underwater walking intensity is modified by a new and untested device that increased the lower limb surface of movement

Background: this study aimed to compare exercise intensity through measuring oxygen consumption (vo2 ), heart rate (hr), and rating of perceived effort (rpe) during an underwater walking at a standardized gait velocity (step × min^-1 ) when wearing swimsuit (ss) or aquatic pants (ap) that increased the drag force methods: 20 young healthy participants (11 m, 9 f) were recruited; each participant was asked to perform two trials in a random order, one with ss, and the other with ap. each trial consisted in a 20-minute walk on an underwater non-motorized treadmill at 60, 70, 80, and 90 step × min^-1 . results: the total number of steps during the two trials and the walked distance was the same when wearing ss or ap at all rhythms. vo2 , hr, and rpe were significantly higher with the use of ap at all gait velocities (p < 0.001). conclusions: owing to the larger drag force, ap can be considered as an effective device to increase exercise intensity since the cardiorespiratory response was greater when wearing ap rather than ss.