The Effect of Muscle Contraction Velocity on Cardiorespiratory Responses to Repetitive Isokinetic Exercise in Humans

We investigated the effect of muscle contraction velocity on cardiorespiratory responses during exercise. Eight males (23 +/- 2 years, 175 +/- 5 cm, 64 +/- 6 kg, mean +/- SD) performed 3-min repetitive one-leg extension exercises at various angular velocities (30, 60, 120, and 240 deg/s) with a controlled relaxation interval, relatively constant (duty cycle = 1:1, A trial) and absolutely constant (relaxation time = 0.75 s, B trial) at a total work of 2,100-2,400 J in an isokinetic mode, using a Cybex II dynamometer. We measured heart rate (HR), mean blood pressure (MAP), minute ventilation (Vdot;E), and oxygen uptake (Vdot;O(2)) during the exercise. The angular velocity significantly affected the increase in HR, MAP, Vdot;E, and Vdot;O(2) at the end of exercise from resting in both A and B trials (e.g., MAP: 12 +/- 2, 10 +/- 2, 11 +/- 2, and 18 +/- 2 mmHg in the A trial). The result suggests that muscle contraction velocity affects cardiorespiratory responses during repetitive isokinetic exercise.