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Physiological responses to prolonged upper-body exercise.

N A Pimental, M N Sawka, D S Billings

Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise

|August 1, 1984

Summary

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Prolonged upper-body exercise is feasible and can elicit a cardiovascular training effect. However, exercise prescriptions based solely on heart rate may need adjustment for upper-body training.

Area of Science:

Exercise Physiology
Sports Science
Human Movement

Background:

Limited research exists on physiological responses to prolonged upper-body exercise.
Understanding these responses is crucial for designing effective upper-body training programs.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the physiological responses during prolonged (60-min) upper-body (arm crank) versus lower-body (cycle) exercise.
To assess the feasibility and training implications of sustained upper-body exertion.

Main Methods:

Nine healthy males completed four 60-minute exercise tests.
Exercise included arm crank (AC) and cycle (CY) ergometry at both absolute and relative intensities (60% of peak oxygen uptake).
Physiological measures included heart rate, ventilatory equivalents, blood lactate, and plasma volume changes.

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Main Results:

At absolute intensity, AC exercise resulted in significantly higher heart rate, ventilatory equivalent of oxygen, blood lactate, and plasma volume decrease compared to CY exercise.
At relative intensity, AC exercise showed lower heart rate and higher ventilatory equivalent of oxygen than CY exercise, with no significant differences in blood lactate or plasma volume.
Upper-body exercise was feasible for 60 minutes at a relative intensity potentially sufficient for cardiovascular adaptation.

Conclusions:

Prolonged upper-body exercise is achievable and may contribute to cardiovascular fitness.
Current exercise prescription guidelines relying solely on heart rate may require modification for upper-body training due to lower heart rate responses at equivalent relative intensities.