Influence of shortened recovery between resistance exercise sessions on muscle-hypertrophic effect in rat skeletal muscle

Resistance exercise training induces muscle hypertrophy, and recovery between sessions is one of the major determinants of this effect. However, the effect of the recovery period between sessions on muscle hypertrophy following resistance exercise training remains unclear. To elucidate the effect of recovery period on hypertrophy, in the present study, we investigated changes in protein degradation systems and hypertrophic responses in rat skeletal muscle to resistance training with variable recovery periods. In the conventional recovery group (exercised every 72 h) and a shorter recovery group (exercised every 24 h), 18 bouts of resistance exercise consisting of 50 repetitions of a 3-sec maximal isometric contraction caused muscle hypertrophy and slight activation of muscle protein degradation systems. By contrast, in an excessively shorter recovery group (exercised every 8 h), 18 bouts of resistance exercise did not cause hypertrophy and markedly activated protein degradation systems, accompanied by inflammatory responses. These observations indicate that excessive shortening of recovery between sessions does not cause skeletal muscle hypertrophy, likely due to the activation of proteolysis induced by inflammatory responses to resistance exercise training.