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Aim: Both an acute bout of resistance exercise (RE) and caffeine consumption can significantly alter hemodynamics, autonomic modulation, and arterial stiffness, which may correlate with adverse cardiovascular events. However, effects of an acute bout of RE and caffeine are unclear in resistance-trained women., Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of an acute bout of RE with repetitions to failure on squat and bench press, with or without caffeine, on performance, resting and recovery measures of hemodynamics, autonomic modulation, as well as arterial stiffness in resistance-trained women., Methods: Eleven women participated in a double-blind, placebo controlled cross-over design in which they consumed caffeine (4 mg/kg) or placebo at least 72 h apart. Sixty minutes following ingestion, participants performed two sets of 10 repetitions followed by a third set to failure on squat and bench press. Hemodynamics, autonomic modulation, and arterial stiffness were measured at rest, 60 min post-ingestion, and three minutes and 10 min following RE., Results: Data demonstrated caffeine has no additive effects on performance, hemodynamics, autonomic modulation, or arterial stiffness (p > 0.05) before or following an acute bout of RE in resistance-trained women compared to a placebo., Conclusions: Resistance-trained women may not observe any alteration to RE performance on the squat and bench press in terms of repetitions to failure following caffeine ingestion. In addition, the data from the present study suggests that there may also not be any further negative effects on the cardiovasculature if caffeine is consumed prior to the RE bout., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

To examine the effects of two different volume-matched resistance exercise (RE) recovery protocols (passive and active) on platelet indices and hemodynamic variables. Twelve Healthy participants (mean ± SD; 25 ± 3 yrs) completed a traditional resistance exercise (TRE) protocol that included three sets of six repetitions at 80% one repetition maximum (1RM) with two minutes passive recovery between sets, exercises and an interval resistance exercise (IRE) protocol that included three sets of six repetitions at 60%1RM followed by active recovery including six repetitions of the same exercise at 20%1RM. Blood samples for multiple platelet indices were taken before the protocols, immediately-post (IP), and after 1-hour recovery. Hemodynamic variables were measured before, IP, and every five minutes during recovery. Mean platelet volume and platelet large cell ratio P_LCR decreased from baseline to recovery. Heart rate (HR) and rate pressure product (RPP) were augmented at IP following IRE compared to TRE. HR was significantly elevated for 20 minutes after both RE protocols, and RPP recovered by five minutes. Systolic blood pressure was increased at IP compared to baseline and all recovery time points for both RE protocols. Our research demonstrated that both RE protocols, produced transient increases in platelet indices (MPV, and P_LCR) and hemodynamic variables (SBP, HR, and RPP), all of which returned to baseline within an hour. Notably, the IRE protocol elicited a greater increase in HR and RPP compared to the TRE protocol., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Soltani et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Foam rolling (FR) has recently become very popular among athletes and recreational exercisers and is often used during warm up prior to strength training (ST) to induce self-myofascial release. The purpose was to examine the acute effects of ST and FR performed in isolation or in combination on blood pressure (BP) responses during recovery in normotensive women. Sixteen normotensive and strength trained women completed four interventions: 1) rest control (CON), 2) ST only, 3) FR only, and 4) ST immediately followed by FR (ST + FR). ST consisted of three sets of bench press, back squat, front pull-down, and leg press exercises at 80% of 10RM. FR was applied unilaterally in two sets of 120 s to each of the quadriceps, hamstring, and calf regions. Systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) BP were measured before (rest) and every 10 min, for 60 min, following (Post 10-60) each intervention. Cohen's d effect sizes were calculated to indicate the magnitude effect by the formula d = Md/Sd, where Md is the mean difference and Sd is the standard deviation of differences. Cohen's d effect-sizes were defined as small (≥0.2), medium (≥0.5), and large (≥0.8). There were significant reductions in SBP for ST at Post-50 (p < 0.001; d = -2.14) and Post-60 (p < 0.001; d = -4.43), for FR at Post-60 (p = 0.020; d = -2.14), and for ST + FR at Post-50 (p = 0.001; d = -2.03) and Post-60 (p < 0.001; d = -2.38). No change in DBP was observed. The current findings suggest that ST and FR performed in isolation can acutely reduce SBP but without an additive effect. Thus, ST and FR can both be used to acutely reduce SBP and, importantly, FR can be added to a ST regimen without furthering the SBP reduction during recovery., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest There were no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Resistance exercise (RE) has been shown to elevate hemodynamics and pulse wave reflection. However, the effects of acute RE with blood flow restriction (BFR) on hemodynamics and pulse wave reflection are unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the differences between upper- and lower-body RE with and without BFR on hemodynamics and pulse wave reflection. Twenty-three young resistance-trained individuals volunteered for the study. Hemodynamics and pulse wave reflection were assessed at rest, 10, 25, 40, and 55 min after either upper- or lower-body with or without BFR. The upper-body RE (URE) consisted of the latissimus dorsi pulldown and chest press; the lower-body RE (LRE) consisted of knee extension and knee flexion. The BFR condition consisted of four sets of 30, 15, 15, and 15 repetitions at 30% 1-repetition maximum (1RM) while the without BFR condition consisted of four sets of 8 repetitions at 70% 1RM. Heart rate, rate pressure product, and subendocardial viability ratio significantly ( p  < 0.05) increased after all exercises. Brachial and aortic systolic blood pressure (BP) significantly ( p  < 0.05) elevated after LRE while brachial and aortic diastolic BP significantly ( p  < 0.05) reduced after URE. Augmentation pressure, augmentation index (AIx), AIx normalized at 75 bpm, and wasted left ventricular pressure energy significantly ( p  < 0.05) increased after URE while transit time of reflected wave significantly ( p  < 0.05) decreased after LRE. URE places greater stress on pulse wave reflection while LRE results in greater responses in BP. Regardless of URE or LRE, the cardiovascular responses between BFR and without BFR are similar. HIGHLIGHTS High-load resistance exercise and low-load resistance exercise with blood flow restriction may produce similar cardiovascular responses.Upper-body resistance exercise generates greater changes on pulse wave reflections while lower-body resistance exercise induces greater elevations in systolic blood pressure.

