Influence of body position on physiological responses during graded maximal arm ergometry
Conference Contribution ResearchOnline@JCUAbstract
Upper body exercise or arm ergometry (AE) has been primarily used for rehabilitation purposes but recently, AE has been utilised in the assessment of athletes involved with swimming, kayaking and wrestling. Anecdotal reports have suggested that the standard seated AE position may limit upper body performance. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effect of body position on cardiorespiratory and perceptual responses during graded maximal AE. Sixteen healthy, active, university students volunteered for this study and completed two graded maximal AE tests, one week apart. Each test was performed in the seated position with either the shoulder joint level (0) or elevated (45) above the crank axle, with the order of positions randomly allocated. Cardiorespiratory and perceptual responses were recorded at the end of each minute of an incremental (16 W min-1) AE protocol using a MONARK 881E Rehab Trainer. Comparisons between positions were conducted using paired t-test or Mann-U Whitney tests, where appropriate. Maximum power output, aerobic capacity (V02), ventilation, respiratory exchange ratio and rating of perceived exertion were similar for both positions during the graded maximal tests. Heart rate was greater and significantly greater at the higher workloads for the 45 position. Despite similar V02peak values, the inter-test variability was large ( 0.6 L min-1). In conclusion, elevation of the shoulder for upper body exercise did not enhance V02 and performance. Due to the large inter-test variability, AE should be performed using the same seated position.
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2005 Australian Conference of Science and Medicine in Sport
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978-1-875334-10-0
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1
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Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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Sports Medicine Australia
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Dickson, ACT, Australia
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