EFFECTS OF ISCHEMIC PRECONDITIONING ON SHORT-DURATION CYCLING PERFORMANCE

Purpose: It has been demonstrated that ischemic preconditioning (IPC) improves endurance performance. However, the potential benefits during anaerobic events and the mechanism(s) underlying these benefits remain unclear. Methods: Fifteen recreational cyclists were assessed in order to evaluate the effects of IPC of the upper thighs on anaerobic performance, skeletal muscle activation and metabolic responses during a 60-s sprint performance. After an incremental test and a familiarization visit, subjects were randomly submitted in visits three and four to a performance protocol preceded by intermittent bilateral cuff inflation [4 Ă (5 min of blood flow restriction + 5-min reperfusion)] at either 220 mm Hg (IPC) or 20 mm Hg (control). To increase data reliability, each intervention was replicated, which was also in a random manner. In addition to the mean power output, the pulmonary VĚ O2, blood lactate kinetics, and quadriceps electromyograms (EMG) were analyzed during performance and throughout 45-min of passive recovery. Results: After IPC, performance was improved by 2.1% compared to control (95% confidence intervals of 0.8 to 3.3%, P = 0.001), followed by increases in (i) the accumulated oxygen deficit, (ii) the amplitude of blood lactate kinetics, (iii) the total amount of oxygen consumed during recovery, and (iv) the overall EMG amplitude (PThe accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author