Damage protective effects conferred by low-intensity eccentric contractions on arm, leg and trunk muscles

Abstract

PURPOSE: Low-intensity eccentric contractions with a load corresponding to 10% of maximal voluntary isometric contraction strength (10% EC) attenuate muscle damage in a subsequent bout of higher-intensity eccentric contractions performed within 2 weeks for the elbow flexors, knee flexors and knee extensors. However, it is not known whether this strategy could be applied to other muscles. This study investigated whether 10% EC would confer damage protective effect on high-intensity eccentric contractions (80% EC) for nine different muscle groups.

METHODS: Untrained young men were placed to an experimental or a control group (n = 12/group). Experimental group performed 50 eccentric contractions with a load corresponding to 10% EC at 2 days prior to 50 eccentric contractions with 80% EC for the elbow flexors and extensors, pectoralis, knee flexors and extensors, plantar flexors, latissimus, abdominis and erector spinae. Control group performed 80% EC without 10% EC. Changes in maximal voluntary isometric contraction strength (MVC) and muscle soreness, plasma creatine kinase (CK) activity and myoglobin concentration after 80% EC were compared between groups by a mixed-factor ANOVA.

RESULTS: MVC recovered faster (e.g., 6-31% greater MVC at 5 days post-exercise), and peak muscle soreness was 36-54% lower for Experimental than Control group for the nine muscles (P < 0.05). Increases in plasma CK activity and myoglobin concentration were smaller for Experimental (e.g., peak CK: 2763 ± 3459 IU/L) than Control group (120,360 ± 50,158 IU/L).

CONCLUSIONS: These results showed that 10% EC was effective for attenuating the magnitude of muscle damage after 80% EC for all muscles, although the magnitude of the protective effect differed among the muscles.

Document Type

Journal Article

Date of Publication

5-1-2019

ISSN

1439-6327

Volume

119

Issue

5

PubMed ID

30778759

Publication Title

European Journal of Applied Physiology

Publisher

Springer-Verlag

School

Centre for Exercise and Sports Science Research / School of Medical and Health Sciences

RAS ID

29691

Funders

Funding information available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-019-04095-9

Comments

Huang, M.-J., Nosaka, K., Wang, H.-S., Tseng, K.-W., Chen, H.-L., Chou, T.-Y., & Chen, T. C. (2019). Damage protective effects conferred by low-intensity eccentric contractions on arm, leg and trunk muscles. European journal of applied physiology, 119(5), 1055–1064. Available here

Copyright

subscription content

First Page

1055

Last Page

1064

Share

 
COinS
 

Link to publisher version (DOI)

10.1007/s00421-019-04095-9

Link to publisher version (DOI)

10.1007/s00421-019-04095-9