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Muscle fatigue in response to low-load blood flow-restricted elbow-flexion exercise: are there any sex differences?

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European Journal of Applied Physiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

This study aimed to determine whether men and women display a different magnitude of muscle fatigue in response to high-load (HL) and low-load blood flow-restricted (LLBFR) elbow-flexion exercise. We also explored to which extent both exercise protocols induce similar levels of muscle fatigue (i.e., torque decrement).

Methods

Sixty-two young participants (31 men and 31 women) performed dynamic elbow flexions at 20 and 75% of one-repetition maximum for LLBFR and HL exercise, respectively. Maximum voluntary isometric contractions were performed before and after exercise to quantify muscle fatigue.

Results

Men and women exhibited similar magnitude of relative torque decrement after both exercise protocols (p > 0.05). HL was more fatiguing (∆ torque output: 11.9 and 23 N.m in women and men, respectively) than LLBFR resistance exercise (∆ torque output: 8.3 and 15.4 N.m in women and men, respectively) in both sexes, but this was largely attenuated after controlling for the differences in volume load between protocols (p > 0.05).

Conclusions

These data show that torque decrement in response to LLBFR and HL dynamic elbow-flexion exercise does not follow a sexually dimorphic pattern. Our data also indicate that, if performed in a multiple-set fashion and prescribed for a given volume load, elbow-flexion LLBFR exercise induces similar levels of fatigue as HL acute training. Importantly, this occurs similarly in both sexes.

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Abbreviations

ANCOVA:

Analysis of covariance

ANOVA:

Analysis of variance

AOP:

Arterial occlusion pressure

HL:

High load

LLBFR:

Low-load blood flow restriction

MVC:

Maximum voluntary isometric contraction

1RM:

One-repetition maximum

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Funding

This work was supported by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), Portugal (PTDC/DTP-DES/5714-2014).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neuromuscular Research Lab, Faculdade de Motricidade Humana, Universidade de Lisboa, Estrada da Costa, Cruz Quebrada Dafundo, 1499-002, Lisbon, Portugal

    Goncalo V. Mendonca, Afonso Borges, Carolina Teodósio, Pedro Matos, Joana Correia, Pedro Mil-Homens & Pedro Pezarat-Correia

  2. CIPER, Faculdade de Motricidade Humana, Universidade de Lisboa, Estrada da Costa, Cruz Quebrada Dafundo, 1499-002, Lisbon, Portugal

    Goncalo V. Mendonca, Pedro Mil-Homens & Pedro Pezarat-Correia

  3. Polytechnic Institute of Guarda, Av. Dr. Francisco Sá Carneiro, n. 50, 6300-559, Guarda, Portugal

    Carolina Vila-Chã

  4. Research Center in Sports Sciences, Health and Human Development (CIDESD), Vila Real, Portugal

    Carolina Vila-Chã

Authors
  1. Goncalo V. Mendonca
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  2. Afonso Borges
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  3. Carolina Teodósio
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  4. Pedro Matos
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  5. Joana Correia
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  6. Carolina Vila-Chã
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  7. Pedro Mil-Homens
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  8. Pedro Pezarat-Correia
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Contributions

GM, AB, PMH and PPC conceived the research. AB, CT, PM, GM and JC were involved in data collection. GM, AB and CVC wrote the manuscript. All authors read and approved the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Goncalo V. Mendonca.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical standards

The study complied with the principles set forth in the Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the Faculty´s Ethics Committee (CEFMH No. 4/2017).

Additional information

Communicated by Guido Ferretti.

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Mendonca, G.V., Borges, A., Teodósio, C. et al. Muscle fatigue in response to low-load blood flow-restricted elbow-flexion exercise: are there any sex differences?. Eur J Appl Physiol 118, 2089–2096 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-018-3940-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-018-3940-x

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