Game on: A cycling exergame can elicit moderate-to-vigorous intensity. A pilot study

Abstract

Objectives The aims of this pilot study were to investigate oxygen uptake (V-O 2) while playing a cycling exergame to assess exercise intensity to determine its potential as a feasible exercise alternative to improve aerobic fitness, and to assess the validity of using heart rate (HR) to estimate V-O 2 in exergaming. Methods Five males (age: 32±8; peak oxygen uptake (V-O 2peak): 47.9±7.8 mL·kg-1 ·min-1) and five females (age: 27±3; V-O 2peak: 33.9±4.6 mL·kg-1 ·min-1) played the cycling exergame ' Pedal Tanks' for 45 min, with measurements of HR and V-O 2. Results Average and peak V-O 2 during exergaming were 61.7±10.1% and 78.3±11.7% of V-O 2peak, respectively, whereas average and peak HR were 80.0±9.4% and 91.5%±6.7% of HR peak. There was a strong positive correlation between V-O 2 and HR for all participants (p<0.05) although estimated V-O 2 from HR was 9% higher than that measured during exergaming. Conclusion Our preliminary data suggest that the cycling exergame we investigated can elicit moderate-to-vigorous intensities and may therefore be a viable alternative to conventional aerobic exercise. The exercise intensity during exergaming was overestimated when using HR alone.