Fifty-six healthy nontrained women aged 18 to 48 were tested for maximal work capacity on a bicycle ergometer. The women were divided into three age groups. A continuous step-increment bicycle ergometer work test was administered with the workload starting at 150 kpm (kilometers per minute) and 50 pedal rpm (revolutions per minute). The workload was increased by 150 kpm each minute for three minutes, then increased to either 75 or 150 kpm until exhaustion, depending on individual response. The following measurements were made during or immediately following maximal work: oxygen consumption, heartrate, blood pressure, minute ventilation, and workload. Oxygen pulse and workload at heartrate 150 were determined from measured values, and descriptive statistics were calculated for all variables. The effects of age were examined by comparison of the three groups and with results of similar investigations. Decreases in peak oxygen consumption, maximal heartrate, and maximum workload were found to occur as age increased, but slight increases in heartrate 150 and diastolic blood pressure were noted as age increased. No age-related trends were found in systolic blood pressure, maximal ventilation volume, or oxygen pulse. (Authors/JA)