Energy expenditure with indoor exercise machines.

OBJECTIVE To compare the rates of energy expenditure at given rating of perceived exertion (RPE) levels among 6 different indoor exercise machines. DESIGN Repeated measures design. PARTICIPANTS Healthy young-adult volunteers, including 8 men and 5 women. INTERVENTIONS Subjects underwent a 4-week habituation period to become familiar with the RPE scale and exercise on an Airdyne, a cross-country skiing simulator, a cycle ergometer, a rowing ergometer, a stair stepper, and a treadmill. Following habituation, each subject completed an exercise test with each exercise machine. The exercise test comprised 3 stages of 5 minutes at self-selected work rates corresponding to RPE values of 11 (fairly light), 13 (somewhat hard), and 15 (hard). Oxygen consumption, from which the rate of energy expenditure was calculated, was measured during the last minute of each 5-minute exercise stage. Heart rate was measured during the last minute of each stage of the exercise test, and blood lactate levels were obtained immediately after each exercise stage. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Rate of energy expenditure at specified RPE values. RESULTS Rates of energy expenditure at a given RPE varied by 1093 kJ/h (261 kcal/h) for the exercise machines. The treadmill induced higher (P < .05) rates of energy expenditure for fixed RPE values than all other exercise machines. The cross-country skiing simulator, rowing ergometer, and stair stepper induced higher (P < .05) rates of energy expenditure than the Airdyne and cycle ergometer. Heart rate varied significantly (P < .01) among exercise machines, with the highest values associated with the treadmill and the stair stepper. Lactate concentration varied significantly (P = .004), with highest values associated with use of the stair stepper and the rowing ergometer. CONCLUSIONS Under the conditions of the study, the treadmill is the optimal indoor exercise machine for enhancing energy expenditure when perceived exertion is used to establish exercise intensity.

[1]  C T Davies,et al.  Perceived exertion during rhythmic exercise involving different muscle masses. , 1973, Journal of human ergology.

[2]  C. Dodge,et al.  Effect of stepping rate on energy costs during StairMaster exercise. , 1993, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[3]  A. Weltman,et al.  The effects of specificity of training on rating of perceived exertion at the lactate threshold , 2006, European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology.

[4]  M D Hoffman,et al.  In-line skating: physiological responses and comparison with roller skiing. , 1992, International journal of sports medicine.

[5]  A. Weltman,et al.  Effect of exercise modality on ratings of perceived exertion at various lactate concentrations. , 1991, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[6]  T. Murray,et al.  Errors in predicting functional capacity from a treadmill exercise stress test. , 1980, American heart journal.

[7]  G. Lusk,et al.  ANIMAL CALORIMETRY Twenty-Fourth Paper. ANALYSIS OF THE OXIDATION OF MIXTURES OF CARBOHYDRATE AND FAT , 1924 .

[8]  P. Clifford,et al.  Physiological responses to different roller skiing techniques. , 1990, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[9]  G. Borg.  Perceived exertion as an indicator of somatic stress. , 2019, Scandinavian journal of rehabilitation medicine.

[10]  P. Clifford,et al.  Physiological comparison of uphill roller skiing: diagonal stride versus double pole. , 1994, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[11]  M. Mansfield,et al.  A comparison of energy expenditure during rowing and cycling ergometry. , 1988, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[12]  T. R. Thomas,et al.  Metabolic responses associated with four modes of prolonged exercise. , 1989, The Journal of sports medicine and physical fitness.

[13]  P. Thompson,et al.  ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription , 1995 .

[14]  Butts Nk,et al.  Energy costs of walking on a dual-action treadmill in men and women. , 1995 .

[15]  K. Cureton,et al.  Ratings of perceived exertion at the lactate threshold in trained and untrained men and women. , 1987, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[16]  A. Rogol,et al.  The effect of training intensity on ratings of perceived exertion. , 1992, International journal of sports medicine.

[17]  R. Dishman,et al.  Prescribing exercise intensity for healthy adults using perceived exertion. , 1994, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[18]  B. Ekblom,et al.  The influence of physical training and other factors on the subjective rating of perceived exertion. , 1971, Acta physiologica Scandinavica.

[19]  J. Hagberg,et al.  Effect of pedaling rate on submaximal exercise responses of competitive cyclists. , 1981, Journal of applied physiology: respiratory, environmental and exercise physiology.

[20]  P. Clifford,et al.  Relationships among heart rate, lactate concentration, and perceived effort for different types of rhythmic exercise in women. , 1996, Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation.

[21]  M. Pollock,et al.  Practical Assessment of Body Composition. , 1985, The Physician and sportsmedicine.

[22]  J. Pannier,et al.  Cardiorespiratory response to bicycle and rowing ergometer exercise in oarsmen , 2004, European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology.

[23]  E. Howley,et al.  Factors affecting the oxygen cost of stepping on an electronic stepping ergometer. , 1992, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[24]  Higgs Sl,et al.  Cyclic variations in perceived exertion and physical work capacity in females. , 1981 .