Heart rate and metabolic responses to moderate-intensity aerobic exercise: A comparison of graded walking and ungraded jogging at a constant perceived exertion

Abstract

In this study, we assessed how ungraded jogging and graded walking at the same rating of perceived exertion (RPE) affect heart rate and oxygen consumption ([Vdot]O2). Twenty untrained participants completed a treadmill test to determine peak [Vdot]O2 (mean = 40.3 ± 6.3 ml · kg−1 · min−1). Participants completed separate 30-min trials of moderate exercise (RPE of 13 on the Borg 6–20 scale) in random order on the treadmill: graded walking and ungraded jogging. Treadmill speed or grade was adjusted throughout the trial by the experimenter based on participant responses to maintain an RPE of 13. The jogging trial produced a significantly higher heart rate (161 ± 18 vs. 142 ± 24 beats · min−1) and [Vdot]O2 (7.4 ± 1.8 vs. 5.8 ± 1.5 METs) (P < 0.01) than the walking trial. Treadmill grade decreased significantly during the walking trial (11.1 ± 2.3% to 10.0 ± 2.2%; P < 0.01), but treadmill speed did not change significantly during the jogging trial (5.2 ± 1.0 miles · h−1 to 5.0 ± 0.9 miles · h−1) (P > 0.05), in an effort to maintain constant RPE. These findings provide evidence that similar perceptions of effort during graded walking and ungraded jogging do not produce similar cardiovascular and metabolic responses. The results indicate that, for a given prescribed perceived effort, jogging provides a greater stimulus for fitness benefits and caloric expenditure.