PEAK AND SUBMAXIMAL PHYSIOLOGICAL-RESPONSES FOLLOWING ELECTRICAL-STIMULATION LEG CYCLE ERGOMETER TRAINING

Eight males with spinal cord injury (SCI) participated in an exercise training program using neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) leg cycle ergometry. Each subject completed a minimum of 24 (mean+/-SD=38 .1+17.2) 30-minute training sessions over a 19-week period. The initia l work rate (WR) of 0 watts (W) of unloaded cycling was increased when appropriate with subjects exercising at 11.4+/-3.7W (range=6.1W-18.3W ) at the end of the training program. Randomized block repeated measur es ANOVA was used to compare pretraining and posttraining peak physiol ogic responses during graded NMES leg cycle tests and subpeak physiolo gic responses during 10 minutes of NMES leg cycle exercise at an absol ute WR (O W). A significant (P less than or equal to 0.05) increase wa s observed for peak VO2; (+10%, 1.29+/-0.30 to 1.42+/-0.39 l . min(-1) ). No other statistically significant differences were noted for any o ther peak variable (VCO2, VO2 ml . kg(-1). min(-1) ,V-E, WR, HR, RER) pre- to posttraining. During submaximal NMES leg cycle testing, a sign ificant decrease was noted for RER (-9.2%, 1.19+/-0.14 to 1.08+/-0.09) . No other submaximal variable (VO2 l . min(-1), ml . kg(-1). min(-1), VCO2, HR,V-E) showed significant changes as a result of the training. Although the improvement in peak VO2, was not as dramatic as those re ported in previous studies, it appears that NMES leg cycle training pe rformed two times per week can significantly enhance cardiorespiratory fitness.