Oxygen uptake and heart rate kinetics after different types of resistance exercise

Oxygen uptake (VO2) and heart rate (HR) kinetics after exercise are important indicators of fitness and cardiovascular health. However, these variables have been little investigated in resistance exercise (RE). The current study compared post-exercise kinetics of VO2 and the HR among different types of REs. The study included 14 males (age: 26.5±5.4 years, body mass: 80.1±11.4 kg, body height: 1.77±0.07 m, fat content: 11.3±4.6%) with RE experience. Dynamic muscle strength was measured using one repetition maximum (1RM) with regard to the half-squat, bench press, pull-down, and triceps pushdown exercises. The participants performed a maximum number of repetitions at 80% of 1RM for each exercise, separated by a recovery period of 60 minutes. VO2 was measured using ergospirometry. VO2 and HR kinetics were assessed using the time constant of the recovery curves, and excess oxygen consumption (EPOC) was calculated afterward. Significant differences were not observed across the exercises with regard to VO2 kinetics. However, the half-squat exercise elicited a greater EPOC than the bench press and triceps pushdown exercises (p<.05). HR kinetics was slower for the half-squat exercise than for the other exercises (p<.05). These findings confirm that the type of RE influences both the cardiac autonomic response post-exercise and EPOC, but not VO2 kinetics.