Heart Rate Responses and Cardiovascular Adaptations to Resistance Training Programs Differing in Set Configuration: A...

Area of Science:

• Exercise Physiology
• Cardiovascular Health
• Autonomic Nervous System Function

Background:

• Resistance training is a cornerstone of physical fitness, with varying set configurations potentially influencing physiological responses.
• Understanding the impact of different training structures on cardiovascular autonomic control is crucial for optimizing exercise prescription.
• Previous research has not fully elucidated the specific effects of traditional versus rest-redistribution set protocols on cardiac autonomic modulation and blood pressure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of traditional and rest-redistribution resistance training set configurations on blood pressure and cardiac autonomic modulation.
• To compare the cardiovascular responses during exercise between different resistance training set structures.
• To assess changes in heart rate variability, baroreflex sensitivity, and blood pressure regulation post-intervention.

Main Methods:

• Thirty-nine healthy individuals were randomized into traditional, rest-redistribution, or control groups for a five-week intervention.
• Both training groups performed 10 sessions with identical load, repetitions, and total rest time, differing in inter-set rest.
• Cardiovascular variables including heart rate, heart rate variability, baroreflex sensitivity, and blood pressure were measured before and after the intervention.

Main Results:

• Traditional resistance training induced higher peak heart rate during sessions compared to rest-redistribution, but mean and minimum heart rates, and heart rate recovery were similar.
• Baroreflex effectiveness was significantly reduced following the traditional resistance training intervention.
• No significant changes were observed in other cardiovascular variables, such as resting blood pressure or heart rate variability, between groups post-intervention.

Conclusions:

• Neither traditional nor rest-redistribution resistance training protocols significantly altered cardiac autonomic modulation, sympathetic vasomotor tone, or cardiac baroreflex sensitivity in young, healthy, active individuals.
• Traditional resistance training set configurations, however, demonstrated a negative impact on baroreflex effectiveness during exercise.
• These findings suggest that while set configuration may influence acute exercise responses like baroreflex effectiveness, long-term adaptations in autonomic control and blood pressure regulation may not differ significantly between these protocols in this population.