of the marked variation in ability, fitness levels and active muscle mass that may be independent of resistive force selection. For most healthy non-athletes, the assumption has been that the relationship between muscle mass and total body mass is similar. However, in certain segments of the population, i.e., those subjects that are obese, undernourished, have muscle atrophy, muscle hypertrophy, are amputees or have neuromuscular disease, this relationship may deviate from the normal.