Abstract

Background: To establish a balance between work (physical exercise) and human, the aerobic capacity (VO2max) could be used as a measure. Assessing heart rate in association to physiological symptoms is the most commonly used tools for the assessment of fatigue during physical exercise. This study aimed to investigate the association between the aerobic capacity and the heart rate of workers from the casting industry. Materials and Methods: The subjects were 200 male workers selected from casting industry in Isfahan using random sampling method. The subjects were examined using ergometer in accordance with Astrand 6 minutes cycle test protocol, Then, the VO2max was estimated using the formula proposed by American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). The heart rates were monitored and recorded automatically. Finally, the results were analyzed by SPSS 20 statistical software package. Results: The results illustrated that there was a strong correlation between heart rate (HR) and VO2max (r=0.991, P less-than 0.001) . The regression analysis of the quadratic equation indicated that there was a significant association between the VO2max and the heart rate. Conclusion: As the results indicated there was a strong association between heart rate and VO2max, indicating the fact that with the increase in heart rate during physical activity, aerobic capacity is reduced, and the heart rate could be used as a p rediction measure to estimate VO2max.