Abstract

Aerobic exercises in which both arms and legs are used are becomming more popular for conditioning and rehabilitation. In order to clarify our understanding of physiologie and subjective responses to work of this type, two experiments were vonducted using legs and/or arms. In the firs, incremental cycle ergometer was done with the arms (A), legs (L), and combined, in which either 10 (A-19) or 25 (A-25) of the power output (PO) was done by the arms. Peak rate of oxygen consumption (VO2) and heart rate (HR) were significantly lower for A, but the other three conditions did not differ significantly. Ventilatory breakpint (VB) was significantly higher for a-10 than for L. The second study used 60 minutes of constant-load work at a PO of approximately 115 of the PO at which th VB occurred in the L incremental test, to simulate an aerobic training session. During the 60 minutes, VO2 and cardiac putput were significantly higher, and systolic blood pressure (SBP) significantly lower for A-25 than for L, with A-10 values generally failing between the two. The HR-SBP products and ratings of perceived exertion were quite similar for the three modes. Thus, assigning some of the PO to the arms allowed a greater metabolic load to be maintained with no greater cardiovascular or subjective strain, suggesting that this type of exercise might be valuable for aerobic conditioning, cardiorespiratory rehabilitation, and weight control. Verf.-Referat