Florida University Treadmill vs Fitness Study
Metabolism & Cardiovascular Health From Jogging & Walking
Feb 16, 2009
Uphill walking compared with level jogging does not have the same calorie expenditure, or the same cardiovascular and metabolism effects on the human body, according to a controlled study by School of Physical Education and Exercise Science, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL. The study is published on the PubMed web site and titled, Heart Rate & Metabolic Responses to Moderate Intensity Aerobic Exercise: A Comparison of Graded Walking and Ungraded Jogging at a constant Perceived Exertion. The authors of the article, dated February 2009, are Kilpatrick MW, Kraemer RR, Quigley EJ, Mears JL, Powers JM, Dedea AJ, Ferrer NF.
Aerobic Treadmill Cardiovascular Health & Metabolic Study
The University of South Florida study involved twenty participants using a treadmill to simulate uphill walking and level ground jogging. The purpose of the study was to make an assessment about how “...ungraded jogging and graded walking, at the same rating of perceived exertion (RPE), affects heart rate and oxygen consumption."
The Rated Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale is used to measure exercise intensity, according to an article titled, Heart Disease: Exercise for a Healthy Heart, reviewed June 09, 2008, by Brunilda Nazario, MD (author unknown), and published on WebMD. According to the article the RPE is an exercise intensity scale from 0-10. The number 0 is equivalent to sitting in a chair, number 3 is moderate, and 4 is somewhat heavy. The higher the number the more intense is the exercise.
Aerobic Exercise Results on Cardiovascular Fitness & Metabolism
Twenty untrained participants completed separate thirty minute trials, on the treadmill, of moderate (RPE) exercise graded walking, and ungraded jogging, both using the same RPE intensity. According to the University of South Florida “...findings provide evidence that similar perceptions of effort during graded walking and ungraded jogging do not produce similar cardiovascular and metabolic responses.” The report goes on to state that “...jogging provides a greater stimulus for fitness benefits and caloric expenditure.”
Aerobic Activity vs Heart Disease
A life-style of relative inactivity (sedentary life-styles) is a major risk factor for heart disease, according to the Heart Disease: Exercise for a Healthy Heart, article on WebMD. The article states that “Regular exercise, especially aerobic exercise, has many benefits...” The exercise benefits listed are:
- Stronger heart and cardiovascular system.
- Improved circulation and better use of oxygen.
- Heart failure symptoms are improved.
- Increase in endurance.
- Lowers blood pressure.
The WebMD article offers this advise about exercising, “...aerobic sessions lasting 20-30 minutes...” The article emphasizes the need for regular exercise to achieve maximum benefits. The article also states that The American Heart Association recommends exercise most days of the week.
The free medical dictionary on-line provides this definition of metabolic responses (metabolism). “...the sum of all the physical and chemical processes by which living organized substance is produced and maintained (anabolism), and also the transformation by which energy is made available for the uses of the organism.”
According to the University of South Florida study, and the WebMD article, regular aerobic exercise provides cardiovascular system endurance and fitness while providing increased metabolic energy to the body. More fitness benefits are produced for the human body from level jogging than from graded walking.
