What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Study design: Other. Intervention: Acute resistance exercise vs. Acute endurance exercise. Primary outcome: Heart rate and heart rate variability (HF and LF power) (p=<0.05).

February 1, 2006Open Access

Cardiac autonomic modulation during recovery from acute endurance versus resistance exercise

Q: What are the key findings of this study?

Acute resistance exercise resulted in greater elevations in heart rate and greater reductions in absolute high-frequency and low-frequency power compared to acute endurance exercise (P<0.05).

Key Result

Acute resistance exercise resulted in greater elevations in heart rate and greater reductions in absolute high-frequency and low-frequency power compared to acute endurance exercise (P<0.05).

Structured PICO

Does acute resistance exercise compared to acute endurance exercise alter cardiac autonomic modulation during recovery in young males?

Population

14 male participants (mean age 25.3 years) assessed before and 30 minutes after a single bout of endurance or resistance exercise.

Intervention

Single bout of acute resistance exercise

Comparator

Single bout of acute endurance exercise

Outcome

Cardiac autonomic modulations (heart rate, total power, high frequency power, low frequency power, LF/HF ratio) measured via electrocardiogram 30 min after exercisesurrogate

Acute resistance exercise results in greater sustained elevations in heart rate and greater reductions in cardiac parasympathetic tone during early recovery compared to acute endurance exercise.

Main Result

p-value: p=<0.05

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The kinetics of parasympathetic reactivation after dynamic endurance exercise have been well elucidated. However, autonomic recovery of cardiac function after resistance exercise is not known. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess cardiac autonomic modulations during recovery from acute resistance exercise versus acute endurance exercise. METHODS: Electrocardiogram readings were collected before and 30 min after a single bout of endurance or resistance exercise in 14 male participants (aged 25.3+/-2.5 years). Heart rate (HR) variability was spectrally decomposed using an autoregressive approach. High frequency (HF) power was considered representative of vagal modulation. All values were expressed in both absolute and normalized units (normalized for change in total power). RESULTS: A mode-by-time interaction (P<0.05) was detected for HR, which remained elevated to a greater extent after resistance exercise. Total power was significantly reduced after resistance exercise (P<0.05) but not endurance exercise. An interaction (P<0.05) was also detected for both a change in absolute natural log function HF power and natural log function low frequency (LF) power (P<0.05), as both variables decreased more after resistance exercise. When normalized for changes in total power, interactions in LF and HF power were lost. The LF/HF ratio was significantly increased after both resistance and endurance exercise (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Greater elevations in HR after acute resistance exercise versus acute endurance exercise may be related to greater reductions in cardiac parasympathetic tone.