How would a higher gear ratio wear you out as opposed to a lower gear ratio?

If you are going to be worn out; the lower gear ratio will wear you out because it takes up less line per turn of the handle. it seems therefore if one was to get worn out; they would be more worn out by the reel with the lower gear ration.

The benefit of the lower gear ratio for crankbaits is that the lure will stay in the depth you want the bait in longer because you are naturally bringing it back slower. You cannot bring it back any faster than the rate of say 5.4:1. Some guys say they can compensate even with a faster reel by reeling slower. They may be able to reel a 7:1 slower to keep the crankbait in the strike zone longer, but I don't really believe they can do it sufficiently to compensate for how long a bait will be in the strike zone using a reel that is 5.4:1. Additionally; if the theory that they can slow down sufficiently to compensate hold true; then one using a 5.4:1 reel can slow down even more than one using a 7:1 reel; so the 5.4:1 reel will always allow you to be in the strike zone longer with a crankbait than the 7:1 reel.