Sex differences in autonomic recovery following repeated sinusoidal resistance exercise

A simple bodyweight squat is sufficient to cause substantial stress on the autonomic nervous system (ANS) via ~30-50 mmHg blood pressure (BP) oscillations. However, it is unknown to the extent of the ANS is impacted during and immediately following bodyweight and resistance squat-stand maneuvers (SSM) while considering chromosomal sex. Thirteen females and twelve males performed four, 5-minute bouts of squat-stand maneuvers (SSM); two at 0.05 Hz (10-second squat/10-second stand) and two at 0.10 Hz (5-s squat/5-s stand). The SSM were performed using bodyweight resistance and additional external resistance (~20% of bodyweight). Five-minutes of quiet-sitting and quiet-standing were completed immediately following both bodyweight and resistance squats. Heart rate variability (HRV) and baroreceptor sensitivity metrics were extracted from beat-to-beat electrocardiography and systemic BP recordings. Repeated measure Analysis of Variance with generalized eta-squared effect sizes assessed differences between SSM task type and chromosomal sex on ANS metrics. Despite added resistance eliciting greater elevations in blood pressure, no differences in ANS function were noted during competition and recovery between SSM tasks (all p > 0.050; negligible/small effect sizes). During recovery, females had an elevated heart rate (p = 0.017; small effect size), greater time-domain HRV measures (p < 0.047; small effect size), greater high-frequency domain HRV measures (p = 0.002; moderate effect size), and reduced low-frequency domain HRV measures (p = 0.002; moderate effect size). A healthy ANS can modulate repetitive cardiovascular stressors via squat-stand maneuvers in a harmonious manner irrespective of added low-level resistance. Females were more parasympathetically driven following low-level resistance exercise/stress, which may be a cardioprotective trait.