Abstract des Autors

Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) is a widely practiced Chinese martial art said to physically develop balance and coordination as well as enhance emotional and mental health. TCC consists of a series of postures combined into a sequential movement providing a smooth, continuous, low-intensity activity. The purpose of this study was to examine the ventilatory and cardiovascular responses to the Long Form of Yangs style TCC. In addition, the subjects TCC responses were compared to their ventilatory and cardiovascular responses during cycle ergometry at an oxygen consumption (VO2) equivalent to the mean TCC VO2. Six experienced (M = 8.3 yrs) male TCC practitioners served as subjects with data collected during the Cloud Hand movement of the TCC exercise. Significantly lower responses for ventilatory frequency, ventilatory equivalent, and the ratio of dead space ventilation to tidal volume were found in TCC in comparison to cycle ergometry. The percentage of minute ventilation used for alveolar ventilation was significant higher during TCC than cycle ergometry, with mean values off 81.1 and 73.1, respectively. Cardiac output, stroke volume, and heart rate were not significantly different between TCC exercise and cycle ergometry at the same oxygen consumption. We concluded that, during TCC, expert practitioners show siggnificantly different ventilatory responses leading to more efficient use of the ventilatory volume than would be expected from comparable levels of exertion on a cycle ergometer. Verf.-Referat