Physiological responses to self-paced exercise: effort-matched comparisons across running and rowing modalities

AIM: The purpose of this study was to examine whether or not physiological responses to self-pacing are similar across different exercise modalities where the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) is matched. METHODS: Ten recreationally active adult male subjects completed baseline tests of peak oxygen uptake (.VO2) and subsequently on two separate occasions performed 20-min exercise bouts at RPE 15 (Hard) on both a motorized treadmill and a rowing ergometer. RESULTS: Mean relative work intensity (% of baseline peak (.VO2) for treadmill running was significantly higher than for rowing (86.1% vs. 83.7%) (P<0.05). Mean heart rates (174.7±5.9 vs. 165.5±6.6 b∙min-1) and pre- to post-bout changes in blood lactate concentration (4.0±0.8 vs. 3.3±1.2 mmol/L) were also greater in the running trial than rowing (P<0.05). Baseline peak (.VO2 was positively correlated between modalities (r=0.63; P<0.05) as were the main trial mean (.VO2 (r=0.73; P<0.05) and heart rate (r=0.67; P