The purpose of this study was to compare cardiac autonomic responses following bilateral and unilateral upper-body (UB) acute resistance exercise (ARE). In total, 14 individuals were assessed for markers of cardiac autonomic responses via heart rate variability (HRV) and baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) at rest and at 10- and 30-min following ARE. Logarithmically transformed (ln) HRV measures included: total power (ln TP), high-frequency power (ln HF power), low-frequency power (ln LF power), sympathovagal balance (ln LF: HF), and the square root of the mean squared differences of successive R-R intervals (ln RMSSD). BRS was assessed using the sequence method. Two-way repeated measures ANOVAs were used to analyze effects of UB ARE (bilateral, unilateral) across time (Rest, 10, and 30 min). There were no significant (p > 0.05) interactions. However, there were significant (p ≤ 0.05) main effects of time such that ln TP, ln HF power, ln RMSSD, and BRS decreased and did not recover within 30 min compared to Rest for both conditions. Collectively, this study suggests that bilateral and unilateral UB ARE yielded similar reductions, for at least 30 min, in respect to vagal measures of HRV and BRS.

Abstract: Fariñas, J, Mayo, X, Giraldez-García, MA, Carballeira, E, Fernandez-Del-Olmo, M, Rial-Vazquez, J, Kingsley, JD, and Iglesias-Soler, E. Set configuration in strength training programs modulates the cross education phenomenon. J Strength Cond Res 35(9): 2414-2420, 2021-This study aimed to compare the strength gains in the nontrained arm after 2 independent unilateral training programs differing in the set configuration. Thirty-five subjects were randomly assigned to 3 groups: traditional training (TT; n = 12), cluster training (CT; n = 11), or control (CON; n = 12). The experimental groups performed a 5-week training program of a unilateral biceps curl exercise with the dominant limb using the 10 repetition maximum (10RM) load. Traditional training performed 5 sets of 6 repetitions and 135 seconds of rest between sets. Cluster training completed 30 repetitions with 18.5 seconds of rest between each repetition. Anthropometry (ANT), muscle thickness (MT), 1RM, the number of repetitions with 10RM (n10RM), and isometric maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) were measured before and after the intervention. Regarding the nontrained arm, TT improved 1RM (7.3%, p < 0.001). No changes were observed in CT. Regarding the trained arm, TT improved 1RM (9.1%, p < 0.001), n10RM (p = 0.005), and MVC (p = 0.011), whereas CT only showed a trend for improvement of 1RM (3.4%, p = 0.052). These results suggest that when total volume and repetition-to-rest ratio are equated, a more fatiguing set configuration causes a higher effect on the non-trained limb., (Copyright © 2019 National Strength and Conditioning Association.)

The purpose of the study was to assess high-intensity battling rope exercise (HI-BRE) on hemodynamics, pulse wave reflection and arterial stiffness during recovery and between sexes. Twenty-three young, healthy resistance-trained individuals (men: n = 13; women: n = 10) were assessed for all measures at Rest, as well as 10-, 30-, and 60-minutes following HI-BRE. A one-way repeated measures ANOVA was used to analyze the effects of HI-BRE across time (Rest, 10, 30, and 60-minutes) on all dependent variables. Significant main effects were analyzed using paired t-tests with a Sidak correction factor. Significance was accepted a priori at p 0.05. There were significant reductions in hemodynamic measures of diastolic blood pressure (BP) in women, but not men following HI-BRE at 30 minutes. Further, measures of pulse wave reflection, specifically those of the augmentation index (AIx) and wasted left ventricular energy (ΔE w ), were significantly increased in both men and women for 60 minutes, but changes were significantly attenuated in women suggesting less ventricular work. There were also significant increases in arterial stiffness in regard to the aorta and common carotid artery that were fully recovered by 30 and 60 minutes, respectively with no differences between men and women. Thus, the primary findings of this study suggest that measures of hemodynamics and pulse wave reflection are collectively altered for at least 60 minutes following HI-BRE, with women having attenuated responses compared to men., (© Journal of Sports Science and Medicine.)

