The Presence of a Familiar Peer Does Not Affect Intensity or Enjoyment during Treadmill Exercise in Male Distance Runners or Non-Runners

The Presence of a Familiar Peer Does Not Affect Intensity or Enjoyment during Treadmill Exercise in Male Distance Runners or Non-Runners

The purpose of this study was to experimentally test the effect of the exercising with a partner (versus alone) on the intensity, enjoyment, and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) of self-paced treadmill exercise in competitive male runners and non-runner controls. Collegiate male distance runners (N=14, 20.2 ± 1.4 yr) and non-runner controls (N=10, 22.6 ± 2.01 yr) completed two exercise trials under differing social conditions (alone, with a peer) in a counterbalanced order. Exercise trials each consisted of 30-minutes of self-paced treadmill exercise with grade fixed at 0% and speed controlled voluntarily by the participant. During one visit participants exercised on a treadmill alone (alone condition). During the other visit participants exercised with a familiar peer on an identical treadmill adjacent to their own (peer condition). Total distance covered (km), average treadmill speed (km∙hr-1), enjoyment of the exercise (mm), heart rate (beats∙min-1), and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were assessed in each condition. Mixed-model regression analysis showed no significant (p ≥ 0.40) main effect of social condition in either group for any of the dependent variables. These results suggest that the presence of a familiar peer does not alter exercise behavior or enjoyment during treadmill exercise.