Arm vs. Combined Leg and Arm Exercise: Blood Pressure Responses and Ratings of Perceived Exertion at the Same Indirectly Determined Heart Rate

Pre-participation screening is very important for prescribing and practising exercise safely. The aim of this study was to investigate both ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) and blood pressure responses in two different types of exercises with matching duration and indirectly determined working heart rate (HR). Participants were 23 male students, who were generally healthy but sedentary. The time course of their RPE and blood pressure during a 50- minute work-out session on an arm crank ergometer and a cross trainer were compared. RM-ANOVA showed both a higher RPE (p < 0.001) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (p < 0.001) response to the arm exercise that were shown significantly correlated (r = 0.883; p = 0.008). Linear regression analysis (p = 0.001) confirmed the ability to predict the time course of DBP by knowing the RPE on the arm crank ergometer. Even if people use the recommended relative intensity, the HR method is not always safe for health without pre-participation screening because exercise characteristics can negatively influence physiological responses. The HR method could be substituted by the RPE method.

Key points

• Arm Crank Ergometer elicits a higher diastolic blood pressure response respect to Cross Trainer when people exercise at the same heart rate.
• Arm Crank Ergometer elicits a higher ratings of perceived exertion respect to Cross trainer when people exercise at the same heart rate.
• Indirect determined working heart rate is not always safe even if the theoretical intensity is that recommended for health.
• Rating of perceived exertion method should be used instead of heart rate method to avoid the dangerous physiological responses observed.

Key words: Diastolic blood pressure, arm crank ergometer, cross trainer