The effects of repeated maximal voluntary isokinetic eccentric exercise on recovery from muscle damage

This study investigated whether performing repeated bouts of maximal voluntary isokinetic eccentric exercise (MAX1) on 3 (MAX3) and 6 days (MAX6) after the initial bout would produce significant changes in the indirect markers of muscle damage and total work. A secondary purpose was to determine whether participants' psychological maximal effort was equivalent to the physiological maximal effort during muscle soreness. Male university students were assigned randomly to a control group (n = 12) and a group that repeated the exercise (EX; n = 12). The MAX1 was 3 x 10 repetitions of the nondominant elbow flexors on the Cybex 6000 system at a speed of 60 deg/s. The EX group performed the same exercise 3 days and 6 days after MAX1. The range of motion and maximal isometric force (MIF), muscle soreness index, plasma creatine kinase, and glutamic-oxaloacetate transaminase activities were measured before and every 24 hr for 9 days after MAX1 for both groups. MIF was also assessed once before and immediately after each MAX for the EX group. There were no significant changes (p > .05) between the groups for all criterion measures, except for total amount of work (p < .05). It is concluded that strenuous voluntary isokinetic eccentric exercise performed with damaged muscles does not appear to exacerbate damage or influence the recovery process. Although individuals could perform repeated MAXs, the total work performed was significantly reduced. This has practical implications in strength training for coaches and athletes during muscle damage.