Background and Objectives: Acute resistance exercise (RE) reduces vagal modulation and increases sympathovagal balance, which increases the risk for arrythmias. Few studies have examined sex differences in autonomic modulation after acute RE. The purpose of this investigation was to examine sex-specific responses to acute RE on autonomic modulation. Materials and Methods: Twenty-one resistance-trained individuals (men n = 11, women n = 10) between the ages of 19 and 25 y were analyzed for autonomic modulation in response to acute RE and a control (CON). Measures of autonomic modulation were collected at rest, 15 (R15), and 30 (R30) min following both conditions. Heart rate (HR), log transformed root mean square of successive differences (lnRMSSD), total power (lnTP), low-frequency power (lnLF), high-frequency power (lnHF), sample entropy (SampEn), and Lempel-Ziv entropy (LZEn) were measured at all time points. A three-way repeated analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to analyze sex (men, women) across condition (RE, CON) and time (Rest, R15, R30). Results: The results are similar for all heart rate variability (HRV) variables at rest for both conditions (RE, CON). SampEn was significantly higher in men compared to women at rest for both conditions ( p = 0.03), with no differences in LZEn ( p > 0.05). There were no significant ( p > 0.05) three-way interactions on any variables. Condition by time interactions demonstrated that both sexes increase in HR ( p = 0.0001) and lnLF/HF ratio ( p = 0.001), but decreases in lnRMSSD ( p = 0.0001), lnTP ( p < 0.0001), lnLF ( p < 0.0001), lnHF ( p = 0.0001), and LZEn ( p = 0.009) at R15 and R30 compared to rest following acute RE and were different from CON. Condition by time interaction ( p = 0.017) demonstrated that SampEn was attenuated at R15 compared to rest, and the CON, but not R30 following acute RE. Conclusion: Although SampEn is more complex at rest in men compared to women, autonomic modulation responses between sexes following acute RE appear to be similar.

The purpose of this study was to compare the vascular responses to acute free-weight (FW) resistance exercise (RE) versus weight machines (WM). Thirty-two resistance-trained individuals participated in this study. Both modalities involved performing acute RE and a control. Blood pressure and measures of pulse wave reflection were assessed using pulse wave analysis. Aortic stiffness was assessed using carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV). A repeated measures analysis of variance was used to determine the effects of modality (FW and WM) and condition (acute RE and control) across time (rest and 10-20 min after exercise) on measures of pulse wave reflection and aortic stiffness. Significance was set a priori at p  ≤ 0.05. There were no modality by condition by time interactions for any variable, such that the FW and WM modalities responded similarly across time after acute RE ( p  > 0.05). There were significant ( p  ≤ 0.05) increases in heart rate, aortic systolic blood pressure, aortic pulse pressure, augmentation index normalized at 75bpm, and decreases in subendocardial viability ratio (SEVR) after acute RE, compared to rest. There was also a significant ( p  ≤ 0.05) increase in cf-PWV after acute RE, compared to rest. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that acute free-weight and weight-machine RE are associated with transient increases in measures of pulse wave reflection and aortic stiffness, with reductions in myocardial perfusion. These data demonstrate that both modalities result in significant stress on the myocardium during recovery, while simultaneously increasing pressure on the aorta for at least 10-20 min.

Purpose: We aimed to analyse the acute effects of set configuration on cardiac parasympathetic modulation and blood pressure (BP) after a whole-body resistance training (RT) session., Methods: Thirty-two participants (23 men and 9 women) performed one control (CON) and two RT sessions differing in the set configuration but with the same intensity (15RM load), volume (200 repetitions) and total resting time (360 s between sets for each exercise and 3 min between exercises): a long set configuration (LSC: 4 sets of 10 repetitions with 2 resting minutes) and a short set configuration session (SSC, 8 sets of 5 repetitions with 51 resting seconds). Heart rate variability, baroreflex sensitivity, the low frequency of systolic blood pressure oscillations (LFSBP), BP and lactatemia were evaluated before and after the sessions and mechanical performance was evaluated during exercise., Results: LSC induced greater reductions on cardiac parasympathetic modulation versus SSC after the session and the CON (p < 0.001 to p = 0.024). However, no LFSBP and BP significant changes were observed. Furthermore, LSC caused a higher lactate production (p < 0.001) and velocity loss (p ≤ 0.001) in comparison with SSC., Conclusion: These findings suggest that SSC attenuates the reduction of cardiac parasympathetic modulation after a whole-body RT, improving the mechanical performance and decreasing the glycolytic involvement, without alterations regarding vascular tone and BP.

