How Upper Body Exercise Can Improve Aerobic Fitness

For more than 40 years, the term aerobic exercise has been a part of the lexicon of people who strive to be fit. Even though they might not have the scientific facts and jargon to explain the term, the denizens who are lined up for the treadmills and elliptical machines at fitness facilities every morning know that they are there to get some aerobic exercise.

The term and specific exercise method was coined in 1968 by Dr. Kenneth Cooper (M.D.) who was an exercise physiologist and Pauline Potts who was a physical therapist. Both had served together in the U.S. Air Force and both were puzzled as to why individuals who had excellent muscular strength could have poor performance in running, cycling and swimming. Their research led Cooper to publish his seminal book, "Aerobics" and the process of fitness training would be forever changed.

What is Aerobic Exercise?

Aerobic exercise is moderate intensity body movement that is continued over extended periods of time. It is a system of physical conditioning that is designed to improve respiratory and circulatory function by increasing oxygen consumption.

Aerobic and anaerobic exercises represent the ying and yang of fitness training. In many ways, the difference between these two forms of exercise is the difference between distance running (aerobic) and sprinting (anaerobic). Activities such as lifting weights for strength building are anaerobic while cycling and swimming are examples of aerobic exercise. In his book, Cooper noted that the two types differ in the duration and intensity of the muscular contractions involved.

The benefits of aerobic exercise are substantial because they can result in long-term health. Some of these include: strengthening and enlarging the heart muscle to improve its pumping efficiency, improving circulation efficiency and reducing blood pressure, strengthening the lung muscles and thereby improving air flow, increasing the number of red blood cells in the body which increases oxygen flow, reducing stress and lowering the incidence of depression and reducing the incidence of diabetes.

Upper Body Ergometry

In terms of the type of equipment that is typically used for aerobic exercise in a workout facility, most people think of treadmills, stationary bikes, and elliptical machines. All of these focus on the involvement of the lower body muscles. However, some kinesiology specialists and athletic trainers have begun to see the benefit of using equipment that uses the upper body for this aerobic exercise.

In an article printed in the National Strength and Conditioning Association website, Joseph M. Warpeha makes a strong case for including the upper body in an aerobic workout. He notes, "For many people, exercise involving the lower extremities is problematic due to injury to knees, feet, ankles or hips. The solution for these as well as injury-free individuals who are looking for some variety in their training is the most underused aerobic exercise: upper body ergometry or arm-crank ergometry."

Warpeha, who is an exercise physiologist, strength coach, a two time national bench press champion and currently working on his PhD at the University of Minnesota, makes a persuasive case that many baby-boomers, who had one or more of these joints replaced, can strongly relate. Arm cycling requires the participant to sit upright and "pedal" with his/her arms. It involves nearly every upper body muscle with emphasis on the arms and shoulders.

Historically, the upper body ergometry machines, or UBE's, have been used by paraplegics since they could remove the seat from the machine and perform the exercise from their wheelchair. However, the UBE has been discovered by those ultimate iron men and women - the triathletes. These endurance athletes understand the importance of this aerobic training of the upper extremities for the swimming portion of their contests.

How to Use the UBE

Getting the maximum benefit from a UBE involves proper positioning of the body and the machine. The seat or wheelchair should be set at a height so that shoulders are at the same axis of rotation of the crank. Further, the seat or wheelchair should be positioned horizontally so that when one's arms furthest from the body in the cranking cycle, the arms are not quite fully extended. The most comfortable hand position involves having the palms facing each other.

As for the intensity and duration of the upper body exercise, it will be lower than that of a treadmill, cycle or elliptical. Trainers suggest that 50 watts for 10 minutes is a good initial goal. This is because the upper body muscles are smaller, weaker and less efficient than the lower body's. More wattage and time should be added as strength increases.

For those who train using a heart rate monitor, it will likely be difficult to initially get into the normal target range with a UBE. The problem will be muscle fatigue, which will improve over time.

Upper Body Aerobic Exercise as a Change of Pace

One of the biggest challenges of a regular exercise program is overcoming the boredom of repetitive cylces of movement. Changing up the aerobic aspects of a workout by using an upper body machine rather than the standard lower body equipment can lead to more health benefits due to its novelty. Plus, if one happens to be handicapped or have pain in lower body joints and muscles, a UBE can provide a challenging aerobic workout while the participant remains seated.