Effect of Low or High Intensity Aerobic Exercise and the Association to Cardiovascular Halth Conditions for College-Aged Students

Authors

Kenechukwu Onwubuya, Midwestern State UniversityFollow
Enrique Castillo, Midwestern State UniversityFollow

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of low or high intensity aerobic exercise over a three-week intervention period, and the relationship to physiological responses before and after exercise for college aged students. Subjects included were male and female (n=7). Measures were the following: Height (cm), weight (kg), blood pressure (mmHg), heart rate (b* min.^-1) and maximal oxygen consumption (ml*kg^-1*min.^-1). Subjects were classified as physically active or inactive college-aged students. The participants performed a volitional fatigue test on a treadmill ergometer for both the pre and post-test by utilizing the Bruce Protocol. Blood pressure (mmHg) was taken on the left arm with a table sphygmomanometer (Riester) and with medical stethoscopes (Riester). Oxygen consumption (VO₂) was measured with a metabolic heart (i.e., KORR^TM). The testing procedure for the pre and post-test was a volitional fatigue test with heart rate conducted every minute, and blood pressure measured before and after the exercise for each participant. The low intensity exercise included 3 sessions of aerobic exercise a week performed on a treadmill, with the duration of 20 minutes of exercise each session, and between 50-70% of the participant’s maximal heart rate (obtained from the aforementioned maximal test). The high intensity exercise included 3 sessions of aerobic exercise a week performed on a treadmill, with the duration of 20 minutes of exercise each session, and between 75-90% of the participant’s maximal heart rate. Statistical significance was set a priori at p < 0.05. Mean (SD) demographic measures were the following: age 19.6 (1.4) y; height 169 (5.4) cm; weight 76.2 (15.5) kg; Pre Max HR and Post Max HR had significant (p<0.05) association with a correlation coefficient (r=.86), and a coefficient of determination (r²=.74). There were also a significant correlation among blood pressure from pre and post measures. Pre recovery SBP and post rest SBP were significantly associated with a correlation coefficient (r=.90), and a coefficient of determination (r²=.81). In conclusion, aerobic exercise exhibited influence on physiological responses. Specifically, pre recovery SBP response could act as a marker for chronic SBP response following an exercise intervention.

Recommended Citation

Onwubuya, Kenechukwu and Castillo, Enrique (2016) "Effect of Low or High Intensity Aerobic Exercise and the Association to Cardiovascular Halth Conditions for College-Aged Students," International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings: Vol. 2: Iss. 8, Article 78.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol2/iss8/78