The effects of aerobic exercise on strength performance under varying durations of recovery
Date
2000
Authors
Sporer, Benjamin Carson
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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine if the type and intensity of aerobic training affects the amount of work that can be performed in a subsequent strength training session after recovery periods of 4, 8, and 24 hours. Sixteen male subjects actively involved in sports (hockey, rowing, soccer, basketball, rugby) participated in the study and were divided into two groups, MAX (8) and SUB (8). Aerobic training consisted of either six, 3-minute intervals at 85-100% power output at cycle V02 max (POCMAP) separated by 3-minute recovery intervals (MAX) or 36 minutes of continuous aerobic training at approximately 70% POCMAP (SUB). Each participant performed 4 sets of both bench press and leg press at approximately 75% lRM on 4 different occasions. Three occasions were preceded by aerobic training with recovery periods of 4, 8, or 24 hours, while the fourth was used as a control. Total repetitions in leg press were affected by length of recovery following aerobic training while total repetitions in bench press were unaffected. Both the 4 and 8-hour recovery conditions resulted in significantly fewer total leg press repetitions than both the control and 24-hour recovery conditions. There was no difference between both the control and 24-hour conditions. No main effect was shown with respect to the type of aerobic training. It was concluded that regardless of the type, when aerobic training precedes strength training, the volume of work that can be performed is diminished for up to 8 hours. This impairment appears to be localized to the muscle groups involved in the aerobic training.