Impact of Resistance Exercise under Hypoxia on Postexercise Hemodynamics in Healthy Young Males

Abstract

We investigated the effects of resistance exercise under hypoxia on postexercise hemodynamics in eight healthy young males. The subjects belonged to a track & field club (sprinters, hurdlers, and long jumpers) and engage in regular physical training (1-2 h per day, 3-5 days per week). Each participant performed eight sets of bilateral leg squats with a one-minute interval under normoxia (room air) and hypoxia (13 % FiO2). During a 60-minute recovery, we set normoxic condition either after normoxic or hypoxic exercise. These two experimental protocols (normoxia and hypoxia) were performed in a random order with a one-week washout period. The leg squat exercise consists of 50 % 1-RM (14 repetitions) × 5 sets and 50% 1-RM (repetitions max; 7 repetitions) × 3 sets. The resting period between each set was 1 min, and a total of 91 repetitions were performed. Blood pressure, heart rate (HR), and several biomarkers were measured pre- and postexercise. The mean arterial pressure (MAP) significantly decreased after exercise compared to the pre-exercise values under both conditions (P < 0.05). The MAP at 20 and 30 min of recovery in hypoxia was significantly lower than in normoxia (P < 0.05, respectively). The antidiuretic hormone significantly increased after 60 min of recovery in both conditions; moreover, the values in hypoxia were significantly higher than those in normoxia (P < 0.05). The delta changes in MAP from baseline (pre-exercise) were significantly related to changes in HR from baseline in normoxia (r = 0.560, P < 0.001) but not in hypoxia. These results suggest that the hypoxic condition elicits greater hypotension after resistance exercise in comparison to normoxia. Moreover, the underlying mechanisms for the attenuation of hypotension after resistance exercise may differ between normoxia and hypoxia.