[Vdot]O2Max in Variable Type Exercise Among Well-Trained Upper Body Athletes

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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine the maximal oxygen consumption ([Vdot]O2 max) of well-trained upper body (WTUB) athletes and untrained individuals in four different types of exercise: arm cranking (AC), legs only cycling (LC), graded treadmill running (TM) and combined arm cranking and leg cycling (A + L). The subjects included 12 rowers, 10 gymnasts, 11 swimmers, 10 wrestlers and 12 non-WTUB individuals. Maximal oxygen uptake was measured via an open circuit system. The results of this study indicated that: (1) WTUB athletes attained a significantly (p<.05) higher [Vdot]O2 max in AC and A + L than non-WTUB individuals, (2) differences among various WTUB groups in AC were reduced when [Vdot]O2 max was expressed in ml · kg-1 · min-1, but became evident in A + L, (3) WTUB athletes attained 80–95% of their LC [Vdot]O2 max in AC whereas non-WTUB individuals attained 60-70%, (4) WTUB individuals attained 120-130% of their LC [Vdot]O2 max in A + L whereas non-WTUB individuals attained 110-115%, and (5) non-WTUB individuals attained their highest [Vdot]O2 max in TM whereas WTUB athletes attained equivalent values in TM and A + L. It was concluded that WTUB athletes attained a higher [Vdot]O2 max than non-WTUB individuals in exercise involving the upper body musculature. Differences in upper body aerobic capacity among the variously trained WTUB groups were more apparent under the acute stress of A + L than in AC alone. TM appeared to be the most appropriate mode of exercise for eliciting [Vdot]O2 max in non-WTUB individuals. However, TM and A + L were equally effective in eliciting [Vdot]O2 max in WTUB athletes.