Exercise Physiology: Theory and Application to Fitness and Performance 9th Edition by Scott Powers, Edward Howley

Exercise 9

Compare heart rate and blood pressure responses to arm and leg work at the same oxygen uptake. What factors might explain the observed differences?

Step 1 of 2

The heart rate and blood pressure are higher during arm work compared to that of the leg work, at any given level of oxygen consumption. This differential response is due to the following factors:

• There is a greater sympathetic outflow to the heart during arm work when compared to leg exercise. This causes vasoconstriction in the inactive muscle groups and leads to an increase in blood pressure

• When it comes to leg work, the more are the muscle group involved in work, the more are the resistance vessels/arterioles that are dilated. The dilation lowers the peripheral resistance and reflects in lower blood pressure