title: Prior upper body exercise reduces cycling work capacity but not critical power.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study examined whether metabolite accumulation, induced by prior upper body exercise, affected the power-duration relationship for leg cycle ergometry.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seven males performed, to the limit of tolerance and both without (L) and with (AL) prior severe-intensity arm-cranking exercise, an incremental cycling test and four constant power cycling tests to determine the parameters of the power-duration relationship: critical power (CP) and W'.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At the onset of cycling exercise plasma lactate (L vs AL: 1.2 ± 0.1 vs 11.6 ± 2.9 mEq · L) and hydrogen ion (40.4 ± 1.3 vs 53.1 ± 4.3 nEq · L), concentrations were higher during AL compared with L, whereas the strong ion difference (37.8 ± 1.8 vs 32.4 ± 2.0 mEq · L) and bicarbonate concentration (25.7 ± 0.7 vs 18.3 ± 1.9 mEq · L) were lower during AL compared with L (P < 0.01). During incremental exercise, maximum cycling power (358 ± 15 vs 332 ± 21 W) and peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) (4.31 ± 0.36 vs 3.71 ± 0.44 L · min) were lower during AL compared with L (P < 0.05). The rate of increase in plasma potassium concentration during constant power cycling was greater during AL compared with L (0.09 ± 0.08 vs 0.14 ± 0.13 mEq · L · min) (P < 0.05), and exercise duration was 35 ± 15% shorter (P < 0.01). CP was not different between L and AL (267 ± 19 vs 264 ± 20 W), whereas W' was lower in AL (17.3 ± 5.7 vs 11.8 ± 4.2 kJ) (P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The reduced W' after prior upper body exercise indicates that the magnitude of W' is partly dependent on metabolite accumulation.
authors.affiliation: 1Sport, Health and Performance Enhancement (SHAPE) Research Group, School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UNITED KINGDOM; and 2Department of Sport and Exercise, Derby University, UNITED KINGDOM.
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Dean E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Mills
authors.forename: Peter I
authors.initials: PI
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Graham R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Sharpe
mesh_terms: D001132:Arm / Q000502:physiology*; D001639:Bicarbonates / Q000097:blood; D001642:Bicycling / Q000502:physiology*; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology*; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D010807:Physical Endurance / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D001639:Bicarbonates; D019344:Lactic Acid