Chronic eccentric arm cycling improves maximum upper-body strength and power.

Area of Science:

• Exercise Physiology
• Sports Science
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Eccentric leg cycling is a proven method for improving lower-body muscular function and health.
• Eccentric exercise involves muscle lengthening contractions, offering unique training benefits.
• The effectiveness of eccentric exercise for the upper body remained largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a 7-week eccentric arm cycling (ECC_arm) intervention on upper-body muscular function.
• To determine if ECC_arm training alters arterial function (central and peripheral stiffness).

Main Methods:

• Nine participants underwent ECC_arm training, while eight performed concentric arm cycling (CON_arm).
• Training occurred 3 times per week for 7 weeks, with increasing duration and intensity (60-70% peak heart rate).
• Assessed outcomes included maximum elbow extensor strength, upper-body concentric power, and arterial stiffness.

Main Results:

• ECC_arm training led to significantly greater improvements in elbow extensor strength (16%) and upper-body power (6%) compared to CON_arm.
• Despite higher power output during training, ECC_arm resulted in minimal muscle soreness, comparable to CON_arm.
• No significant changes in peripheral or central arterial stiffness were observed in either group.

Conclusions:

• Upper-body eccentric exercise, specifically ECC_arm, effectively enhances dynamic muscular function at low perceived exertion.
• ECC_arm training improves muscular function without negatively impacting arterial stiffness.
• Eccentric arm cycling presents a viable and effective training modality for upper-body enhancement in clinical and athletic settings.