Effects of a short period of training of varying severity on some measurements of physical fitness

Abstract

The experiment attempted to measure whether there was an improvement in physical fitness through varying degrees of exercise which had a duration of only 10 days. Forty-four untrained young men acted as subjects. They were divided into four groups; one group acted as controls and did only a minimum of exercise, while the men in the other three groups walked 10 km, 20 km and 30 km daily, respectively. ‘Fitness’ was assessed by measurements of pulmonary ventilation, oxygen extraction, oxygen consumption and heart rate during a standardized physical test on the treadmill. Recovery heart rate was also measured. The test was done before, during and after the period of training. The use of a submaximal exercise test and the significance of some cardiorespiratory measurements is discussed. The group of men walking 20 km daily showed the most marked improvement in ‘fitness,’ with a significant lowering of pulmonary ventilation, oxygen consumption and heart rate during the test. Submitted on May 8, 1959