Do overweight and obese individuals select a moderate intensity workload when asked to do so?

The purpose of this study was (1) to determine if overweight/obese individuals (age 26-50 y) would self-select moderate exercise intensity when asked to do so and (2) to determine how this self-selected workload compared to exercising at a workload (60% peak aerobic capacity) that is known to provide cardioprotective health benefits. oxygen consumption (vo2) and energy expenditure were measured in 33 men/women (bmi<27 kg/m2) who completed two 30 min walking bouts: (1) self-selected walking pace on an indoor track and (2) prescribed exercise pace (60% vo2 peak) on a treadmill. the data revealed that (1) the prescribed intensity was 6% higher than the self-selected pace and elicited a higher energy expenditure (p<0.05) than the self-selected pace (+83 kj); (2) overweight subjects walked at a slightly lower percentage of vo2 peak than the obese subjects (p<0.05); (3) men walked at a lower percentage of vo2 peak than the women (p<0.05). in conclusion when asked to walk at a moderate intensity,overweight/obese individuals tended to select a lower workload in the moderate intensity range which could be maintained for 30 min; however,a higher intensity which would be more cardioprotective could not be maintained for 30 min by most individuals. © 2012 cameron w. hall et al.