Why is caloric expenditure lower during upper-body exercise?
Upper-body exercise is generally complicated by the small muscle mass in the upper body relative to the lower body. This muscle mass is less effective at inducing the return of blood flow to the heart, thus decreasing the volume of blood pumped by the heart each beat. Also, for a given intensity, contraction of the upper-body musculature provides greater resistance to blood flow than occurs with lower-body exercise, resulting in a greater increase in blood pressure. These factors lead to a lower energy (caloric) expenditure from the upper-body muscles. This is only a small excerpt from the original feature. For a complete reference list and descriptions of seven programs that burn a lot of calories, please see the full article, “Calorie Burning: It’s Time to Think ‘Outside the Box’,” in the April 2009 issue of IDEA Fitness Journal or read it online in the IDEA Library.
