Abstract des Autors

Objective: To establish the accuracy of the traditional method of measuring the intensity of exercise in aerobic dance classes, that is, intermittent pulse palpation performed during a brief cessation of activity. Methods: A short wave telemetry system was used to record heart rates during a class in a group of 12 healthy women aged 26(SD 6) years. Subjects palpated their pulses for 10 s following high and low intensity exercise (78(8)% and 69(9)% of mean predicted maximum heart rate respectively). Recorded exercising heart rates, averaged over 60 s preceding pulse palpation (ExHR(rec)), were compared with the recorded postexercise heart rates averaged over the 10 s palpation period (PostExHR(rec)) and with the palpated counts (PalpHR). Differences were assessed using Student's t test and Wilcoxon signed rank test. Results: Differences between ExHR(rec) and PostExHR(rec) following high and low intensity exercise (3(6) beats/min and 5(7) beats/min respectively) were not significant. However, the wide variation between subjects means that a postexercise heart rate is unreliable as a measure of individual exercise intensity. PalpHR was significantly lower than ExHR(rec). Every individually palpated count underestimated the exercising heart rate (range 9 to 95 beats/min). Conclusions: While postexercise heart rate adequately represents the exercise heart rate for a group, the individual variation is too wide for this to be a useful measurement. Verf.-Referat