Purpose: Traditional resistance exercise decreases vagal tone up to 30 min after an acute bout of resistance exercise, which may increase the risk of cardiovascular events. However, the effects of resistance exercise with blood flow restriction (BFR) on autonomic modulation are unclear. To evaluate autonomic modulation after resistance exercise with and without BFR in resistance-trained men., Methods: Eleven young men volunteered for the study. Autonomic modulation was assessed at rest, 15 (Rec 1), and 25 (Rec 2) minutes after low-load bench press with BFR (LL-BFR), traditional high-load bench press (HL), and a control (CON). Autonomic modulation assessments were expressed as natural logarithm (Ln), and included total power (LnTP), low-frequency power (LnLF), high-frequency power (LnHF), sympathovagal balance (LnLF/LnHF ratio), root mean square of the successive differences (LnRMSSD), and the proportion of intervals differing by > 50 ms from the preceding intervals (LnPNN50). A repeated measures ANOVA was used to evaluate conditions (LL-BFR, HL and CON) across time (Rest, Rec1, and Rec2) on autonomic modulation., Results: There were significant condition by time interactions for LnTP, LnHF, and LnRMSSD such that they were reduced during recovery after LL-BFR and HL compared to Rest and CON. There were no interactions in the LnLF, LnLF/LnHF ratio, and LnPNN50., Conclusions: These data suggest that LL-BFR and HL significantly alter autonomic modulation up to 30 min after exercise with significant reduction after HL compared to LL-BFR when exercise volume is equated.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate autonomic modulation, blood pressure variability and baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) responses to an acute bout of free-weight resistance exercise in resistance-trained men (N.=14) and women (N.=13)., Methods: Participants underwent both an acute bout of resistance exercise (RE) consisting of 3 sets of 10 repetitions at 75% 1-repetition maximum on the squat, bench press, and deadlift, and a quiet control. Autonomic modulation, blood pressure variability (LFSAP), and cardiovagal BRS were assessed at rest, 15-20 minutes (Rec1) and 25-30 minutes (Rec2) postexercise. Log transformed measures of autonomic modulation included root square of the mean ssquared differences of successive RR intervals (LnRMSSD), high-frequency power (LnHFRR) and low-frequency power (LnLFRR) and sympathovagal balance (LnLFRR/HFRR). LFSAP was used as a measurement of vasomotor tone. Cardiovagal BRS was assessed using the sequence method., Results: There were no significant sex differences at rest and no significant sex by time by condition interactions for any variable. Compared with rest there were augmentations in LnLFRR/HFRR (P=0.002) and LFSAP (P=0.001) at Rec1 and Rec2. RMSSD and cardiovagal BRS were significantly (P=0.0001) decreased at Rec1 and Rec2 compared to rest after the acute RE., Conclusions: Both sexes demonstrated that acute resistance exercise using free weights has a profound impact on autonomic modulation, blood pressure variability and cardiovagal BRS.

Resistance exercise is recommended to increase muscular strength but may also increase pulse wave reflection. The effect of resistance exercise combined with practical blood flow restriction (pBFR) on pulse wave reflection is unknown. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the differences in pulse wave reflection characteristics between bench press with pBFR and traditional high-load bench press in resistance-trained men. Sixteen resistance-trained men participated in the study. Pulse wave reflection characteristics were assessed before and after low-load bench press with pBFR (LL-pBFR), traditional high-load bench press (HL), and a control (CON). A repeated-measures ANOVA was used to evaluate differences in pulse wave reflection characteristics among the conditions across time. There were significant (p ≤ 0.05) interactions for heart rate, augmentation index, augmentation index normalized at 75 bpm, augmentation pressure, time-tension index, and wasted left ventricular energy such that they were increased after LL-pBFR and HL compared with rest and CON, with no differences between LL-pBFR and HL. Aortic pulse pressure (p < 0.001) was elevated only after LL-pBFR compared with rest. In addition, there was a significant (p ≤ 0.05) interaction for aortic diastolic blood pressure (BP) such that it was decreased after LL-pBFR compared with rest and CON but not HL. The subendocardial viability ratio and diastolic pressure-time index were significantly different between LL-pBFR and HL compared with rest and CON. There were no significant interactions for brachial systolic or diastolic BP, aortic systolic BP, or time of the reflected wave. In conclusion, acute bench press resistance exercise significantly altered pulse wave reflection characteristics without differences between LL-pBFR and HL.

Mayo, X, Iglesias-Soler, E, and Kingsley, JD. Perceived exertion is affected by the submaximal set configuration used in resistance exercise. J Strength Cond Res 33(2): 426-432, 2019-Previously, perceived exertion in submaximal resistance exercise protocols was reported to be affected by the intensity of load followed by work-to-rest ratio. Nevertheless, the effect of set configuration, which entails the metabolic, hormonal, and neuromuscular implication of the session, is currently unknown, despite the fact that perceived exertion discriminates these differences. We aimed to analyze the effect of 3 submaximal set configurations on perceived exertion and their relationship with velocity as a mechanical measure of fatigue. Seventeen healthy subjects (23 ± 2 years) performed with the 10-repetition maximum load on the leg press (211 ± 45 kg) a total of 40 repetitions with 720 seconds of rest in 3 randomized experimental sessions with the same work-to-rest ratio. The sessions consisted of an interrepetition rest design performing individual repetitions, a cluster design performing groups of 4 repetitions, and a traditional design performing groups of 8 repetitions. At the end of the session, the nonparametric analysis of variance-type test revealed differences between protocols (p < 0.001), with lower values of perceived exertion in the interrepetition rest design in comparison with the cluster design (p = 0.003) and traditional design (p < 0.001). In addition, Spearman's rank correlations (p < 0.001) were observed for the interrepetition rest design (rho = -0.72) and traditional design (rho = -0.8) between perceived exertion and velocity. Our findings suggest that the submaximal set configuration is a determinant of perceived exertion by itself, and that perceived exertion represents similar mechanisms as velocity, such as fatigue and certain characteristics of the session and the individual.

