Alex Dutson, Utah Valley University
Academic Affairs
Introduction:
Over the years Heart Rate (HR) has been used to determine intensity or how hard somebody is working out. It is our perception that most individuals do not know how to use HR in their fitness programs. The sports classes at Utah Valley University (UVU) offer an opportunity for students to stay active and improve skills in those sports. Some students may take these classes to get in better physical condition. When trying to achieve a certain fitness level it is important to know how hard to push yourself in training. Most students are unaware of how hard they are or are not working in a particular sport. The students’ focus will usually be on the activity rather than their HR or how hard they are working. HR in beats per minute will be used to determine the intensity of the exercise. Controlling the intensity of a workout is important because it deter- mines the duration of exercise. A high intensity will cause a shorter exercise time.
Methods:
Volunteers will start with a demographic questionnaire to determine basic information about participants. The Rates of Perceived Exertion (RPE), is measure of intensity level an individual feels he/she is exercising at. The Borg Scale, which is a 6-20 scale (6 being low and 20 being high), will be used to measure the RPE. Heart rate monitors will be placed on individuals during exercise to find their actual heart rates during activity. One hundred students, 50 male and 50 female, from UVU basketball and volleyball classes will be monitored during 20-25 minutes of activity. Every five minutes students will be asked their RPE using the Borg scale and estimate their HR at that given time. Their estimated HR and RPE will be compared to their actual HR. This research project was approved by the UVU Institutional Review Board (IRB) with reference number 00850.
Results:
Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) will be used to determine correlations or differences between actual HR, guessed HR, and RPE. We will also look at demographical data to draw some conclusions.
Discussion:
This information may be used to help those using sports to improve their fitness levels. If a teacher or participant can have an idea of the intensity of the training, the pace of the exercise can be slowed or sped up to the desired intensity. We suggest most students have no idea of what their heart rate is during exercise or what it should be. This will help instructors and teachers understand the importance of heart rate during training and how to use heart rate to maximize their training.