Abstract

To determine the effect of posture on VO2max and other cardiorespiratory adaptations to exercise training, 16 males were trained using high-intensity interval and prolonged continuous cycling in either supine or upright posture 40 min/d 4 d/wk for 8 wk and 7 males served as nontraining controls. VO2max measured during upright cycling and supine cycling, respectively, increased significantly by 16.1+-3.4 and 22.9+-3.4 in the supine training group (STG) and by 14.6+-2.0 and 6.0+-2.0 in the upright training group (UTG). The increase in VO2max during supine cycling was significantly greater in the STG than in the UTG. The increase in VO2max in the UTG was significantly greater when measured during upright exercise than during supine exercise. However, there was no significant difference in posture-specific VO2max adaptations in the STG. A postural specificity was also evident in other maximal cardiorespiratory variables (ventilation, CO2 production, and respiratory exchange ratio). In the UTG, maximal heart rate decreased significantly only during supine cycling; there was no significant difference in maximal heart rate after training in the STG. We conclude that posture affects maximal cardiorespiratory adaptations to cycle training. Additionally, supine training is more effective than upright training in increasing maximal cardiorespiratory responses measured during supine exercise, and the effects of supine training generalize to the upright posture to a greater extend than vice versa. Verf.-Referat (gekuerzt)