Sex Difference In Post-workout Hemodynamics With Varying Order Of Upper- And Lower-body Resistance Exercise

Different orders of upper- and lower-body resistance exercise (RE) has been shown to induce different hemodynamic responses. However, combinations of upper- and lower-body RE with different orders on hemodynamics between sexes are unclear. PURPOSE: To compare the sex differences between different orders of upper-and lower-body RE on hemodynamics. METHODS: Eleven men and ten women (23 ± 3 vs. 22 ± 2 years old) completed the study. Mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), stroke volume (SV), cardiac output (CO), and total peripheral resistance (TPR) were measured at rest, 15-20 (R1), and 25-30 (R2) minutes after either upper- and lower-body RE (UL) or lower- and upper-body RE (LU) workous, which included 3 sets of 10 repetitions at 75% 1-repetition maximum with 90-second and 2-minute rests between sets and exercises. The upper-body RE consisted of latissimus dorsi pulldown and incline chest press while lower-body RE consisted of knee extension and knee flexion. A three-way mixed ANOVA was used to determine the effect of the sex across conditions and time on hemodynamics. RESULTS: HR and CO were significantly (p < 0.05) increased at R1 and R2 after UL and LU compared to rest in both sexes while LU induced higher HR in men compared women at R1 and R2 (Men: UL: rest: 59 ± 8; R1: 92 ± 13; R2: 83 ± 13; LU: rest: 60 ± 8; R1: 94 ± 11; R2: 89 ± 13; Women: UL: rest: 63 ± 7; R1: 81 ± 12; R2: 76 ± 9; LU: rest: 64 ± 9; R1: 79 ± 12; R2: 73 ± 11 bpm). SV was significantly lower after LU at R1 and R2 in men compared to rest, UL, and women (Men: UL: rest: 90 ± 20; R1: 95 ± 13; R2: 92 ± 17; LU: rest: 92 ± 14; R1: 85 ± 12; R2: 83 ± 16; Women: UL: rest: 105 ± 14; R1: 96 ± 8; R2: 96 ± 12; LU: rest: 107 ± 17; R1: 99 ± 13; R2: 101 ± 17 ml/beat). TPR was significantly (p < 0.05) lower in women compared to men at rest and significantly reduced at R1 and R2 compared to rest after UL and LU in both men and women (Men: UL: rest: 1.14 ± 0.34; R1: 0.66 ± 0.23; R2: 0.78 ± 0.26; LU: rest: 1.14 ± 0.34; R1: 0.76 ± 0.20; R2: 0.82 ± 0.26; Women: UL: rest: 0.80 ± 0.27; R1: 0.63 ± 0.18; R2: 0.73 ± 0.18; LU: rest: 0.83 ± 0.18; R1: 0.69 ± 0.23; R2: 0.76 ± 0.22 mmHg•min/L). However, there was no change for MAP. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that LU significantly increases HR and decreases SV in men compared to women, leading to similar the CO between sexes. Men have significantly higher resting TPR due to significantly higher resting CO compared to women.