Aortic wave reflection characteristics such as the augmentation index (AIx), wasted left ventricular pressure energy (ΔE w ) and aortic haemodynamics, such as aortic systolic blood pressure (ASBP), strongly predict cardiovascular events. The effects of acute resistance exercise (ARE) using free-weight exercises on these characteristics are unknown. Therefore, we sought to determine the effects of acute free-weight resistance exercise on aortic wave reflection characteristics and aortic haemodynamics in resistance-trained individuals. Fifteen young, healthy resistance-trained (9 ± 3 years) individuals performed two randomized sessions consisting of an acute bout of free-weight resistance exercise (ARE) or a quiet control (CON). The ARE consisted of three sets of 10 repetitions at 75% one repetition maximum for squat, bench press and deadlift. In CON, the participants rested in the supine position for 30 min. Measurements were made at baseline before sessions and 10 min after sessions. A two-way ANOVA was used to compare the effects of condition across time. There were no significant interactions for aortic or brachial blood pressures. Compared to rest, there were significant increases in augmentation pressure (rest: 5·7 ± 3·0 mmHg; recovery: 10·4 ± 5·7 mmHg, P = 0·002), AIx (rest: 116·8 ± 4·2%; recovery: 123·2 ± 8·4%, P = 0·002), AIx normalized at 75 bpm (rest: 5·2 ± 7·6%; recovery: 27·3 ± 13·2%, P<0·0001), ΔE w (rest: 1215 ± 674 dynes s cm -2 ; recovery: 2096 ± 1182 dynes s cm -2 , P = 0·008), and there was a significant decrease in transit time of the reflected wave (rest: 150·7 ± 5·8 ms; recovery 145·5 ± 5·6 ms, P<0·001) during recovery from ARE compared to CON. These data suggest that ARE using free-weight exercises may have no effect on aortic and brachial blood pressure but may significantly alter aortic wave reflection characteristics., (© 2016 Scandinavian Society of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

We sought to determine the sex-specific effects of an acute bout of free-weight resistance exercise (RE) on pulse wave reflection (aortic blood pressures, augmentation index (AIx), AIx at 75 bpm (AIx@75), augmentation pressure (AP), time of the reflected wave (Tr), subendocardial viability ratio (SEVR)), and aortic arterial stiffness in resistance-trained individuals. Resistance-trained men (n = 14) and women (n = 12) volunteered to participate in the study. Measurements were taken in the supine position at rest, and 10 minutes after 3 sets of 10 repetitions at 75% 1-repetition maximum on the squat, bench press, and deadlift. A 2 × 2 × 2 ANOVA was used to analyse the effects of sex (men, women) across condition (RE, control) and time (rest, recovery). There were no differences between sexes across conditions and time. There was no effect of the RE on brachial or aortic blood pressures. There were significant condition × time interactions for AIx (rest: 12.1 ± 7.9%; recovery: 19.9 ± 10.5%, p = .003), AIx@75 (rest: 5.3 ± 7.9%; recovery: 24.5 ± 14.3%, p = .0001), AP (rest: 4.9 ± 2.8 mmHg; recovery: 8.3 ± 6.0 mmHg, p = .004), and aortic arterial stiffness (rest: 5.3 ± 0.6 ms; recovery: 5.9 ± 0.7 ms, p = .02) with significant increases during recovery from the acute RE. There was also a significant condition × time for time of the reflected wave (rest: 150 ± 7 ms; recovery: 147 ± 9 ms, p = .02) and SEVR (rest: 147 ± 17%; recovery: 83 ± 24%, p = .0001) such that they were reduced during recovery from the acute RE compared to the control. These data suggest that an acute bout of RE increases AIx, AIx@75, and aortic arterial stiffness similarly between men and women without significantly altering aortic blood pressures.

