Lance C. Dalleck1, Aidan M. Dalleck1, Bryant R. Byrd1. The Metabolic Responses and EPOC of CAROL: an AI-Powered Exercise Bike. 1High Altitude Exercise Physiology Program, Western Colorado University, Gunnison, CO, USA.

Abstract

Aim: This study sought (a) to quantify the acute metabolic responses to CAROL fat burn and intense rides and (b) to quantify excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) following fat burn and intense rides. Methods: Participants completed trials to quantify resting metabolic rate and perform graded exercise testing (GXT) to determine maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max). Metabolic responses and EPOC were quantified for CAROL intense and fat burn rides, along with moderate-intensity and vigorous-intensity cycle ergometer rides. Results: There was a statistically significant increase (p<0.05) in post-exercise metabolism, as evidenced by a greater EPOC, when individuals exercised using either CAROL intense rides (87.7 calories) or fat burn rides (186.1 calories) when compared with either moderate-intensity treadmill exercise (45.2 calories) or vigorous-intensity treadmill exercise (72.1 calories). The duration of EPOC following CAROL fat burn rides was statistically significantly (p<0.05) longer when compared to CAROL intense rides. Indeed, the EPOC duration was more than 2-fold longer after CAROL fat burn rides (167.4 min) relative to CAROL intense rides (77.4 min). Conclusion: The most important findings of this project are two-fold: 1) it provides gold standard measures of the exercise energy expenditure to be expected during both fat burn and intense rides on CAROL, and 2) it provides scientific evidence to support the notion that personalized true REHIT performed on CAROL contributes to a significantly greater increased post-exercise metabolism (i.e., EPOC) when compared to more traditional moderate-intensity or vigorous-intensity exercise.