Acute effects of an intense strength training sesion under simulated orthostasis

Abstract

Lower body negative pressure (LBNP) is a gravity independent method to simulate orthostasis. Due to the muscle pump function in exercising leg muscles, an increase in hydrostatic pressure by gravity or LBNP increases the arterio-venous pressure difference and in consequence muscle perfusion (Egaña, Ryan, Warmington, & Green, 2010). This study is the first application of combining a robotic leg press (RBL) that allows free modelled profiles of force and velocity with a LBNP chamber. We tested the hypotheses that LBNP during simulated high-intensity leg press exercises i) increases total haemoglobin content (tHb) and oxygen saturation (SmO₂) for m. vastus lateralis, and ii) reduces the increase in systolic blood pressure (sBP) and elevates cardiac output (CO)