The effect from maximal bench press strength training on work economy during wheelchair propulsion in men with spinal cord injury

Objective: To assess the effect from maximal bench press strength training (MST) on wheelchair propulsion work economy (WE). Study design: Pretest–posttest case–control group design. Setting: St Olavs Hospital, Trondheim, Norway. Methods: Seventeen male individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) paraplegia were allocated to either MST bench press ( n =11) or the control group (CG) ( n =7). The MST group trained bench press three times per week, for 6 weeks, starting at 85–95% of their pretest bench press one-repetition maximum (1RM). For calculation of WE during wheelchair propulsion, oxygen uptake (VO 2 ) measurements were collected during wheelchair ergometry (WCE) at submaximal workload of 50 W. Similarly, peak oxygen uptake (VO 2peak ) and peak power output (W) were measured during WCE. Results: Individuals in the MST regimen significantly improved WE compared with the CG by 17.3 % (mean between-group differences: 95% confidence interval) of 2.63 ml kg −1 min −1 : (−4.34, −0.91) ( P =0.007). Between pretest and posttest, the increase in bench press 1RM was by 17% higher in the MST group compared with the CG. At peak testing, the MST group generated significantly higher peak power compared with the CG. All other physiological variables were comparable within and between groups. Conclusions: A 6-week MST bench press regimen significantly improved WE during wheelchair propulsion at 50 W workload. These preliminary data support a possible beneficial role for MST to reduce the energy cost of wheelchair propulsion for SCI individuals.