Impact of Acute Hex-Bar Deadlift Exercise on Subsequent Cycling Performance and Skeletal Muscle Oxygenation

Post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE) strategies are used to improve power-dependent performance, but their impact on endurance exercise and skeletal muscle oxygenation is less clear. We tested the hypothesis that acute hex-bar deadlift (HBD) exercise would improve cycling performance and vastus lateralis muscle oxygen saturation (S_mO₂). Twenty-five healthy young adults (15 men, 10 women) completed moderate- and severe-intensity cycling after HBD or dynamic stretching (DYN) in a randomized crossover design. HBD consisted of 3 × 5 repetitions at 70-80% of one-repetition maximum, followed by ~8 min of recovery before cycling. Severe-intensity time-to-exhaustion was the primary outcome, while heart rate, arterial blood pressure, pulmonary oxygen uptake (V̇O₂), and S_mO₂ were assessed as secondary physiological outcomes. Time-to-exhaustion was not different between HBD and DYN (394 ± 36 vs. 381 ± 34 s; p = 0.692). Resting and end-contraction V̇O₂ and S_mO₂ were not different between conditions during moderate- or severe-intensity cycling. Similarly, S_mO₂ kinetics and area under the S_mO₂ curve remained unchanged. No condition-related differences in V̇O₂ kinetics remained significant after correction for multiple comparisons. Contrary to our hypothesis, acute HBD exercise did not enhance vastus lateralis muscle oxygenation or severe-intensity cycling tolerance in healthy adults.