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Updated: Sep 20, 2025

Supramaximal Intensity Hypoxic Exercise and Vascular Function Assessment in Mice
Published on: March 15, 2019
Circulating nitrate-nitrite reduces oxygen uptake for improving resistance exercise performance after rest time in
Manuel Vicente Garnacho-Castaño1, Sergio Sánchez-Nuño2,3, Lorena Molina-Raya2
1Campus Docent Sant Joan de Déu, Universidad de Barcelona, Carrer de Miret I Sans, 10, 08034, Barcelona, Spain. manuelvicente.garnacho@sjd.edu.es.
Abstract:
This study aimed to determine the effects of circulating nitrate plus nitrite (NOx) concentrations on resistance exercise performance, VO2 and biomarkers of muscle damage. Eleven well-trained male CrossFit athletes (29.2 ± 3.7 years, 78.9 ± 5.4 kg, 175.1 ± 6.3 cm) carried out a resistance exercise test after drinking 140 mL of beetroot juice (BJ) or placebo. The test consisted of repeating the same resistance exercise routine twice: wall ball shots plus full back squat with 3-min rest (1st routine) or without rest (2nd routine) between the two exercises. Higher NOx plasma levels were verified after BJ than placebo in the pretest and post-test (p < 0.001). A higher number of repetitions was observed after BJ intake compared to placebo in the full back squat exercise during the first routine (p = 0.004). A significantly reduced VO2 was detected after BJ intake compared to placebo during rest and full back squat execution in the first routine (p < 0.05). Plasma myoglobin concentrations were significantly increased with BJ compared to placebo (p = 0.036). These results showed that plasma NOx levels reduced VO2 after BJ intake during rest time. These reduced VO2 was a key factor for improving full back squat performance during the first routine.
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