Acute effects of different rest intervals between agonist-antagonist paired-sets in the neuromuscular system performance of young adults

• Published in: Journal of bodywork and movement therapies 2021-10, Vol.28, p.18-25
• Main Authors: Cardoso, Euler Alves, Bottaro, Martim, Júnior, Valdinar Rocha, Fernandes, Adailson, Gentil, Paulo, McManus Pimentel, Daniel, Oliveira Júnior, Silvio Assis, Carregaro, Rodrigo Luiz
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Electromyography; Humans; Knee joint; Male; Muscle Fatigue; Muscle, Skeletal; Quadriceps Muscle; Resistance Training; Rest; Strength training; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1360-8592; 1532-9283
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2021.07.019

The agonist-antagonist paired-sets (APS) is a resistance training that involves alternating between exercises for agonist/antagonist muscles of a joint, with little or no rest between then. There is evidence that APS is more strenuous than traditional methods, but evidence on the optimal RI between agonist-antagonist actions is unknown. The aim of this study was to compare different rest intervals between agonist-antagonist actions during APS in young adults. Fifty healthy men (mean age 23.2 ± 2.8 years; 1.76 ± 0.1m height, 78.03 ± 8.1 kg) were included and performed three different agonist-antagonist paired-sets protocols separated by 72h, consisting of 4 sets of 10 repetitions. The protocols differed in terms of the rest interval between the knee flexion and extension movements: 0s (no rest); 60s and 120s. The rest intervals between exercise sets were standardized at 60s. Total work, peak torque, neuromuscular efficiency, surface EMG amplitude (sEMG, root mean square) and fatigue index obtained by processing of sEMG signal, were compared between rest intervals and exercise sets within each protocol. There were no significant differences between rest intervals for total work, peak torque and neuromuscular efficiency (P > 0.05), but significant differences were found for sEMG and fatigue (P