Comparison of oxygen uptake and heart rate during exercises on land and in water

Oxygen comsumption and heart rate response during identical calisthenic-type exercises performed on land and in the water were compared in eight subjects. Both the heart rate and the oxygen uptake were greater during exercises in water. Although gravity is the primary resistance to movement on land, viscosity friction and turbulence are dominant resistive factors in the water. The results of this study indicate that the latter two factors provide a greater load during exercise than the resistance of gravity in land exercises. At a moderate rhythm of leg exercises, oxygen consumption increased about ten times over resting values in the water for men subjects and about seven times for women. Arm exercise performed in the water require less energy than leg exercises in water, but arm exercises require significantly more oxygen when performed in water than the same exercises performed on land.