High cycling cadence reduces carbohydrate oxidation at given low intensity metabolic rate.

Abstract

Cycling cadence (RPM)-related differences in blood lactate concentration (BLC) increase with increasing exercise intensity, whilst corresponding divergences in oxygen uptake (O2) and carbon dioxide production (CO2) decrease. Aim of the present study was to test whether a higher RPM reduces the fraction (%) of the O2 used for carbohydrate oxidation (relCHO) at a given BLC. Eight males (23.9 ± 1.6 yrs; 177 ± 3 cm; 70.3 ± 3.4 kg) performed incremental load tests at 50 and 100 RPM. BLC, O2 and CO2 were measured. At respiratory exchange ratios (RER) < 1, relCHO were calculated and the constant determining 50 % relCHO (kCHO) was approximated as a function of the BLC. At submaximal workload O2, CO2, and relCHO were lower (all p < 0.002; η2 > 0.209) at 50 than at 100 RPM. No differences were observed in O2peak (3.96 ± 0.22 vs. 4.00 ± 0.25 l · min−1) and RERpeak (1.18 ± 0.02 vs. 1.15 ± 0.02). BLC was lower (p < 0.001; η2 = 0.680) at 50 than at 100 RPM irrespective of cycling intensity. At 50 RPM, kCHO (4.2 ± 1.4 (mmol · l−1)3) was lower (p = 0.043; η2 = 0.466) than at 100 RPM (5.9 ± 1.9 (mmol · l−1)3). This difference in kCHO reflects a reduced CHO oxidation at a given BLC at 100 than at 50 RPM. At a low exercise intensity, a higher cycling cadence can substantially reduce the reliance on CHO at a given metabolic rate and/or BLC.