EVALUATION OF AN KLLIPTICAL EXERCISER IN COMPARISON TO TREADMILL WALKING AND RUNNING, STATIONARY CYCLING, AND STEPPING

Abstract

957 The new elliptical exercise machines (ELLIPSE) on the market are designed to provide a low-impact total body workout. The purpose of this study was to compare the physiological responses of ELLIPSE to standard exercise modalities: treadmill running (TMrun) and walking (TMwalk), stationary cycling(BIKE), and stepping (STEP). Sixteen volunteers (8M and 8F) between the ages of 27 and 54 years served as subjects. Following adequate practice, each subject completed a 20 minute exercise bout, at a self-selected pace, on each mode. Each test was completed on a separate day, in random order. VO2(ml/kg/min), caloric expenditure, and HR were recorded every minute and RPE was assessed every 5 minutes. In addition, vertical ground reaction forces(VGRF) were measured using the Tekscan F-scan software. Responses were similar for M and F, thus mean responses are presented below. TableTableVO2, HR, and Kcals were not significantly different (p>.05) between ELLIPSE and TMrun, however they were significantly greater (p<.05) than BIKE, STEP, and TMwalk. RPE values were similar for all five modes. VGRF for the BIKE was significantly less (p<.05) than all other modes, with TMrun being significantly greater (p<.05) than all other modes. The results indicate that TMrun and ELLIPSE, at a self-selected pace, elicits a greater physiologic load compared to TMwalk, BIKE, or STEP. However, since VGRF for the ELLIPSE was less than half of TMrun, it may provide less risk for injury.