Game on: a cycling exergame can elicit moderate-to-vigorous intensity. A pilot study

OBJECTIVES: The aims of this pilot study were to investigate oxygen uptake (V̇O(2)) while playing a cycling exergame to assess exercise intensity to determine its potential as a feasible exercise alternative to improve aerobic fitness, and to assess the validity of using heart rate (HR) to estimate V̇O(2) in exergaming. METHODS: Five males (age: 32±8; peak oxygen uptake (V̇O(2peak)): 47.9±7.8 mL·kg(−1)·min(−1)) and five females (age: 27±3; V̇O(2peak): 33.9±4.6 mL·kg(−1)·min(−1)) played the cycling exergame ‘Pedal Tanks’ for 45 min, with measurements of HR and V̇O(2). RESULTS: Average and peak V̇O(2) during exergaming were 61.7±10.1% and 78.3±11.7% of V̇O(2peak), respectively, whereas average and peak HR were 80.0±9.4% and 91.5%±6.7% of HR(peak). There was a strong positive correlation between V̇O(2) and HR for all participants (p<0.05) although estimated V̇O(2) from HR was 9% higher than that measured during exergaming. CONCLUSION: Our preliminary data suggest that the cycling exergame we investigated can elicit moderate-to-vigorous intensities and may therefore be a viable alternative to conventional aerobic exercise. The exercise intensity during exergaming was overestimated when using HR alone.