Enjoyment is not the same when exercise is performed with different cardio fitness equipments: results of a preliminary study

Enjoyment has been implicated as a main determinant of physical activity adherence in people of all ages (Scanlan & Simons, 1992; Allender et al., 2006). The purpose of this study was to test enjoyment of exercise performed with three different cardio fitness trainers. Method Participants were 41 university students, 12men and 29 women, mean age 25.6 years (SD ± 4.4). They performed 8 minutes each of exercise at their preferred intensity with three cardio fitness machines: treadmill, elliptical and Vario (it is a new trainer developed by Technogym). We invited participants to use the first 3 minutes to check the characteristics of the apparatus on the basis of their feelings (only regulation buttons were accessible, monitors were covered), then to set the functions and to maintain them for 5 consecutive minutes. Access to the equipments was randomized, rest times between the different exercises were free. At the end of each performance, participants filled in a questionnaire included a 12 items adapted version of the PACES (Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale, Motl et al., 2001; Carraro et al., 2008) and two visual-analogue scales. Results Participants had different experiences with equipments, 26.8% never used a treadmill before, 46.3% never used an elliptical, 87.8% never used Vario. PACES-pros mean score after exercise with elliptical was significantly lower compare to treadmill and Vario (Cohen’s d 0.87 and 0.71 respectively), that had similar values. PACES-cons mean score with elliptical was higher compare to treadmill and Vario (Cohen’s d 0.64, 0.63), that had still similar values. Exercise with treadmill was perceived more natural (p <.001) than Vario and elliptical (p <.001), exercise with Vario was perceived more natural than that with elliptical (p =.018). Conclusion Despite the fact that aerobic exercise when performed with machines is mainly considered in term of energetic expenditure possibility, differences in movement structure appear to influence enjoyment.