Kingsley, JD, Mayo, X, Tai, YL, and Fennell, C. Arterial stiffness and autonomic modulation after free-weight resistance exercises in resistance trained individuals. J Strength Cond Res 30(12): 3373-3380, 2016-We investigated the effects of an acute bout of free-weight, whole-body resistance exercise consisting of the squat, bench press, and deadlift on arterial stiffness and cardiac autonomic modulation in 16 (aged 23 ± 3 years; mean ± SD) resistance-trained individuals. Arterial stiffness, autonomic modulation, and baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) were assessed at rest and after 3 sets of 10 repetitions at 75% 1-repetition maximum on each exercise with 2 minutes of rest between sets and exercises. Arterial stiffness was analyzed using carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV). Linear heart rate variability (log transformed [ln] absolute and normalized units [nu] of low-frequency [LF] and high-frequency [HF] power) and nonlinear heart rate complexity (Sample Entropy [SampEn], Lempel-Ziv Entropy [LZEn]) were measured to determine autonomic modulation. BRS was measured by the sequence method. A 2 × 2 repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to analyze time (rest, recovery) across condition (acute resistance exercise, control). There were significant increases in cf-PWV (p = 0.05), heart rate (p = 0.0001), normalized LF (LFnu; p = 0.001), and the LF/HF ratio (p = 0.0001). Interactions were also noted for ln HF (p = 0.006), HFnu (p = 0.0001), SampEn (p = 0.001), LZEn (p = 0.005), and BRS (p = 0.0001) such that they significantly decreased during recovery from the resistance exercise compared with rest and the control. There was no effect on ln total power, or ln LF. These data suggest that a bout of resistance exercise using free-weights increases arterial stiffness and reduces vagal activity and BRS in comparison with a control session. Vagal tone may not be fully recovered up to 30 minutes after a resistance exercise bout.

Mayo, X, Iglesias-Soler, E, Fariñas-Rodríguez, J, Fernández-del-Olmo, M, and Kingsley, JD. Exercise type affects cardiac vagal autonomic recovery after a resistance training session. J Strength Cond Res 30(9): 2565-2573, 2016-Resistance training sessions involving different exercises and set configurations may affect the acute cardiovascular recovery pattern. We explored the interaction between exercise type and set configuration on the postexercise cardiovagal withdrawal measured by heart rate variability and their hypotensive effect. Thirteen healthy participants (10 repetitions maximum [RM] bench press: 56 ± 10 kg; parallel squat: 91 ± 13 kg) performed 6 sessions corresponding to 2 exercises (Bench press vs. Parallel squat), 2 set configurations (Failure session vs. Interrepetition rest session), and a Control session of each exercise. Load (10RM), volume (5 sets), and rest (720 seconds) were equated between exercises and set configurations. Parallel squat produced higher reductions in cardiovagal recovery vs. Bench press (p = 0.001). These differences were dependent on the set configuration, with lower values in Parallel squat vs. Bench press for Interrepetition rest session (1.816 ± 0.711 vs. 2.399 ± 0.739 Ln HF/IRR × 10, p = 0.002), but not for Failure session (1.647 ± 0.904 vs. 1.808 ± 0.703 Ln HF/IRR × 10, p > 0.05). Set configuration affected the cardiovagal recovery, with lower values in Failure session in comparison with Interrepetition rest (p = 0.027) and Control session (p = 0.022). Postexercise hypotension was not dependent on the exercise type (p > 0.05) but was dependent on the set configuration, with lower values of systolic (p = 0.004) and diastolic (p = 0.011) blood pressure after the Failure session but not after an Interrepetition rest session in comparison with the Control session (p > 0.05). These results suggest that the exercise type and an Interrepetition rest design could blunt the decrease of cardiac vagal activity after exercise while exercising to muscular failure may contribute to the onset of postexercise hypotension.

Heart rate variability (HRV) has been used as a non-invasive method to evaluate heart rate (HR) regulation by the parasympathetic and sympathetic divisions of the autonomic nervous system. In this review, we discuss the effect of resistance exercise both acutely and after training on HRV in healthy individuals and in those with diseases characterized by autonomic dysfunction, such as hypertension and fibromyalgia. HR recovery after exercise is influenced by parasympathetic reactivation and sympathetic recovery to resting levels. Therefore, examination of HRV in response to acute exercise yields valuable insight into autonomic cardiovascular modulation and possible underlying risk for disease. Acute resistance exercise has shown to decrease cardiac parasympathetic modulation more than aerobic exercise in young healthy adults suggesting an increased risk for cardiovascular dysfunction after resistance exercise. Resistance exercise training appears to have no effect on resting HRV in healthy young adults, while it may improve parasympathetic modulation in middle-aged adults with autonomic dysfunction. Acute resistance exercise appears to decrease parasympathetic activity regardless of age. This review examines the acute and chronic effects of resistance exercise on HRV in young and older adults., (© 2014 Scandinavian Society of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The effects of different types of acute bouts of resistance exercise on autonomic modulation in individuals that are resistance-trained compared to untrained individuals are unknown. Seventeen untrained and 17 resistance-trained participants were assessed for autonomic modulation after various acute resistance exercise bouts. Electrocardiogram readings were collected at rest and 25 min after a control period, whole-, lower-, or upper-body acute bouts of resistance exercise. Heart rate variability and heart rate complexity were used to assess autonomic modulation. Participants were similar for age, height, weight and measures of body composition (p>0.05) and were different for measures of maximal strength (p<0.05). There were no differences (p>0.05) in autonomic modulation at rest between groups. Significant decreases (p<0.05) in parasympathetic modulation after the acute bouts of resistance exercise were noted. Sample entropy was not affected in the untrained group, but was significantly decreased after whole- (-17.5%) and upper-body exercise (-13.5%) in the resistance training group. The changes in sample entropy after lower-body resistance exercise were not significant (-15.7%; p=0.06). These data suggest that resistance exercise training further attenuates the parasympathetic responses to an acute bout of resistance training regardless of the modality compared to the untrained state., (© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

