title: No gender-specific differences in mechanical efficiency during arm or leg exercise relative to ventilatory threshold.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine economy and mechanical efficiency in men and women during both arm cranking (AC) and leg cycling (LC) at 70%, 85%, 100%, and 115% of mode-specific ventilatory threshold (T(vent)). Recreationally active men (n=9) and women (n=9) with similar values for %VO2peak at T(vent) served as subjects. All subjects performed 5 min of exercise at each intensity of 70%, 85%, 100%, and 115% of T(vent) for both AC and LC. Economy was expressed as W/L/min. Gross efficiency (GE) was determined as the ratio of work accomplished to total energy expended (%). Delta efficiency (DE) was determined as the ratio of delta work accomplished to delta energy expended (%). Economy and efficiency during LC were greater than during AC in men and women. During AC or LC exercise, no sex differences were found in either economy (P=0.93 for AC, 0.98 for LC), GE (P=0.88 for AC, 0.75 for LC), or DE (P=0.57 for AC, 0.51 for LC). These findings indicate that men and women show similar economy and efficiency during both AC and LC exercise when subjects have similar %VO2peak at Tvent.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health and Human Performance, The University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yasuda
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Gaskill
authors.forename: B C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Ruby
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015308:Anaerobic Threshold / Q000502:physiology*; D001132:Arm / Q000502:physiology*; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal