DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2015.v03i05.052

Pages: 2064-2067

The present study aims to examine and analyze the pattern of the blood pressure and the heart rate recovery after a sub-maximal exercise on the Bicycle ergo meter, in healthy young adults, both male and female. An attempt has been made to assess the gender differences on blood pressure and heart rate changes after exercise in non-athletic young adults. An increased understanding of this issue will have clinical implications, in addition to being important in prescribing exercise intensities. One hundred healthy medical students comprising of 50 men and 50 women within the age group of 18 to 21 served as subjects for this study. The pulse rate and blood pressure were measured before, during and after exercise. The exercise routine was scheduled in the morning hours at the laboratory after a light breakfast. Each subject was made to exercise on a bicycle ergo meter with a gradually increasing intensity every 3 minutes, starting from 50 then to 100 and then to 150 Watts, until they reach 70% of their maximal heart rate. The data was statistically evaluated to know the differences between the blood pressure and the heart rate recovery patterns of the male and female subjects. It was observed that there were significant differences (p<0.05) in the post-exercise systolic blood pressure and heart rate responses between males and females. The study revealed that the heart rate recovery of males was significantly higher than that of the females in the first 3 minutes (p value < 0.001). Recovery of systolic blood pressure of males was significantly higher than that of females in first 3 minutes (p value < 0.05). This study helps in arriving at a conclusion that gender difference does affect the systolic blood pressure and heart rate responses to exercise.