The purpose of this study was to compare the postexercise hypotensive response after different rest intervals between sets (1 and 2 minutes) in normotense older men. Seventeen older men (67.6 ± 2.2 years) with at least 1 year of strength training experience participated. After determination of 10 repetition maximum (10RM) loads for exercises, subjects performed 2 different strength training sessions. On the first day, volunteers performed 3 sets of 10 repetitions per exercise at 70% 10RM, with 1 or 2 minutes' rest interval between sets depending on random assignment. On the second day, the procedures were similar but with the other rest interval. There was no difference in systolic and diastolic blood pressure between rest intervals at any time point measure. Before 1- and 2-minute sessions, the systolic blood pressure values were 122.7 ± 6.0 and 123.2 ± 3.7 mm Hg, and diastolic blood pressure values were 80.5 ± 5.6 and 82.0 ± 3.7 mm Hg, respectively. Both 1 and 2 minute sessions still presented reduced values for systolic blood pressure after 60 minutes (102.9 ± 6.9 and 106.7 ± 5.4 mm Hg, respectively), while the diastolic blood pressure presented significant reductions for 50 minutes after a 1 minute session (12.1 to 5.6 mm Hg) and for 60 minutes after the 2 minute session (13.3 to 6.5 mm Hg). Additionally, the systolic and diastolic blood pressure effect size data demonstrated higher magnitudes at all time point measures after the 2-minute rest sessions. These results suggest a poststrength training hypotensive response for both training sessions in normotense older men, with higher magnitudes for the 2-minute rest session. Our findings suggest a potentially positive health benefit of strength training.

The aim of the present study was to investigate startle responses in motor vehicle accident (MVA) survivors to trauma-related, startle, and neutral sounds. Participants were 17 MVA survivors, 11 of whom participated in a controlled treatment study comparing cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT) and supportive therapy (ST) versus a waitlist condition. Though participants differed significantly in their pretreatment clinical status and symptom severity, these differences were not reflected by group differences in EMG (at orbicularis oculi) to the stimuli at the initial assessment. Some cue-specificity was found, as all participants showed larger startle responses to trauma-related sounds, compared to startle and neutral sounds. At posttreatment, a significant reduction in EMG reactivity to all stimuli was observed in participants who received active treatment (either CBT or ST), compared to waitlist controls. The use of startle responses as a PTSD treatment outcome index is discussed.

The aim of this study was to compare the acute influence of 2 intensities of aerobic exercise on a strength training session in physically active elderly women. Twenty-five women (74.3 +/- 2.8 years) with previous experience in both resistance and aerobic exercise volunteered to perform aerobic activity (60 and 80% maximum heart rate) followed by a training session on leg press, leg extension, and leg curl exercises. After aerobic intensity training, the number of repetitions in each set was analyzed to determine whether the aerobic exercise affected the amount of volume completed in a resistance workout. The results showed a significant decrease in the number of repetitions per exercise after aerobic training intensities of 80 and 60%. Ratings of perceived exertion demonstrated that fatigue after the 80% workout was greater than after the 60% workout. It was concluded that, at the training intensities tested, 20 minutes of aerobic training may be enough to produce a negative impact on a strength training performance session of physically active elderly women.

We sought to determine if individualized programming by heart rate variability (HRV), improves resistance training outcomes in American football players. Design and Methods: Twenty-seven National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCCA) Division II American football players (age 19.03 ± .98 y, height 185.50 ± 5.30 cm, body mass 100.59 ± 18.57 kg) were divided into an experimental (HVG) group (n = 11), and a control (CON, n = 16). Subjects completed 5-weeks of 3 d•wk-1 periodized resistance training during the offseason. The HVG monitored HRV on mornings before training, and their training volume was adjusted by their HRV. Specifically, on training days when HRV indicated that a subject was fatigued, the subject performed half of the originally planned repetitions for the training day. CON performed assigned workouts with no alterations. Performance was assessed via 1RM bench press (BP), power clean (PC), back squat (BS), and vertical jump (VJ) between groups using a 2 × 2 repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: The HVG had an average of 4 ± 1.51 days modified over the 5 wks, but volume load lifted was similar (p = 0.955) between groups. Repeated measures ANOVA revealed significant increases in BP (time effect p < .001), BS (time effect p < 0.001), PC (time effect p = 0.002), and VJ (time effect p = 0.042) for both HVG and CON. There were no significant betweengroup differences in performance variables. The group × time interaction for PC (p = 0.087) trended towards a significantly greater increase in HVG (+ 8.6%) vs. CON (+ 2.6%). Conclusions: Periodized training can improve performance without monitoring HRV, but it may have an advantageous effect for highly technical movements such as the PC.