A study concerning adaptability in overweight puberal children

In order to evaluate the adaptability to effort there was used the submaximal test of the triangular type on the bicycle ergometer with a progressively increasing load of 10 W/min until the optimum maximum heart rate (fno) was reached. The heart rate, blood pressure, CO2 produced and O2 consumption were investigated, calculating the maximum oxygen consumption and that of the "adaptability coefficient". The external ventilation parameters were determined by spirography. There were examined 49 pupils of both sexes, aged between 10 and 15, of different physical condition, some of them presenting overweight. It was noticed that the children practising sport showed the best adaptation capacity to effort. Between the untrained and overweight children the differences were unsignificant, with the exception that the overweight children showed a diminished VO2 max. ml/kg/min.