Open AccessThree weeks of respiratory muscle endurance training improve the O 2 cost of walking and exercise tolerance in obese adolescents
Author(s) -
Alemayehu Hailu K.,
Salvadego Desy,
Isola Miriam,
Tringali Gabriella,
De Micheli Roberta,
Caccavale Mara,
Sartorio Alessandro,
Grassi Bruno
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
physiological reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.918
H-Index - 39
ISSN - 2051-817X
DOI - 10.14814/phy2.13888
Subject(s) - endurance training , medicine , training (meteorology) , physical therapy , physical medicine and rehabilitation , respiratory system , physics , meteorology
Obese adolescents (OB) have an increased O 2 cost of exercise, attributable in part to an increased O 2 cost of breathing. In a previous work a short (3‐week) program of respiratory muscle endurance training (RMET) slightly reduced in OB the O 2 cost of high‐intensity cycling and improved exercise tolerance. We hypothesized that during treadmill walking the effects of RMET would be more pronounced than those observed during cycling. Sixteen OB (age 16.0 ± 0.8 years; body mass [BM] 127.7 ± 14.2 kg; body mass index 40.7 ± 4.0 kg/m 2 ) underwent to 3‐week RMET ( n = 8) superimposed to a multidisciplinary BM reduction program, or (CTRL, n = 8) only to the latter. Heart rate (HR) and pulmonary O 2 uptake ( V ˙ O 2 ) were measured during incremental exercise and 12‐min constant work rate (CWR) walking at 60% (moderate‐intensity, MOD) and 120% (heavy‐intensity, HEAVY) of the gas exchange threshold (GET). The O 2 cost of walking (aerobic energy expenditure per unit of covered distance) was calculated as V ˙ O 2 /velocity. BM decreased (~4–5 kg) both in CTRL and in RMET. V ˙ O 2 peak and GET were not affected by both interventions; the time to exhaustion increased following RMET. During MOD and HEAVY RMET decreased V ˙ O 2, the O 2 cost of walking (MOD: 0.130 ± 0.033 mL/kg/m [before] vs. 0.109 ± 0.027 [after], P = 0.03; HEAVY: 0.196 ± 0.031 [before] vs. 0.180 ± 0.025 [after], P = 0.02), HR and rates of perceived exertion; no significant changes were observed in CTRL. In OB a short RMET program lowered the O 2 cost of MOD and HEAVY walking and improved exercise tolerance. RMET could represent a useful adjunct in the control of obesity.