The effect of an acute bout of exercise on selected pulmonary function measurements

The purpose of this study was to determine and follow the effect of an acute bout of exercise on residual volume (RV) and other pulmonary function measurements over a 24-h post-exercise period, and to evaluate the effect on subsequent body composition calculations. Selected pulmonary function measurements of 12 male college students were collected prior to exercise at 5, 15, and 30 min, and at 1, 2, and 24 h post-exercise. RV was significantly (P less than 0.01) increased 20.8% (260 ml), 16.8% (210 ml) and 12.0% (150 ml) at 5, 15, and 30 min post-exercise, respectively. Total lung capacity (TLC) was significantly (P less than 0.01) increased 2.7% (190 ml) and 2.3% (160 ml) at 5 and 15 min post-exercise, respectively. Subsequent body composition calculations, using the post-exercise RV data, resulted in significantly (P less than 0.01) lower relative body fat measures, as compared to the pre-exercise value, through 30 min of recovery. In conclusion, our data demonstrate apparent increases in RV and TLC immediately following maximal treadmill exercise; these measurements remained significantly increased over pre-exercise values, through 30 and 15 min of recovery, respectively. It is recommended that the RV measurement and the actual hydrostatic weighing procedure not be separated by an acute bout of exercise, and that protocols for long-term studies be standardized.