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Energy and Macronutrient Metabolism (Poster Session)

(P06-017-24) The Effects of Body Position and Cadence on Energy Expenditure, Exercise Intensity, and Substrate Utilization During Indoor Cycling

Sunday, June 30, 2024
11:45 AM – 12:45 PM CT
Location: Poster Board 265
Disclosure(s):
Adelia Salerno, MS: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.


Objectives: To determine the effects of body position and cadence on energy expenditure (EE), exercise intensity (VO2R) , and substrate utilization during indoor cycling.

Methods: Healthy, active women (age: 24 ± 8 years, BMI:  20.7 ± 1.7 kg/m2, body fat: 26 ± 7%, VO2peak: 35.7 ± 8.3 seated/36.8 ± 8.9 standing ml/kg/min) completed 2 maximal exercise tests in random order on a cycle ergometer. Participants remained seated throughout the duration of 1 test and were asked to stand at minute 5 during another. Participants completed 6 randomized 2-6-minute cycling sessions at 60% of peak power: 45, 60, and 75 revolutions per minute (rpm) seated, and 45, 60, and 75 rpm standing. Heart rate and respiratory gasses were measured continuously throughout the sessions and recorded during the final minute of exercise. Dependent variables were assessed using Repeated Measures ANOVAs with Bonferroni follow-up. Alpha was set at 0.05 (SPSS v. 27).

Results: There were no significant differences in VO2peak between the maximal exercise tests (p =0.06). There were significant interaction effects for EE (F(2,14)=3.4, p﹤0.001), VO2 reserve (VO2R) (F(2,14)=17.7, p>﹤0.001) and respiratory exchange ratio (RER) (F(2,14)=8.4, p﹤0.01). Both EE (F(1,7)=54.6, p﹤0.001) and VO2 (F(1,7)=37.1, p﹤0.001) demonstrated significant main effects for body position and were greater when standing. EE averaged 7.2 ± 0.5 and  9.2 ± 0.5 kcals/min in the seated and standing positions, respectively. EE (F(2,14)=4.5, p﹤0.001), VO2R (F(2,14)=16.7, p﹤0.001), and RER (F(2,14)=7.3, p﹤0.01) displayed significant main effects for rpm, with EE and VO2R significantly greater at 75 when compared to 45 and 60 rpm. EE was equal to 7.6 ± 0.5, 8.2 ± 0.4, and 8.7 ± 0.5 kcals/min in the 45, 60, and 75 rpm conditions. VO2R categorized the exercise as vigorous, ranging from 63 to 94%, and RER data revealed a high utilization of carbohydrate in all trials (range 0.93 - 1.13).

Conclusions: Energy expenditure and exercise intensity are maximized when riding in the standing position. Riding at 75 rpm facilitates increased energy expenditure and exercise intensity. Indoor cycling at 60% of peak power relies heavily on the oxidation of carbohydrate and is classified as high- to near maximal-intensity exercise.

Funding Sources: Funding was provided by Lipscomb University.