Handbiking: Physiological Responses to Synchronous and Asynchronous Crank Montage

Abstract

Handbiking as a wheelchair sport has gained increased popularity in Germany. It is an attractive sport and seems to be important for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. For a handbike (HB), the position of the cranks can be synchronous (CS) or asynchronous (CA). The purpose of this study was to examine both forms of riding in persons with a spinal cord injury who are used to a HB. Thirty-five athletes with a spinal cord injury (32 paraplegically and 3 quadriplegically handicapped persons) from Germany agreed to participate in the present investigation. All subjects performed 2 multistage incremental exercise tests until exhaustion sitting in their own HB that was fixed to an ergometer. The tests were randomized for the crank montage. Statistical analysis revealed significantly higher maximal workload in CS compared to CA but no differences in maximal HR and LA. At defined workload intensities, we found lower VO 2 values for CS at 30, 60, and 90 W and lower HR for CS at 90 W. LA values were significantly lower for CA at 30 W and higher at 90 W, with no difference at 60 W. We therefore conclude that CS has a higher efficiency for athletes who are used to a HB.

Effects of type and mode of propulsion on hand-cycling biomechanics in nondisabled subjects

“…Moreover, a recent study by GooseyTolfrey and Sindall finds significantly higher efficiencies during submaximal AC versus SC mode of propulsion in subjects who were wheelchair-dependant trained [17]. In contrast to previous results in arm-crank ergometry, different investigations show that SC hand cycling is less strenuous and more efficient than AC hand cycling [18][19][20][21][22][23]. Among these studies, different authors emit the hypothesis that the beneficial effects of the SC mode may also be caused by the larger effective muscle mass of the trunk [20][21], which would allow the weight of the trunk to be effectively used in propulsion.…”

Performance diagnostics in handbiking during competition

“…(Maximum lactate concentration on a previous stage test was 6.1 mmol/l). The average oxygen uptake of 1584 ml/min revealed a lower value compared to persons with a low-and mid-lesion level spinal cord injury (Th [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] according to the classification by 10 ), but this result can also be attributed to the reduced positive impact of the sympathicus. 9 In handbiking, the extent of energy consumption, which is a very important factor from the point of view of preventive medicine, is highly encouraging.…”

“…9 In handbiking, the extent of energy consumption, which is a very important factor from the point of view of preventive medicine, is highly encouraging. 4,11,12 The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), for example, recommends an additional energy consumption by endurance sport on 3 days/week with a moderate intensity to prevent arteriosclerotic diseases. 13 According to the examinations by Paffenbarger et al (1986) 14 a clearly higher additional weekly energy expenditure of 2000-2500 kcal or an additional daily energy expenditure of approx.…”

Effects of backrest positioning and gear ratio on nondisabled subjects' handcycling sprinting performance and kinematics

“…To the best of our knowledge and despite that much research has been focused on synchronous versus asynchronous crank modes [12][13][14], few studies have examined the effects of backrest positions, with the exception of van Breukelen [15]. However, van Breukelen merely proposed a theoretical classification of synchronous handbiking according to the backrest position but did not perform any measurements.…”