RELATIONSHIP OF HEART-RATE AND OXYGEN-UPTAKE KINETICS DURING DEEP-WATER RUNNING IN THE ADULT-POPULATION - AGES 50 TO 70 YEARS

This study was performed to investigate the relationship between heart rate (KR) as a percentage of peak HR and oxygen uptake (V over dot O- 2) as a percentage of peak V over dot O-2, in older adults while perfo rming deep water running (DWR). Twenty-three(14 male and 9 female) app arently healthy older adults, age 50 to 70 years, volunteered Deep wat er running to V over dot O-2peak, was performed in 3-min stages at leg speeds controlled by a metronome beginning at 60 strides per minute a nd increasing 12 strides per minute each additional stage. Oxygen upta ke and IIR were continuously monitored by open-circuit spirometry and radiotelemetry, respectively. Simple linear regression analysis was us ed to establish the relationship between the physiological variables. The relationship between %V over dot O-2peak, and %HRpeak was statisti cally significant, with the male (%V over dot O-2peak = 1.5301 [%HRpea k] - 54.4932 [r =.96, SEE = 6.0%]) and female (%V over dot O-2peak = 1 .5904 [%HRpeak]- 62.3935 [r=.91, SEE =6.9%]) regression equations bein g significantly different (p <.05). The regression equations of older adults and those for college-aged males (%VO2peak = 1.4634 [%HRpeak] - 49.619) and females (%V over dot O-2peak = 1.6649 [%HRpeak] - 67.862) were not significantly different.