Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 24, 2026

Conducting Maximal and Submaximal Endurance Exercise Testing to Measure Physiological and Biological Responses to Acute Exercise in Humans
Published on: October 17, 2018
Obesity Affects Submaximal Oxygen Uptake-Heart Rate Relationship and Exercise Economy Differently in Pre- and
Eric Rivas1,2, Hien Huynh2, Pietro R Galassetti3
1Department of Kinesiology & Sport Management, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA.
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to develop regression equations for estimating the intensity of the exercise work rate (relative peak oxygen uptake-heart rate [%VO2-HR]) and the metabolic energy expenditure (MEE) for exercise prescription and rehabilitation medicine that are specific to children. This study took into account that the specific data in terms of obesity, sex, and pubertal status are currently unavailable. Our hypothesis was that obesity would affect the submaximal exercise the oxygen uptake (VO2), heart rate (HR), and metabolic energy expenditure (MEE), and exercise economy (ExEco). In this retrospective study, the regression analysis was performed on 126 children, matching groups for Tanner pubertal status (prepubertal: 1.8±0.7; postpubertal: 4.1±0.7), BMI-for-age percentile (lean: 50±26; obese: 96±4), and sex (girls: 48%; boys: 52%). Percent peakVO2 was regressed against HR, MEE against work rate (watt), and exercise economy (ExEco, mLO2·kg lean body mass-1·min-1) against work rate. Additionally, stepwise linear regression was used to identify predictors for exercise peak work rate. Prepubertal and postpubertal boys exercise at lower work rates than obese (%peakVO2-HR slope; P=0.01). The reverse was true in girls, lean prepubertal work at lower compared lean postpubertal (%peakVO2-HR slope; P=0.03). Boys expend more calories during exercise compared to girls (MEE-slope; P=0.01), with no effect of puberty or obesity. Obese prepubertal children have poor ExEco compared to lean prepubertal children (ExEco-work rate slopes; P<0.01) but not in postpubertal children. Strong correlations (r=0.92-0.94) for %peakVO2-HR and MEE regressions for boys and girls accounted for 85-92% variation. Height, lean leg, and leg fat mass accounted for 83% of the variance for predicting peak work rate. Obesity, sex, and puberty affect exercise characteristics in children and should be considered for an individualized approach to exercise prescription in children.
More Related Videos
04:20Integration of Brain Tissue Saturation Monitoring in Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing in Patients with Heart Failure
Published on: October 1, 2019
08:01Measurement of Insulin- and Contraction-Stimulated Glucose Uptake in Isolated and Incubated Mature Skeletal Muscle from Mice
Published on: May 16, 2021
Related Concept Videos
Regulation of Heart Rates
The SNS increases heart rate through the release of norepinephrine and epinephrine, which act on beta-1 adrenergic receptors in the heart. This action increases the rate of depolarization in the sinoatrial (SA) node, the heart's...
Factors Influencing Heart Rate
Let us explore the significant factors affecting heart rate, including age, body temperature, posture, acute pain, chemical influences,...
Cardiomyopathy VII: Pre and Post Operative Nursing Management
Relationship Formation
Rate-Determining Steps
In a multistep reaction mechanism, one of the elementary steps progresses significantly slower than the others. This slowest step is called the rate-limiting step (or rate-determining step). A reaction cannot proceed faster than its slowest step, and hence, the rate-determining step limits the overall reaction rate.
The concept of rate-determining step can be understood from the analogy of a 4-lane freeway with a short-stretch of traffic-bottleneck caused due to...
Obesity