Exercise and obesity

Edited by Dr. Stefano Casali

»General structure of the training program

Exercise type:

Duration / intensity of the exercise.

Frequency of training sessions.

Progression of the increase in workloads.

Regularity.

»Evaluation of the intensity of the exercise

Heart rate expressed as a percentage of the maximum heart rate.

MET units (multiples of metabolic consumption in basal conditions).

Subjective scale that allows you to quantize the feeling of fatigue.

»Definition of a training program

Taking into account that there is a relationship between oxygen consumption and heart rate, in the absence of adequate equipment, the latter can be used, which is independent of age and sex.

Measure maximum aerobic power or calculate maximum heart rate, then express the intensity of physical effort as a percentage fraction of the maximum values.

The error in estimating maximum oxygen uptake from heart rate is approximately 8%.

The relationship between heart rate and oxygen consumption (always expressed in percentage terms) is valid for work carried out with the arms or legs, for healthy, normal weight or overweight subjects.

The maximum heart rate is lower in working with the arms than in working with the legs.

Correlation between heart rate and oxygen consumption, both expressed as a percentage of their respective maximum values:

Percent HRmax Percent VO2max 50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100% 28%
40%
58%
70%
83%
100%

Gunnar Borg's Perception of Exertion Scale (RPE) (from Howley and Franks 1995) TO B. 6 7 Very, very light 0 Nothing 8 0,5 Very, very light 9 (barely noticeable) 10 1,0 Very light 11 Light enough 2 Light (weak) 12 3 Moderate 13 A little tiring 4 A little tiring 14 5 Heavy (strong) 15 Tiresome 6 16 7 Really heavy 17 Very tiring 8 18 9 19 Very, very tiring 10 Very, very heavy 20 (almost max)

Indications for a Physical Reprocessing Program (from American College of Sports Medicine - ACSM 1991 and 1995 Type of exercise Large muscle groups Practiced continuously
Rhythmic
Aerobic Intensity 60-80% HR max 50-85% HR reserve (HRmax - HR rest) 50-85% VO2 max Perception of effort ≈ 12-15