Relationship between maximal oxygen uptake, within-set fatigue and between-set recovery during resistance exercise in resistance-trained men and women.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional observational study evaluating correlations and sex differences without randomized intervention.
PubMed 38347629 · doi:10.1186/s13102-024-00830-8
What was done
Researchers evaluated the relationship between maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) and indices of within-set fatigue and between-set recovery in 28 resistance-trained adults (14 men and 14 women, mean age 27.0 ± 3.6 years). Participants performed 3 sets of parallel squats to failure at 70% 1RM (90 s rest) and 3 sets of 10 maximal isokinetic knee extensions at 60 deg/s (45 s rest). Outcomes were analyzed for associations with VO2max and sex differences.
What was found
VO2max was weakly related to fatigue and recovery across both sexes (p-values for VO2max as a covariate ranged from 0.312 to 0.998; R-values ranged from 0.005 to 0.604). Within-set fatigue during squats did not differ by sex, but men showed ~8% less torque loss than women in the first set of knee extensions (p = 0.034). Between sets, men experienced greater loss of relative peak power in squats (p = 0.016) and peak torque in knee extensions (p = 0.034) compared to women, while women showed a trend toward completing more squat repetitions (p = 0.057).
Why it matters
The findings demonstrate that systemic aerobic fitness (VO2max) plays a minimal role in acute intra- and inter-set resistance exercise performance, whereas sex differences consistently favor faster inter-set recovery in women.
Limits
The study is limited by a small sample size (n = 28 total, 14 per sex) and a cross-sectional design. Testing was restricted to lower-body exercises and specific rest intervals, and local muscular oxidative capacity was not directly measured.
Cited by
- supports Evidence indicates that women recover more quickly inter-set during resistance training than men, allowing them to rest for shorter periods while maintaining volume load.