Exploring physiological and emotional responses to exercise with additional body mass: an experiential learning activity

Many exercise and sport science (EXSS) undergraduate students enter their programs with weight bias, which can hinder their ability to empathize and effectively work with overweight individuals. This experiential learning activity explored the physiological and emotional responses to exercise with additional mass. Furthermore, this experience sought to address weight bias among EXSS students by promoting a deeper understanding of the difficulties faced by individuals with excess body weight during exercise. Twelve students enrolled in an Exercise for Special Populations course participated in treadmill walking and cycling exercise with and without 15% additional body mass. During exercise, the effects of additional mass on cardiometabolic [e.g., heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen uptake (V̇o₂), caloric expenditure] and psychological (e.g., perceived exertion, affective response) measures were evaluated. Before the experiential activity, students engaged in a lecture reviewing preparticipation screening, body composition assessment, and exercise testing procedures. Students reported significant differences in physiological and affective responses to exercise between the two modalities, with treadmill walking with additional mass showing increased exertion. Interestingly, student predictions of psychological responses to walking with additional mass were less negative than their actual experiences, highlighting the difficulty of exercising with additional body mass. Postactivity feedback indicated that students felt highly confident in administering exercise tests and reported enhanced awareness of the challenges faced by overweight individuals. These observations support that incorporating practical activities involving altered body weight can improve practical skills and foster greater empathy toward overweight populations, enhancing student preparedness for careers in allied health fields.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> This experience included a didactic lecture and student-led experiential activity where exercise and sport science students simulated overweight conditions during treadmill and cycling exercises to measure the cardiometabolic and psychological difficulties faced by this population during physical activity. The activity not only improved students' ability to conduct exercise tests and other clinical skills but also promoted empathy, reduced weight bias, and helped prepare students to work effectively with overweight individuals in their future professional roles.