Differences in cardiorespiratory responses during and after arm crank and cycle exercise

Abstract

The differences in cardiorespiratory responses were examined during and after intermittent progressive maximal arm-crank and cycle exercise. Arm-crank exercise was performed in a standing position using no torso restraints to maximize the amount of active skeletal muscle mass. Recovery was followed for 16 min. In the tests a variety of ventilatory gas exchange variables, heart rate, the blood pressure, and the arm venous blood lactate concentration were measured in 21 untrained healthy men aged 24-45 years. At equal submaximal external workloads for arm cranking and cycling (50 and 100 W) the respiratory frequency, tidal volume, pulmonary ventilation, oxygen uptake, carbon dioxide output, the respiratory exchange ratio, heart rate, the arm venous blood lactate concentration, and the ventilatory equivalent for oxygen were higher (P less than 0.001) during arm cranking than cycling. The maximal workload for arm cranking was 44% lower than that for cycling (155 +/- 37 vs 277 +/- 39 W, P less than 0.001) associated with significantly (P less than 0.001) lower maximal tidal volume (-20%), oxygen uptake (-22%), carbon dioxide output (-28%), systolic blood pressure (-17%) and oxygen pulse (-22%) but a higher ventilatory equivalent for carbon dioxide (+22%) and arm venous blood lactate concentration (+37%). However, these responses after arm-crank and cycle exercises behaved almost similarly during recovery. The high cardiorespiratory stress induced by arm work should be taken into account when the work stress and work-rest regimens in actual manual tasks are assessed, and when arm work is used for clinical testing, and in physiotherapy particularly for patients with heart or pulmonary diseases.

Ventilation and Respiratory Mechanics

“…Indeed, exercise modality appears to influence breathing pattern. For example, during arm-cranking exercise V t is less and f b is greater than with leg cycling (318), and treadmill running causes greater reductions in EELV relative to walking or cycling (220). The causative factors for differences in breathing pattern (i.e., cycling vs. running) are not yet known, but it is clear that exercise mode influences breathing pattern.…”

Counterpoint: Exercise training does not induce vascular adaptations beyond the active muscle beds

“…Accordingly, arm-crank exercise in SCI individuals offers the opportunity to study whether leg vascular function adapts in the paralyzed legs. Although involving a smaller muscle mass than cycling, armcrank exercise can result in ϳ80% of maximal oxygen uptake and ϳ90% of maximal heart rate (18,22). A previous crosssectional study examined the effects of upper extremity exercise training on artery size above and below the lesion level in paraplegic endurance athletes (n ϭ 29) and inactive paraplegic subjects (n ϭ 20).…”

Influence of isocapnic hyperpnoea on maximal arm cranking performance

“…Consequently, maximal arm crank exercise probably represents a sub maximal cardiopulmonary stress compared to maximal leg exercise. In comparison, the sub maximal values of arm cranking were higher than those in leg exercise (Louhevaara et al 1990). Indeed, it has already been postulated several times that large muscle exercise is thought to be limited to a greater degree by ''central'' factors (e.g.…”

“…Sub maximal cardiopulmonary stress Louhevaara et al (1990) measured significantly lower maximal V T , V ·E , _ V V O 2 , _ V V CO 2 and RER during arm exercise compared to cycle exercise. Parameters reflecting anaerobic metabolism were significantly higher during maximal arm cranking compared to maximal cycling.…”