Cardiorespiratory Differences Between Female and Male Subjects During 3 Sets of 10 Repetitions of Trap Bar Deadlift...

Lee Ramsey, J, Walsh, J, Asare, A, Guluzade, N, Faricier, R, Thiessen, J, Boldt, K, and Belfry, G. Cardiorespiratory differences between female and male subjects during three sets of 10 repetitions of trap bar deadlift exercise. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2026-Energy cost of exercise, including resistance exercise, is commonly quantified using rate of oxygen uptake. However, cardiovascular responses to resistance training movements peak after the completion of a set, and little is known about how these responses differ between male and female subjects. The purpose of this study was to compare the cardiorespiratory responses of strength-trained female and male subjects during and after trap bar deadlift exercise. Ten male and 10 female subjects with at least 2 years of resistance training experience completed warm-up sets at 45 and 60% of 1 repetition maximum (1RM), followed by 3 sets of 10 repetitions at 75% of 1RM in the trap bar deadlift. Over 3 visits, each separated by 72 hours, subjects completed a 1RM test, a V̇O2max test on a cycle ergometer, and an experimental visit with 3 sets to determine peak exercise V̇O2, V̇O2 kinetics (on- and off-responses), and blood lactate concentrations. Data were analyzed using t tests and two-way analysis of variance with an alpha level set at 0.05. Male subjects displayed significantly greater absolute V̇O2 (∼26.3% higher in males, p = 0.023) and blood lactate (∼23.1% higher in males, p = 0.015) than female subjects both during and after sets 2 and 3 of the exercise. However, when normalized to V̇O2max, no sex-based differences were observed for exercising V̇O2. Absolute and relative V̇O2 spiked after each set in male subjects compared with values recorded at the end of each set, whereas female subjects did not demonstrate this pattern. Female subjects exhibited significantly faster V̇O2 off-kinetics (∼29.5% faster in females, p = 0.028), reaching peak V̇O2 more quickly after each set than male subjects. No sex differences were found in V̇O2 on-kinetics during the exercise (p = 0.404). In conclusion, although male subjects show higher absolute metabolic demands, relative responses were similar between sexes. Female subjects recovered faster, supporting shorter rest intervals during resistance training to promote individualized training and recovery strategies.