Changes in physical fitness in moderately fit adults with and without the use of exercise telemetry monitors

One of the goals of exercise prescription is the use of easily understandable physical activities to improve physical fitness. Lack of study designs investigating self-administered programs utilizing exercise telemetry monitors (ETM) compared to a no exercise telemetry monitors (NETM) guided exercise programs exist. The aim of the study was to determine whether the ETM programs improve physical fitness more than NETM programs and to measure differences between males and females. Fifty-one adults were randomly divided into either the ETM group (n = 34, age = 37.9 ± 5.0 years, BMI = 24.6 ± 3.0, VO2 = 37.9 ± 7.7 ml kg−1 min−1) or the NETM group (n = 27, age = 39.6 ± 5.5 years, BMI = 24.5 ± 4.2, VO2 = 40.8 ± 6.5 ml kg−1 min−1). All subjects completed a maximal incremental treadmill test to determine their submaximal and maximal running performance, oxygen uptake (VO2peak, VO2-AT, VO2–70%, km h−1 peak, km h−1AT, km h−170%) before and after 10 weeks of an unsupervised exercise program. All exercise sessions for ETM and NETM groups were individually recorded and analyzed. Multivariate analysis of variance revealed that running performance at anaerobic threshold increased significantly in ETM vs. NETM groups (P ≤ 0.03). Males in the ETM group improved significantly in all variables of VO2, and in km h−1AT after 10 week. No significant differences in VO2 were found for female groups. Based on the exercise records, women in the NETM group completed significantly more sessions (P ≤ 0.03), specifically more moderately intense sessions (P ≤ 0.02), compared to the ETM-female group. Males did not differ in total exercise sessions; however, ETM-men completed significantly more light sessions (P ≤ 0.01) compared to men in NETM. Running was the activity of choice. After 10 weeks of telemetry monitor prescribed exercise program, only men, but not women, improved in physical fitness.