Reer R, Fromme A, Thorwesten L, Eisele R, Simon G, Jerosch J
Research article in edited proceedings (conference) | Peer reviewedPurpose: The objective of the present study was to determine the physical load of two different types of endurance gymnastics in order to find out to what extent they are recommendable for untrained or older persons. Materials and Methods: 32 healthy subjects (5 males, 27 females; age: 27.2 ± 5.6 years, height: 173.2 ± 7.0 cm; weight: 62.8 ± 7.4 kg) were randomly divided into two groups of 16 persons. Group 1 performed a 60-min conditioning gymnastics exercise (5-min warm-up, 25-min running and jumping phase, 25-min strengthening exercise, 5-min stretching), group 2 a 60-min step-aerobics exercise (10-min warm-up, 40- min exercise-phase, 10-min cool-down and Stretching). Results: Regarding conditioning gymnastics heart rate was 172.9 ± 20.1 bpm and corresponding lactate 4.58 ± 2.15 mmol/1 during running and jumping phase; both values decreased to 119.9 ± 14.5 bpm and 3.38 ± 1.08 mmol/1 during strengthening phase. Refening to step-aerobics heart rate was 156.0 ± 15.6 bpm during exercise phase and decreased to 126.8 ± 18.2 bpm during cool-down phase. Lactate concentrations reached only values of 1.61 ± 0.56 mmol/1. Conclusion: The cardiovascular and metabolic strain of conditioning gymnastics is relatively high. Therefore, this type of exercise cannot be recommended for untrained and older persons without a medical examination prior to exercise. Step-aerobics, however, is rather suitable for beginners, untrained and older persons.
Thorwesten, Lothar | Institute of Sport and Exercise Sciences |