Upper- and Lower-body Resistance Exercise With and Without Blood Flow Restriction on Autonomic Modulation

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While data have demonstrated that resistance exercise without blood flow restriction (BFR) decreases vagal tone up to 30 minutes, the effects of upper- versus lower-body resistance exercise with BFR on autonomic modulation are unknown. PURPOSE: To evaluate autonomic modulation in response to upper- and lower-body resistance exercise with BFR. METHODS: Autonomic modulation was assessed in twenty resistance-trained individuals at rest, 30 (R30), and 60 (R60) minutes after either upper- or lower-body resistance exercise with or without BFR. The upper- and lower-body resistance exercise consisted of the lat pulldown and chest press, and knee extension and knee flexion, respectively. The BFR (40% of arterial occlusion pressure) and without BFR conditions consisted of 4 sets of 30, 15, 15, and 15 repetitions at 30% 1-repetition maximum (1RM), and 4 sets of 8 repetitions at 70% 1RM, respectively. Autonomic modulation was expressed as natural logarithm (Ln), and included total power (LnTP), high frequency power (LnHF), and sympathovagal balance (LnLF/LnHF ratio). An ANOVA was used to evaluate groups (upper- or lower-body) across conditions (BFR or without BFR) across time (Rest, R30, and R60) on autonomic modulation. RESULTS: There were no significant 3-way interactions for any variables. There were no changes for LnTP. There were significant main effects of time for LnHF (Upper-body with BFR (UBFR): Rest: 7.3±1.6ms2, R30: 6.3±1.6ms2, R60: 6.7±1.5ms2; Upper-body without BFR (UW): Rest: 7.1±1.4ms2, R30: 6.1±1.5ms2, R60: 6.5±1.3ms2; Lower-body with BFR (LBFR): Rest: 6.9±1.3ms2, R30: 6.2±1.6ms2, R60: 7.1±1.4ms2; Lower-body without BFR (LW): Rest: 7.3±1.5ms2, R30: 6.3±1.8ms2, R60: 7.1±1.4ms2) and the LnLF/LnHF ratio (UBFR: Rest: 3.9±0.9ms2, R30: 5.1±10.9ms2, R60: 4.8±1.0ms2; UW: Rest: 3.7±1.0ms2, R30: 4.9±0.8ms2, R60: 4.8±0.7ms2; LBFR: Rest: 4.0±1.0ms2, R30: 4.8±1.1ms2, R60: 4.5±1.0ms2; LW: Rest: 3.9±1.0ms2, R30: 5.0±0.9ms2, R60: 4.65±0.84ms2) such that LnHF and LnLF/HF ratio were significantly reduced, and augmented, after upper- and lower-body resistance exercise with and without BFR. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that either upper- or lower-body resistance exercise with or without BFR significantly alters autonomic modulation up to 60 minutes after an acute bout of resistance exercise.