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BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article

Front. Sports Act. Living
Sec. Exercise Physiology
Volume 6 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fspor.2024.1509784

Meeting International Self-Report Muscle Strengthening Guidelines is Associated with Better Cardiovagal Baroreflex Sensitivity in Adults

Provisionally accepted
Jocelyn Waghorn Jocelyn Waghorn 1Beverly Schwartz Beverly Schwartz 1Madeline Shivgulam Madeline Shivgulam 1Yanlin Wu Yanlin Wu 1Derek Stephen Kimmerly Derek Stephen Kimmerly 1Myles OBrien Myles OBrien 2*
  • 1 Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
  • 2 Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Canada

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Engaging in muscle strengthening activities (e.g., resistance training) at least twice/week is promoted by (Inter)national movement guidelines. Cardiovagal baroreflex sensitivity (cvBRS) reflects the ability to modulate R-R interval in response to changes in systolic blood pressure.Given the current conflicting literature, this study posed to explore the relationship between selfreport muscle strengthening frequency and spontaneous cvBRS. 114 adults (62 females; age: 33 ± 19 years, 22% > 55 years; body mass index: 24.2 ± 3.7 kg/m 2 ) self-reported their weekly muscle strengthening activity frequencies via the Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Questionnaire. Supine beat-by-beat R-R intervals (electrocardiography; 1.00 ± 0.18s (0.90-1.50s)) and systolic blood pressure (via finger photoplethysmography; 116 ± 11 mmHg (93-151 mmHg)) were recorded for 10.7 ± 2.0 mins (5.3-14.5 mins). Spontaneous cvBRS was assessed using the sequence technique. Data were analyzed using multiple regressions adjusted for age, sex, body mass index. Participants completed 2 ± 2 (0-7) days/week of muscle strengthening activities (56% met guidelines), and average overall cvBRS was 14.9 ± 9.1 (3.1-48.4) ms/mmHg. Higher reported frequencies were positively associated with overall cvBRS (Adjusted R 2 = 0.40, p<0.001; 𝛽 = 2.24, p<0.001). Meeting muscle strengthening activity guidelines was associated with improved overall cvBRS (Adjusted R 2 = 0.29, p<0.001; 𝛽 = 7.68, p<0.001). All results were unchanged if cvBRS for up-sequences or down-sequences only were used (all, p<0.001). In conclusion, engaging in muscle strengthening exercises and particularly meeting existing guidelines were associated with better beat-by-beat vagally-mediated blood pressure regulation.

    Keywords: Autonomic Function, Resistance Training, physical activity guidelines, blood pressure regulation, cardiovagal baroreceptor sensitivity

    Received: 11 Oct 2024; Accepted: 26 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Waghorn, Schwartz, Shivgulam, Wu, Kimmerly and OBrien. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Myles OBrien, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Canada

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