Heart rate and oxygen consumption during walking on land and in deep water

Oxygen consumption and heart rate were measured during treadmill walking and during walking in deep water in a group of women and in a group of men. In both groups predicted maximum oxygen uptakes were similar on land as in the water. However, there were obvious individual differences in the responses to land versus water exercise. These differences suggest that if deep water walking is used for training, the intensity of work should be assessed from preliminary fitness tests in water and not on land.