UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-LA CROSSE Graduate Studies THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE ...

38 Pages·2015·0.17 MB·English

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-LA CROSSE

Graduate Studies

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE ELLIPTIGO AS AN EXERCISE MODALITY IN
HEALTHY ADULTS

A Manuscript Style Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the
degree of Master of Science in Clinical Exercise Physiology

Nicole M. Rendler

College of Science and Health
Clinical Exercise Physiology

December, 2015
THE EfFECTIVE;;l:ss or TllE ELLIPTIGO AS AN EXERCTSE MODALITY IN
1-IEALTllY ADl1LTS
By: Nicole f{endler
We recon1n1end acceptance of this thesis in partial fulfilln1cnt of the candidate's
requircn1cnts for the degree of Nlaster of Science in ('lini(;a] l~xercise Physiology.
·rhe candidate has con1pleted the oral de!ense of the thesis.
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Date
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Scot! Date
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'Thesis
accept~d
Steven Si111pson.
Graduate Studies Director
ABSTRACT

Rendler, N.M. The effectiveness of the ElliptiGO as an exercise modality in healthy
adults. MS in Clinical Exercise Physiology, December 2015, 38pp. (J. Porcari)

The ElliptiGO is a hybrid between a bicycle and an elliptical cross-trainer and is meant to
be used outdoors. The purposes of this study were to 1) to determine the relative exercise
intensity of exercise on the ElliptiGO, and 2) to determine if this intensity fell within
ACSM guidelines for improving respiratory fitness. Subjects included 7 male (23.6 ± 3.8
years old) and 9 female (23.2 ± 1.0) active adults. All subjects completed two exercise
tests. Tests included a 30-minute self-selected exercise bout on the ElliptiGO, and a
graded maximal exercise test on the treadmill. It was found that heart rate averaged 84%
of % maximal HR and VO averaged 75% of VO max during the ElliptiGO workout.
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Males burned significantly more kcal/min than females (14.5kcal/min vs 11.5kcal/min).
Based on these results, exercising at a self-selected intensity on an ElliptiGO provides a
moderate intensity workout that meets the current ACSM guidelines for improving
aerobic fitness and body composition

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would first like to thank the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse for allowing me
to use the 400 meter outdoor track in Roger Harring stadium to conduct my ElliptiGO
research. Without the university’s flexibility, this study would not have gone as smoothly
as it did.
I would also like to extend my gratitude towards Dr. John Porcari, Dr. Jeff
Steffen, and Scott Doberstein. Their guidance and support made this entire process very
worthwhile, and they pushed me to be the best researcher that I can be. I also owe much
of my gratitude to Chris Dodge due to his uncanny ability to fix any problem I had with
my equipment, and his wonderful demeanor when I needed his assistance during testing.
I would like to thank my wonderful classmates and volunteer participants for
helping me with my study, whether it was participating in it or assisting with some of the
testing. Their willingness to commit and be flexible for something that was not their main
priority means a lot to me and certainly made my study much more enjoyable.
Last but not least, I would like to thank my wonderful parents and family. The
sacrifices they have made for me to be here and accomplish something like this is truly
amazing and I cannot thank them enough for being there every step of the way.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………………...iii
ACKOWLEDGEMENTS………………………………………………………………...iv
LIST OF APPENDICES………………………………………………………………….v
INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………...1
METHODS………………………………………………………………………………..3
Procedures………………………………………………………………………....4
STATISTICAL PROCEDURES………………………………………………………….5
RESULTS………………………………………………………………………………....6
Table 1. Descriptive characteristics of the subject population…………………....6
Table 2. Responses to the 30-minute exercise bout on the ElliptiGO…………….7
Figure 1. Average percent of HRmax maintained during each minute of
exercise on the ElliptiGO……………………………………………….8
Figure 2. Average percent of VO max maintained during each minute of
2
exercise using the ElliptiGO………………………………………...….9
DISCUSSION………………………………………………….………………………...10
REFERENCES…………………………………………….…………………………….15
APPENDICES……………………….…………………………………………………..16
A. Informed Consent…………………………………...………………………..17
B. Review of Literature…………………………………………………………..20

