Maximal and ventilatory thresholds cardiorespiratory responses to three water aerobic exercises compared with treadmill on land.

The purpose of this study was to compare the cardiorespiratory responses of young women to exercise at the first ventilatory threshold (VT1), the second ventilatory threshold (VT2), and at maximum effort (MAX) between maximal incremental tests performed using water aerobic exercises and a treadmill on land (TL). Twenty women (24.0 ± 2.5 years; 163.3 ± 6.7 cm; 60.0 ± 6.7 kg) underwent 4 maximal tests in randomized order, with a 48-hour interval between tests. Three tests involved performing water aerobic exercises (stationary running, frontal kick, and cross-country skiing) and 1 TL. Oxygen uptake (VO2), ventilation (VE), and heart rate were measured throughout the tests, and their values at the VT1, VT2, and MAX intensities were determined by 3 independent, experienced physiologists. Repeated measures analysis of variance with Bonferroni post hoc tests were used for comparisons between tests (α = 0.05). Heart rate was significantly higher in the TL condition compared with the water aerobic exercises at the VT1 (p = 0.001), VT2 (p < 0.001), and MAX (p < 0.001) intensities. VO2 and VE had similar values across the 4 protocols at the VT1 intensity, but significantly higher values were observed with TL (VO2: p < 0.001; VE: p < 0.001) at the VT2 intensity. At the MAX intensity, VO2 was significantly higher with TL compared with the 3 water aerobic exercises (p < 0.001), whereas no significant differences in VE between the 4 protocols were found. These results suggest that the prescription of water aerobics classes should be based on specific maximal tests for water aerobic exercises. Training intensities could be overestimated if they were based on maximal tests on dry land.

Maximal and ventilatory thresholds of oxygen uptake and rating of perceived exertion responses to water aerobic exercises.

This study aimed to compare the V[Combining Dot Above]O2max and first and second ventilatory threshold (1stVT and 2ndVT) V[Combining Dot Above]O2 values and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) responses of treadmill running (TR) with those of 3 water aerobic exercises: stationary running (SR), jumping jack (JJ), and forward kick (FK). Nine women (22.89 ± 1.81 years, 1.66 ± 0.07 m, 58.46 ± 4.19 kg) performed 1 maximal test session for each of the 4 exercise protocols in a randomized order to determine the V[Combining Dot Above]O2max and V[Combining Dot Above]O2 values and RPE responses corresponding with the 1stVT and 2ndVT. V[Combining Dot Above]O2 values were also expressed as a percentage of V[Combining Dot Above]O2max (%V[Combining Dot Above]O2max). A repeated measures analysis of variance and Bonferroni's post hoc test were used, with α = 0.05 denoting statistical significance. The analyses showed that the V[Combining Dot Above]O2 responses were significantly higher for TR than for the other exercises at all effort intensities (V[Combining Dot Above]O2max: p < 0.001; 1stVT and 2ndVT V[Combining Dot Above]O2: p < 0.001), followed by intermediate responses for SR and FK and lower responses for JJ. However, no significant differences between exercises for values of %V[Combining Dot Above]O2max (1stVT: p = 0.099; 2ndVT: p = 0.131) and RPE (1stVT: p = 0.275; 2ndVT: p = 0.477) were found at submaximal intensities, indicating that it is possible to achieve and maintain the same training intensity with these exercises during a typical water fitness lesson. Moreover, the RPE values obtained for the 1stVT and 2ndVT can make the prescription of intensity for these water exercises for young women more simple and practical.

Cardiorespiratory responses to stationary running in water and on land.

The aim of the study was to compare maximal and submaximal cardiorespiratory responses between progressive tests on a treadmill on land (TRE), and stationary running on land (SRL) and in water (SRW), while also comparing two methods of determining the second turn point (ST) (ventilatory curve and heart rate deflection point). The study sample consisted of nine active women (23 ± 1.94 years) that performed three maximal protocols in separate days. Heart rate (HR) and oxygen uptake (VO2) were measured in all sessions. The data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA and two-way repeated measures ANOVA with post-hoc Bonferroni test. Greater values of maximal HR (HRmax) and HR at ST (HRST) were observed during exercise performed on TRE and during the SRL, compared to the SRW (p < 0.05). The results for maximal VO2 (VO2max) and VO2 at ST (VO2ST) showed greater and significant values on TRE compared to STL and STW (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the HR and VO2 corresponding to the ST showed similar values between the two methods. Thus, the main conclusion of the present study was that the HR deflection point seems to be a simple and practical alternative method for determining the ST in all protocols analyzed. Key PointsThe maximal and submaximal (second turn point) oxygen uptake were influenced by the type of exercise, as these responses were similar in both water-based and land-based stationary running protocols and different from those obtained during the treadmill running, that presented greater values compared with both stationary running protocols.The heart rate deflection point can be used for determining the second turn point during stationary running test in aquatic environment.Caution is necessary in the interpretation of the application of the heart rate deflection point in water aerobics exercises because we analyzed only young women performing one water-based exercise.

Active Female Maximal and Anaerobic Threshold Cardiorespiratory Responses to Six Different Water Aerobics Exercises.

PURPOSE: Maximal tests conducted on land are not suitable for the prescription of aquatic exercises, which makes it difficult to optimize the intensity of water aerobics classes. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the maximal and anaerobic threshold cardiorespiratory responses to 6 water aerobics exercises. Volunteers performed 3 of the exercises in the sagittal plane and 3 in the frontal plane. METHOD: Twelve active female volunteers (aged 24 ± 2 years) performed 6 maximal progressive test sessions. Throughout the exercise tests, we measured heart rate (HR) and oxygen consumption (VO2). We randomized all sessions with a minimum interval of 48 hr between each session. For statistical analysis, we used repeated-measures 1-way analysis of variance. RESULTS: Regarding the maximal responses, for the peak VO2, abductor hop and jumping jacks (JJ) showed significantly lower values than frontal kick and cross-country skiing (CCS; p < .001; partial η(2) = .509), while for the peak HR, JJ showed statistically significantly lower responses compared with stationary running and CCS (p < .001; partial η(2) = .401). At anaerobic threshold intensity expressed as the percentage of the maximum values, no statistically significant differences were found among exercises. CONCLUSION: Cardiorespiratory responses are directly associated with the muscle mass involved in the exercise. Thus, it is worth emphasizing the importance of performing a maximal test that is specific to the analyzed exercise so the prescription of the intensity can be safer and valid.