American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 24, 1186-1192, Copyright © 1971 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc.

Use of the heart rate-energy expenditure relationship in the individualized prescription of exercise

¹ From the Preventive Medicine Center, Palo Alto, California 94304

The use of the heart rate-Vo₂ relationship during graded exercise in the prescription of individualized exercise programs has been explained in detail. The results from a preliminary sample of 2l subjects were reported. As a result of a 3-month program of individually prescribed exercise, there was a 19.8% increase in aerobic capacity (Max Vo₂). There was also a slight increase in lean body weight (0.73 kg), and substantial decreases

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in total body weight (2.50 kg) and relative fat (3.2%); serum cholesterol dropped slightly and triglyceride levels dropped markedly. The changes in the body composition and blood chemistry parameters, however, were confounded by the fact that many of these subjects were also on slightly modified diets, thus their significance is not directly interpretable. It was concluded that this method of exercise prescription is a safe, effective, and scientifically definable means of quantifying an individual's exercise habits.