| Summary: | Background: Previous studies have shown that obesity increases the risk of chronic diseases and those with a higher BMI may present with impaired heart rate recovery and reduced exercise capacity. Purpose: This study determined the acute effects of sub-maximal exercise on energy expenditure (EE) and heart rate recovery (HRR), and the association between functional strength and EE. Methods: This is a cross-sectional observational study. Ninety-two participants were categorized according to their BMI, namely; obese (n=31), overweight (n=30), and normal (n=31). Measurements included anthropometric data, hand grip strength, lower limb strength, gastrocnemius-soleus strength, heart rate, and EE. Participants were asked to exercise on a treadmill for 20-min at sub-maximal intensity based on the Karvonen formula. Immediately after the exercise ended, the HRR rate was recorded at 0-min, 5-min, 10-min, 20-min and 30-min, while EE was calculated at the end of the exercise. Results: There is no significant difference in the HRR among normal, overweight and obese groups (p>0.05), whereby all groups showed similar decreases in the HRR after completing the exercise. The EE at 0-min post exercises showed significant differences between normal weight and overweight adults (p=0.009) as well as normal weight and obese adult (p=0.000). There was a significant correlation between EE and hand grip strength (p=0.000) and gastrocnemius-soleus (p=0.000), but not with the hamstring and quadriceps muscle strength (p>0.05). Conclusion: Obese individuals presented with the highest EE during a sub-maximal exercise. The EE was associated with hand grip and gastrocnemius-soleus strength. © 2018, Editura Universitatii din Pitesti. All rights reserved.
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