Partial Vascular Occlusion Significantly Altered RPE, Pain, and Lactate during Resistance Exercise

Abstract

Recent studies utilizing partial vascular occlusion during resistance exercise demonstrated that low workloads with partial occlusion resulted in local muscular ischemia and subsequent increase in muscle hypertrophy similar to moderate/ heavy loads. Perceptual responses to an ischemic environment are unknown. PURPOSE: The purpose of the present investigation was to employ partial occlusion and describe how peripheral manipulation of muscle oxygen delivery impacted RPE, pain, and lactate levels. METHODS: Three exercise conditions of light resistance with partial occlusion (LRO), moderate resistance with no occlusion (MR), and partial occlusion without exercise (OO) were performed by 7 subjects (21.7 ± .5 yrs) once a week for three weeks. Three sets of single-arm biceps curls and single-leg calf presses with partial vascular occlusion by an inflatable cuff placed proximal to the working muscle were completed to failure, with one-minute interset rest periods. Workloads approximating 30% and 70% 1-RM for each exercise were performed for the LRO and MR trials. RPE and pain changes were assessed on a 0–10 scale, immediately after each set. RPE and pain were determined when they became noticeably greater and when RPE and pain reached a 6. The RPE and pain level of 6 correlates with more rapid increases in effort sense and pain. Blood samples were taken pre, post, and 15 minutes post-exercise to determine lactate (Lac). RESULTS:MANOVAs with Bonferroni corrections were performed on RPE and pain and demonstrated that both noticeable differences and reaching a rating of 6 on RPE and pain were significantly different per trial and exercises (P's<.001). Univariate tests demonstrated that MR and LRO trials were different than the OO trial and that only between the MR and LRO conditions were the ratings of 6 for pain not significantly different. Lac changed significantly and to a similar extent for both the LRO and MR trials (P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: Thus, light exercise combined with partial vascular occlusion elicits similar RPE and pain response compared to a moderate resistance exercise trial.Table