The vascular responses to acute resistance exercise and resistance exercise training (RET) in overweight women are unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the vasodilatory and wave reflection responses to acute resistance exercise before and after RET. In all, 24 overweight/obese (28.5±0.6 kg m(-2)) women (44±1 years of age) volunteered for this study. Forearm blood flow (FBF), vasodilatory capacity in response to reactive hyperemia (peak FBF) and wave reflection (radial tonometry) were measured, before and 15 min after five sets of leg press at 10-repetition maximum (RM). Measures of pulse wave reflection included the augmentation index (AIx) and the time of the reflected wave (Tr). Measurements were collected at baseline, after a 4-week control period (before RET) and after 12 weeks of whole-body RET using three sets of five exercises at 50-60% of 1-RM. There were no differences in vascular measurements at baseline or before RET for any variable. Resting FBF (66.7%) and peak FBF (51.6%) increased significantly (P<0.05) after RET compared with before RET. Post-exercise FBF (48.9%) and peak FBF (41.1%) also increased significantly (P<0.05) after RET compared with before RET. Post-exercise AIx decreased significantly (P<0.05), whereas Tr increased significantly (P<0.05) compared with rest at all time points. However, AIx and Tr were unaltered by RET. The 12-week whole-body RET increased the resting and post-exercise FBF as well as vasodilatory capacity without changing wave reflection in premenopausal overweight women. RET may be an important non-pharmacological therapy for reducing cardiovascular risk in overweight and obese premenopausal women.

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of resistance exercise training (RET) on aortic wave reflection and hemodynamics during recovery from acute resistance exercise in women with fibromyalgia (FM) and healthy women (HW). Nine women with FM (aged 42 ± 5 years; mean ± SD) and 14 HW (aged 45 ± 5 years) completed testing at baseline and after 12 weeks of whole-body RET that consisted of 3 sets of 5 exercises. Heart rate (HR), digital blood pressure (BP, plethysmography), aortic BP, and wave reflection (radial tonometry) were assessed before and 20 min after acute leg resistance exercise. Aortic and digital diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were significantly decreased (p < 0.05) and aortic and digital pulse pressures (PP) were significantly increased (p < 0.05) after acute exercise before RET. Acute resistance exercise had no effect on HR, wave reflection (augmentation index and reflection time), digital, or aortic systolic BP. RET improved muscle strength without affecting acute DBP and PP responses. Acute resistance exercise produces postexercise diastolic hypotension without affecting systolic blood pressure, HR, and wave reflection responses in women with and without FM. RET does not alter resting and postexercise hemodynamics and aortic wave reflection in premenopausal women.

