Effect of Short-Duration High-Intensity Upper-Body Pre-Load Component on Performance among High-Level Cyclists

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of upper-body high-intensity exercise priming on subsequent leg exercise performance. Specifically, to compare maximal 4000 m cycling performance with upper-body pre-load (MPT(high)) and common warm-up (MPT(low)). In this case, 15 high-level cyclists (23.3 ± 3.6 years; 181 ± 7 cm; 76.2 ± 10.0 kg; V˙O(2max): 65.4 ± 6.7 mL·kg(−1)·min(−1)) participated in the study attending three laboratory sessions, completing an incremental test and both experimental protocols. In MPT(high), warm-up was added by a 25 s high-intensity all-out arm crank effort to the traditional 20-min aerobic warm-up. Both 4000 m maximal bouts started with a 12 s all-out start. Heart rate, blood lactate concentration [La) and spirometric data were measured and analyzed. Overall MPT(high) time was slower by 5.3 ± 1.2 s (p < 0.05). [La] at the start was 5.5 ± 1.5 mmol·L(−1) higher for MPT(high) (p < 0.001) reducing anaerobic energy contribution which was higher in MPT(low) during the first and third 1000 m split (p < 0.05). Similarly, MPT(low) maintained higher total average power during the entire performance (p < 0.05, d = 0.7). Although the MPT(high) condition performed less effectively due to decreased anaerobic capacity, pre-load effect may have the potential to enhance performance at longer distances.