RESUMO
AIM: The aim of this paper was to study the feasibility of bench stepping at a low cadence as a safe exercise that can provide enough cardiovascular fitness that be performed by any person. METHODS: Thirty-three men and twenty-one young women (age =23±3 yrs; weight =70±13 kg; height 170±9 cm) participated in this study. Each one held a continuous 20 minute (4 stages /5 min each) bench stepping workout session with two different step heights (31 and 41 cm) and two different intensities (60 and 90 stepsâmin-1). Body weight (bw), total & trochanteric height, heart rate (HR, beatsâmin-1), rated perceived exertion (RPE) and O2 consumption (VO2) were recorded. RESULTS: From the 1st through the 4th stage, the vertical distance (VD, m), RPE, HR and VO2 values were 4.6-9.23 m, 2.5-6.7, 118-168 beatsâmin-1 and 20.8-34.0 mlâkg-1âmin-1, respectively. The best regression model to calculate the O2 consumption (VO2) was: VO2 (Lâmin-1) =-1.264+0.026âbw (kg)+0.195âVD (m). VD, bw, and gender determined, independently, the changes of caloric expenditure (R2=0.92). CONCLUSION: The energy expenditure of a low cadence stepping exercise (15-22 cyclesâmin-1) at 31-41 cm bench height, is enough to improve aerobic fitness which in turn may benefit cardiovascular health.