Table 1.
Exercise prescription adherence by group and substrate use
| Low amount/moderate intensity | Low amount/vigorous intensity | High amount/vigorous intensity | |
|---|---|---|---|
| n | 57 | 58 | 64 |
| Prescription and actual exercise dose | |||
| Intensity (% peak oxygen consumption) | 40–55% | 65–80% | 65–80% |
| Prescription amount (miles/week)* | 12 | 12 | 20 |
| Prescription amount (kcal/week) | 1,220 ± 212 | 1,230 ± 177 | 2,020 ± 307 |
| Prescription time (min/week) | 201 ± 37 | 125 ± 28 | 207 ± 44 |
| Adherence (%) | 88 ± 14 | 90 ± 12 | 84 ± 15 |
| Actual amount (miles/week)† | 10.6 | 10.8 | 16.8 |
| Actual time (min/week)‡ | 176 ± 36 | 113 ± 28 | 172 ± 41 |
| Frequency (sessions/week) | 3.5 ± 0.8 | 2.9 ± 0.5 | 3.6 ± 0.8 |
| Respiratory exchange ratio | 0.907 ± 0.05§ | 0.960 ± 0.06 | 0.961 ± 0.04 |
| Fat utilization | |||
| Energy from fat (%) | 30.2% | 12.6% | 12.6% |
| kcals from fat (kcal) | 368 | 155 | 255 |
Data are means ±SD.
*Prescription amount is presented as the approximate number of miles/week that are calorically equivalent to the prescribed kcal/week of 14 kcal · kg body wt−1 · week−1 for the low-dose groups and 23 kcal · kg body wt−1 · week−1 for the high-dose group.
†Actual amount = prescription amount × adherence for each group (therefore no SD).
‡Actual time = prescription time × adherence for each subject. Respiratory exchange ratios were obtained during the submaximal exercise bout that was performed to determine the correct exercise intensity (i.e., 40–55% for the moderate-intensity group and 65–80% for the vigorous-intensity groups).
§Respiratory exchange ratio for the moderate-intensity group was significantly different from both vigorous groups (P < 0.0005).