Abstract
PURPOSE: Compare the energy expenditure (EE) of three exercise bouts when performed at a self-selected pace. METHODS: Active men (n=11) and women (n=9) performed 3 separate exercise bouts at a self-selected pace: total body Tabata (TBT), treadmill running Tabata (TRT), and continuous running (CONT) in a counterbalanced manner. Bouts consisted of a 10-minute rest period, 25-minutes of exercise, and a 25-minute recovery period. TBT consisted of repeated cycles of body calisthenics for 20 seconds with 10-seconds rest in between. TRT consisted of repeated sprints on a treadmill in the same manner as TBT. CONT was continuous running on a treadmill. For each bout, participants wore a portable metabolic analyzer (CosMed K-5) to assess energy expenditure (EE), fat oxidation (FO), and excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). Heart rate (HR) was recorded during exercise and recovery in 5-minute intervals. Significant differences (p<.05) between bouts were determined using a one-way, repeated measures ANOVA and a Bonferroni post-hoc test. RESULTS: In men, no differences (p>.05) in average HR (% of HRmax) between bouts were reported (TBT = 85.8±4.2%; TRT = 85.1±6.0%; CONT = 86.8.4±6.8%). In women, there was a significant difference in average HR between TBT (84.3±6.7%) and CONT (91.5±5.8%); p=.026, ES = 1.1. No other differences in HR were reported. In men, EE (kcal) was higher in CONT (387.1±49.2) than TRT (344.6±55.6; p=0.008, ES=.92) and TBT (305.8±38.1; p<0.001, ES=1.8). Additionally, exercise EE was significantly higher in TRT than TBT (p=.02, ES=.84). For women, a similar trend in the exercise EE was reported as EE was significantly higher in CONT (290.3±50.3) than TRT (239.3±46.4; p=0.003, ES=1.1) and TBT (204.4±31.0; p<0.001, ES=1.9). No other differences in EE were reported. No statistical differences (p>.05) were reported between bouts for EPOC. For men, rate of FO (g∙min-1) during recovery was significantly higher in TBT (0.21±0.06) than TRT (0.14±0.06; p<0.001, ES=1.4) and CONT (0.14±0.05 g∙min-1; p<0.01, ES=1.5). This trend in FO during recovery was also reported in women, however it did not reach statistical significance (p>.05). CONCLUSION: At a self-selected pace, men performed all 3 bouts at a similar intensity. However, in women CONT was performed at the highest intensity with no differences between TBT and TRT. When compared to TBT and TRT, CONT burned the most calories during exercise, implying that CONT burns more calories when matched for time and intensity. TBT, despite expending the fewest calories, elicited a significantly higher rate of FO while recovering in the men and to a lesser extent in the women. The higher rate of FO following TBT might result from a higher use of carbohydrates during TBT due to 1) the high-intensity at which TBT was performed and 2) the use of more muscles compared to running. Increased use of fat during recovery helps replenish glycogen stores and facilitates the body’s recovery to pre-exercise levels
Recommended Citation
Hargrove, Lily; Dunn, Austin; and Rowe, James
(2025)
"The Caloric Cost of Self-Paced Exercise in Total Body Tabata, Treadmill Running Tabata, and Continuous Treadmill Running.,"
International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings: Vol. 2:
Iss.
17, Article 30.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol2/iss17/30
