Short-term Cycling Restores Endothelial Dysfunction After Resistance Exercise

Abstract

PURPOSE: Resistance exercise impairs endothelial function. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to devise an effective strategy for restoring endothelial function after resistance exercise. Herein, we tested the hypothesis that resistance exercise-induced endothelial dysfunction would be restored by short-term cycling. METHODS: Seventeen young healthy subjects completed two randomized experimental trials: 1) resistance exercise (RE) only trial; 2) cycling after the RE trial (RE + C). Following baseline brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD), subjects performed the resistance exercise. Following the resistance exercise, subjects were asked to rest in the supine position for the assessments of FMD. Subjects in the RE only trial maintained this supine position for 60 min, whereas those in the RE + C trial performed 10 min of self-paced cycling (67.0 ± 1.7 % HRmax) after the resistance exercise. Subjects were again asked to rest in the supine position after cycling. FMD was then repeated at 30 and 60 min after the resistance exercise in both trials. RESULTS: In the RE only trial, the significant increased blood flow relative to baseline (P < 0.05) was disappeared after 30 min of resting in the supine position (54.2 ± 8.1 ml/min, 150.6 ± 30.0 ml/min, 94.2 ± 17.0 ml/min, 72.1 ± 12.9 ml/min at baseline, 10, 30 and 60 min after the resistance exercise, respectively), but were maintained at 30 min after the resistance exercise in the RE + C trial due to subsequent cycling (47.0 ± 7.4 ml/min, 139.5 ± 24.4 ml/min, 112.0 ± 17.9 ml/min, 55.9 ± 9.0 ml/min at baseline, 10, 30 and 60 min after the resistance exercise, respectively). Both trials caused a significant impairment in FMD at 10 min after the resistance exercise (6.5 ± 0.3 % vs. 3.5 ± 0.5 % in the RE only trial, 6.5 ± 0.2 % vs. 2.9 ± 0.5 % in the RE + C trial, P < 0.05). This decline was sustained for 60 min in the RE only trial (3.8 ± 0.6 % and 4.3 ± 0.3 % at 30 and 60 min after the resistance exercise, P < 0.05 vs. baseline). However, the impaired FMD was restored in the RE + C trial (7.2 ± 0.7 % and 7.0 ± 0.6 % at 30 and 60 min after the RE, P > 0.05 vs. baseline). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, impaired endothelial function after the resistance exercise can be restored by 10 min of cycling.