Campus Access Only

All rights reserved. This publication is intended for use solely by faculty, students, and staff of University of the Pacific. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, now known or later developed, including but not limited to photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author or the publisher.

Effects of prolonged aerobic exercise upon male wheelchair and male able-bodied athletes while under thermal stress

Author

Marc J. Heckman, University of the Pacific

Date of Award

1994

Document Type

Thesis - Pacific Access Restricted

Degree Name

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Department

Sport Sciences

First Advisor

John G. Boelter

First Committee Member

Christopher R. Snell

Second Committee Member

Linda S. Kochler

Third Committee Member

J. Connor Sutton

Abstract

The problem of this study was to determine if a difference in core body temperature and degree of dehydration exists between able-bodied athletes and wheelchair athletes in response to prolonged aerobic exercise while under thermal stress. Eight subjects, four able-bodied and four wheelchair athletes, volunteered to take part in the study. All subjects performed a 60-minute bout of upper body exercise while subjected to a temperature of 33- 34·c. Core body temperature, heart rate and degree of dehydration were all measured during and after testing, providing three dependent variables: the time that it took to achieve a maximum core body temperature (Time to Max Temp.), the difference between pre-weight and post-weight after the 60 minute bout of exercise (Weight Diff.) and the maximum temperature achieved during the 60 minute bout of exercise (Temp. Diff.). A multivariate factorial design (MANOVA) was used to examine group differences across all dependent variables simultaneously. No significant differences were observed between groups (p>.05). The results of this study may indicate that wheelchair athletes are no more susceptible to elevated core body temperatures or dehydration during aerobic exercise than able-bodled athletes. If this is the case, wheelchair athletes may need only to take the same precautions during aerobic exercise while under thermal stress as their able-bodied counterparts.

Pages

46

Recommended Citation

Heckman, Marc J.. (1994). Effects of prolonged aerobic exercise upon male wheelchair and male able-bodied athletes while under thermal stress. University of the Pacific, Thesis - Pacific Access Restricted. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/2270