Neuromuscular fatigue following low-intensity dynamic exercise with externally applied vascular restriction

This study investigated neuromuscular fatigue following low-intensity resistance exercise with vascular restriction (VR) and without vascular restriction (control, CON). Fourteen males participated in two experimental trials (VR and CON) each separated by 48 h. Each participant performed two isometric maximum voluntary contractions (MVCs) before and after five sets of 20 dynamic constant external resistance leg extension exercises (DCER-EX) at 20% of one-repetition maximum (1-RM). The participants were asked to lift (1.5 s) and lower (1.5 s) the load at a constant velocity. Surface electromyography (EMG) was recorded from the vastus lateralis during MVC and DCER-EX. Twitch interpolation was used to assess the percent of maximal voluntary activation (%VA) during the MVC. During performing five sets of 20 DCER-EX, the increases (p < 0.05) in EMG amplitude and decreases (p < 0.05) in EMG mean power frequency were similar for both VR and CON. However, there were significant differences between VR and CON for MVC force, %VA, and potentiated twitch force and significant interactions for EMG amplitude. VR decreased MVC force, %VA, potentiated twitch force, and EMG amplitude more than CON. Our findings suggest that the VR-induced fatigue may have been due to a combination of peripheral (decreases in potentiated twitch) and central (decreases in %VA and EMG amplitude) fatigue.