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INTRODUCTION
Engaging in habitual aerobic exercise has been shown to have many health and
wellness benefits. These benefits include a decreased risk of developing coronary artery
disease (CAD), an increase in maximal oxygen uptake (VO max), decreased resting heart
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rate (HR) and blood pressure, improvement in body composition, improved glucose
tolerance, and a better sense of overall well-being (ACSM, 2010).
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has set forth guidelines
recommending that adults engage in a minimum of 150 minutes of aerobic activity per
week (ACSM, 2010). The exercise should be conducted at 64-94% of maximal HR or 40-
85% of VO max. This can be divided up into 30-minute bouts of moderate intensity
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activity five days per week or 20-minute bouts of vigorous activity on three days of the
week (ACSM, 2010). According to a self-reported study from the Center for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), only one in five adults (20%) are meeting these
recommendations for aerobic fitness ("How Much Physical Activity Do Adults Need?"
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
That statistic seems odd given the fact that there are many different avenues for
people to engage in physical activity, especially aerobic exercise. There are traditional
activities such as running, walking, cycling, swimming, as well as relatively newer modes
of exercise. For well over a decade, elliptical cross-trainers have increased in popularity.
The most common reason for this is, that unlike running and walking, an elliptical cross-
trainer produces less stress to the lower extremities since it provides more stability for the
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ankle, knee and hips as compared to walking or running (Burnfield, Shu, Buster & Taylor
2010). Brown, Cook, Krueger and Heelan (2010) found that there were no mode-related
differences with regard to VO max, maximal HR, or energy expenditure between running
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and elliptical exercise when exercising at the same rating of perceived exertion (RPE).
Similarly, Dalleck and Kravitz (2006) found no differences in maximal HR or VO max,
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or the HR/VO relationships between using an elliptical cross-trainer and treadmill
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running.
A new piece of elliptical equipment, known as the ElliptiGO (ElliptiGO LLC, San
Diego, CA), came on the market in 2010 (Outdoor Elliptical Bikes - ElliptiGO). The
ElliptiGO is a hybrid between a bicycle and an elliptical cross-trainer. It has a motion
similar to an elliptical but is steered like a bicycle, and is meant to be used outdoors. The
manufacturers claim that it mimics running, but without the impact. Testimonials claim
that it produces the same, and sometimes higher, HR and energy expenditure responses
than running. To our knowledge, there has been no scientific research conducted on the
ElliptiGO to document the intensity of an ElliptiGO workout. Therefore, the purposes of
this study were 1) to determine the relative exercise intensity and energy cost of exercise
on the ElliptiGO, and 2) to determine if these values fall within ACSM guidelines for
improving respiratory fitness and body composition.
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METHODS
Subjects for this study included 16 apparently healthy adults from the greater La
Crosse, WI area. Subjects were between 18-45 years of age and had previous experience
using elliptical cross-trainers. Subjects were required to be physically active (a least 150
minutes of aerobic activity per week), and have no orthopedic or cardiovascular
contraindications in order to participate in this study. Each subject completed a Physical
Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q, Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology,
2002) prior to participation. Each subject was provided with and completed written
informed consent before beginning this study. This study was approved by the University
of Wisconsin-La Crosse (UWL) Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human
Subjects prior to initiation.

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PROCEDURES
Each subject completed three, 15-20 minute habituation sessions on the ElliptiGO
in order to become more proficient in its use. Each subject then completed one 30-minute
exercise session on the ElliptiGO and a graded maximal exercise test on the treadmill.
The graded exercise test was completed using the modified Balke protocol.
Subjects walked on a treadmill at a constant walking speed and grade of the treadmill was
increased 2.5% every two minutes until volitional fatigue. During the test subjects wore a
Polar heart rate monitor (Polar Electro, Kempele, Finland) and were hooked up to an
OxyconTM Mobile Device (CareFusion Corporation San Diego, CA) to measure expired
air and metabolic responses. At the end of each stage, RPE was assessed using the 6-20
Borg Scale. All maximal exercise tests were conducted in the Human Performance
Laboratory in Mitchell Hall on the UWL campus.
Subjects also completed one 30-minute exercise session on the ElliptiGO once
they were deemed proficient by the primary investigator. During this session subjects
exercised on the ElliptiGO at a self-selected pace. Heart rate was recorded each minute
using a Polar monitor and VO was again measured continuously using the OxyconTM
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Mobile Device (CareFusion Corporation San Diego, CA). Session RPE was assessed at
the end of the exercise session using the Borg Scale. Testing was done on a 400-meter
outdoor track on the UWL campus (Roger Harring Stadium at Veterans Memorial Field
Sports Complex).
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STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

Statistical descriptive statistics were used to characterize the subject population
and to quantify responses during the ElliptiGO exercise session. Independent t-tests were
used to compare the responses between males and females. Alpha was set at .05 to
determine statistical significance.

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