Objective: To determine the effects of 12 weeks of resistance exercise training (RET) on disease severity and autonomic modulation at rest and after acute leg resistance exercise in women with fibromyalgia (FM) and healthy controls (HCs)., Design: Before-after trial., Setting: Testing and training occurred in a university setting., Participants: Women with FM (n=9; mean age ± SD, 42±5y) and HCs (n=15; mean age, 45±5y)., Intervention: Both groups underwent testing before and after 12 weeks of whole-body RET consisting of 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions on 5 different exercises., Main Outcome Measures: Disease severity was assessed using the number of active tender points, myalgic score, and the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ). Heart rate and autonomic modulation using power spectral analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) were measured at rest and 20 minutes after 5 sets of leg-press exercise., Results: There was no group-by-time interaction for any variable. Women with FM and HCs had similar increases in maximal strength (P<.05) after RET. Number of active tender points, myalgic score, and FIQ score were decreased (P<.05) after RET in women with FM. Heart rate and natural log (Ln) high frequency (LnHF) were recovered, whereas Ln low frequency (LnLF) and LnLF/LnHF ratio were increased (P<.05) 20 minutes after acute leg resistance exercise. There were no significant effects of RET on HRV at rest or postexercise., Conclusions: These findings indicate that cardiovagal modulation of heart rate recovers early after leg resistance exercise in women with FM and HCs. It is concluded that RET reduces the severity of FM, but it has no impact on autonomic modulation of heart rate., (Copyright © 2010 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To test the hypothesis that autonomic modulation after resistance exercise (RE) would be reduced in women with fibromyalgia (FM) compared with controls., Design: Before-after trial., Setting: Testing occurred in a university setting., Participants: Women with FM (n=9) and healthy controls (n=9) underwent testing before (pre) and 20 minutes after (post) RE., Interventions: Not applicable., Main Outcome Measures: Normalized low-frequency (LFnu) and normalized high-frequency (HFnu) oscillations and the LFnu/HFnu ratio were indicative of sympathetic modulation, parasympathetic modulation, and sympathovagal balance, respectively. Baroreceptor reflex sensitivity (BRS) was also measured., Results: Variables were similar in both groups at rest. HFnu decreased in controls (pre, 55.0+/-4.2%; post, 35.0+/-4.7%; P<.05) and increased in women with FM (pre, 57.0+/-5.7%; post, 63.2+/-4.6%; P<.05). LFnu increased in controls (pre, 43.3+/-4.4%; post, 63.2+/-4.8%; P<.05) and decreased in women with FM (pre, 41.8+/-5.6%; post, 35.6+/-4.7%; P<.05). The LFnu/HFnu ratio increased in controls (pre, 0.89+/-0.17; post, 2.43+/-0.64; P<.05) with no change in women with FM (pre, 0.90+/-0.22; post, 0.64+/-0.13; P=.13). BRS decreased in controls (pre, 8.78+/-1.42 ms/mmHg; post, 5.49+/-0.66 ms/mmHg; P<.05), but not in women with FM (pre, 5.91+/-1.22 ms/mmHg; post, 9.23+/-2.4 ms/mmHg; P=.16)., Conclusions: After acute RE, women with FM responded differently from controls, demonstrated by lower sympathetic and higher vagal modulation without altering BRS. These postexercise responses may be attributed to the altered autonomic responsiveness to physiologic stress that characterizes FM.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate resistance training (RES) and RES combined with chiropractic treatment (RES-C) on fibromyalgia (FM) impact and functionality in women with FM., Design: The design of the study was a randomized control trial., Setting: Testing and training were completed at the university and chiropractic treatment was completed at chiropractic clinics., Participants: Participants (48 +/- 9 years; mean +/- standard deviation) were randomly assigned to RES (n = 10) or RES-C (n = 11)., Intervention: Both groups completed 16 weeks of RES consisting of 10 exercises performed two times per week. RES-C received RES plus chiropractic treatment two times per week., Outcome Measures: Strength was assessed using one repetition maximum for the chest press and leg extension. FM impact was measured using the FM impact questionnaire, myalgic score, and the number of active tender points. Functionality was assessed using the 10-item Continuous Scale Physical Functional Performance test. Analyses of variance with repeated measures compared groups before and after the intervention., Results: Six (6) participants discontinued the study: 5 from RES and 1 from RES-C. Adherence to training was significantly higher in RES-C (92.0 +/- 7.5%) than in RES (82.8 +/- 7.5%). Both groups increased (p < or = 0.05) upper and lower body strength. There were similar improvements in FM impact in both groups. There were no group interactions for the functionality measures. Both groups improved in the strength domains; however, only RES-C significantly improved in the pre- to postfunctional domains of flexibility, balance and coordination, and endurance., Conclusions: In women with FM, resistance training improves strength, FM impact, and strength domains of functionality. The addition of chiropractic treatment improved adherence and dropout rates to the resistance training and facilitated greater improvements in the domains of functionality.

PURPOSE: To examine changes in hemodynamics and baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) following bilateral (BL) and unilateral (UL) upper-body resistance exercise (UB-RE). METHODS: Seventeen individuals (Mean±SD: 23±3yrs) were assessed for measures of hemodynamics and BRS using beat-to-beat blood pressure obtained via finger photoplethysmography. Hemodynamic measures included heart rate (HR), systolic arterial pressure (SAP), diastolic arterial pressure (DAP), and mean arterial pressure (MAP). BRS was assessed via the sequence method. A BRS event was defined as 3 or more heart beats in which SAP also increased (Seq-UP), or decreased (Seq-DOWN), in the same direction. Data were collected at Rest and at 10- and 30-min following UB-RE conditions. UB-RE consisted of 4 sets of 5 and 10 reps on the dumbbell bench press and biceps curl, respectively. BL and UL conditions were matched for tempo (2- 1-2 duty cycle) and rest period length (2 min). Two-way repeated measures ANOVAs were used to analyze the effects of condition (BL, UL) across time (Rest, 10 min, 30 min) on all measures. RESULTS: There were no significant (p>0.05) interactions. However, there were significant main effects of time for: HR (p≤0.001), SAP (p≤0.001), DAP (p=0.013), MAP (p≤0.001), Seq-UP events (p≤0.001), and Seq-DOWN events (p≤0.001). Following both conditions there were increases in HR at all time points (Rest: 54±5bpm, 10 min: 67±10bpm, 30 min: 61±9bpm). There were also decreases at 10 min compared to Rest for both SAP (Rest: 121±10mmHg, 10 min: 112±8mmHg, 30 min: 122±7mmHg) and MAP (Rest: 78±6mmHg, 10 min: 74±3mmHg, 30 min: 81±3mmHg). However, these measures increased at 30 min and were similar to Rest. Further, DAP increased from 10 to 30 min, but was similar to Rest (Rest: 63±7mmHg, 10 min: 60±4mmHg, 30 min: 65±2mmHg). There was also a decrease in BRS demonstrated by increases in Seq-UP events at 10 min and 30 min compared to Rest (Rest: 8±5, 10 min: 14±7, 30 min: 15±8) and Seq-DOWN events that were elevated at 30 min compared to Rest (Rest: 9±6, 10 min:12±7, 30 min: 15±9). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that unilateral and bilateral UB-RE similarly reduce BRS for at least 30 min. Given the relationship of BRS to cardiovagal health, these alterations may transiently elevate the risk of arrhythmia and other cardiovascular events but warrants further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]