Energy cost of bimanual cranking; difference between two motion patterns.

Oxygen consumption during driving of an arm crank ergometer with symmetric and reciprocal motions was measured in to healthy young and 10 healthy elderly subjects. Oxygen consumption during driving with reciprocal motion was lower than that with symmetric motion and the ratio of energy-cost between the two motion patterns was not found to be different for the two groups. It is assumed that the late-appearing and matured motion-patterns are more efficient in terms of energy cost than the early-appearing and primitive ones.