Prolonged Exercise in 14-Year-Old Girls

Abstract

The circulatory and metabolic changes during prolonged exercise (60 min) were studied in a group of eight healthy pubertal girls. The girls worked on the treadmill and on the bicycle ergometer at 43%-47% of the respective V̇O₂max, i.e., 1.2 W/kg body weight (BW) on the bicycle and 4 km/h with 5% inclination on the treadmill. The heart rate increase during prolonged exercise was the same in both types of exercise. The blood lactate increase was negligible in the initial phase with subsequent removal from the blood during extended exercise.

The increasing free glycerol concentration in blood indicates similar fat share in energy release in children and adults. No biologic handicap could be found for prolonged exercise in pubertal girls.

Key words

prolonged bicycle and treadmill exercise in girls - lactic acid - glycerol