Cardiorespiratory Responses During Body Weight Supported Treadmill Exercise

Authors

Shana John, Texas Woman's UniversityFollow
Callie Sun, Texas Woman's UniversityFollow
Kyle D. Biggerstaff, Texas Woman's UniversityFollow

Abstract

Treadmills which partially support body weight (BWST) are increasingly used to allow weight bearing treadmill exercise to be performed during rehabilitation. PURPOSE: This investigation determined cardiorespiratory responses during BWST exercise. METHODS: Participants (n=15; age=22.1±2.1yrs; BMI=27.4±5.9kg/m²) volunteered to perform two bouts of treadmill walking on a standard treadmill (ST) and a BWST with 25% of body weight supported by the BWST. Each trial consisted of three 6 minute stages at 2.8mph and 2%, 5%, and 8% grade with a two minute warm-up and cool-down at 2.0 mph and 0% grade. Oxygen consumption (VO₂), carbon dioxide production (VCO₂), and respiratory exchange ratio (RER) were averaged across the last three minutes of each stage. Systolic (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were measured during the final minute of each stage. A 2x3 (treadmill x intensity) repeated measures analysis of variance was performed with the criterion level of significance set at p ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: At the highest intensity VO₂ (0.99 ± 0.27 vs 1.40 ± 0.35 L/min) and VCO₂ (0.96 ± 0.27 vs 1.36 ± 0.36 L/min) were significantly lower (p ≤ 0.05) on the BWST compared to the ST. Heart rate on the ST was (113 ± 14, 128 ± 18, 142 ± 22 bpm) not different than on the BWST (112 ± 18, 118 ± 20, 123 ± 20 bpm). There were no significant differences in RER, SBP, DBP, or RPE between the two trials at any intensity. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that cardiorespiratory responses are similar at light to moderate intensities on ST and BWST treadmills, but VO₂ and VCO₂ may vary between these treadmills at higher intensities.

Recommended Citation

John, Shana; Sun, Callie; and Biggerstaff, Kyle D. (2019) "Cardiorespiratory Responses During Body Weight Supported Treadmill Exercise," International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings: Vol. 2: Iss. 11, Article 123.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol2/iss11/123