Parasympathetic Nervous Activity Responses to Different Resistance Training Systems

The assessment of parasympathetic nervous activity and psychophysiological responses infers the stress imposed by different resistance training systems. Therefore, we compare the effects of different sets configurations, with similar volume (similar to 60 repetitions), on heart rate variability indices and internal training load. Twenty-nine resistance-trained adults completed the following conditions: traditional without and with muscle failure, inter-repetition rest, and rest-pause in the parallel squat. The heart rate variability indices (time-domain) were measured before and 30 min after each condition. The internal training load was obtained through the session-rating of perceived exertion method. Except for inter-repetition rest, all conditions reduced the heart rate variability indices after the session (P < 0.05), and the rest-pause triggered the higher reductions (<= - 46.7 %). The internal training load was higher in the rest-pause (<= 68.9 %). Our results suggest that rest-pause configuration leads to more considerable disruption of the parasympathetic nervous activity and higher internal training load in trained adults. In contrast, inter-repetition rest allows lower autonomic and psychophysiological stress.