To find the difference in heart rate recovery times after exercise between males and females in a first year, level 3 BTEC class.
Abstract:
This experiment was carried out to see if there was a difference in heart rate recovery times between males and females after exercise. The reason this experiment was done was to find out if men or women had the faster heart rate recovery, and to then study the science behind it which explains why. Both males & females did 20 star jumps and had their heart rates from before and straight after the exercise measured. The heart rate was then measure a third time, a minute after the exercise. The results showed that on average men had a greater heart rate recovery than the females. Introduction:
I have researched into other studies and found that women have a higher resting heart rate than men. This is because women having slightly smaller hearts, as they are smaller in size. Due to females having a smaller heart than men they have to pump blood around the body more frequently as less blood is being pumped each time, so they can match the larger male hearts output. There are also many other reports showing how males have certain physical properties that dominate females. Such as muscle mass, larger bones and many others. This background information I have collected has made me come up with the hypothesis that males will have a better recovery time after exercise than females. This is because they are physically more dominant and their heart rate will initially be lower before exercise, so they will have a greater difference from resting heart rate to after exercise heart rate, which will in turn cause a greater decrease. Method and materials:
The first year, level three BTEC class split into pairs to carry out the following experiment. Before anyone left the room to carry out the exercise and the experiment, one of the members in the pair measured their resting hear rate in beats per minute (bpm); via the other member in the pair timing them with a stop watch for 15 seconds and then multiplying the result by four to equal a minute. This result was then recorded and the class were then escorted outside. Once in an open and safe area the chosen member in the pair (who had previously measured their resting heart rate) did 20 star jumps in a row. After they had completed the star jumps their heart rate was then immediately measured in bpm, using the same method as before the exercise.
The non-active member in the pair then used the stop watch to time a minute. Once it had reached a minute the member in the pair who had done the exercise then measured their heart rate for a third time using the method I have described before. All the steps from when the member in the pair started the exercise were then repeated another two times to get a total of three results. We then went back into the classroom and made a table to records the whole group’s data. We then found the mean heart rate recovery time for each individual & then for each gender. Another calculation we did was find the mean resting heart rate for each gender too. Finally we found the standard deviation for the resting heart rate of both genders and plotted graphs accordingly.
Results:
My results table, calculation and graphs are attached on the back of this write up. Discussion & conclusion: From my results and tables I can see that males have a better resting heart rate than females. From my previous background research I have decided this may be due to the fact males are physically stronger, have a larger heart & more muscle mass. On the other hand there are many factors I haven’t taken into consideration, such as if any of the participants smoke, are overweight, if they exercise regularly or not & many more. All of these factors would affect the recovery heart rate time in both genders. At least one participant is likely to have one or more of these factors. This causes my results to not be just based on gender but also many other factors that weren’t taken into consideration.
References:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/208145-what-is-the-difference-between-male-female-heart-rates/ http://www.lazyrunner.com/men-versus-women