POSTEXERCISE HYPOTENSION IS VOLUME-DEPENDENT IN HYPERTENSIVES: AUTONOMIC AND FOREARM BLOOD RESPONSES

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of 2 sessions of resistance exercise (RE) with different volumes on postexercise hypotension (PEH), forearm blood flow (FBF), and cardiac autonomic balance (LF/HF) in hypertensive elderly woman. The study was conducted with 16 hypertensive elderly (25.7 +/- 3 kg . m(-), 55.5 +/- 3 years) subjected to 3 experimental sessions, i.e., a control session, exercise with a set (S1), and exercise with 3 sets (S3). For each session, the subjects were evaluated before and after intervention. In the preintervention period, blood pressure (BP), FBF, and LF/HF were measured after 10 minutes of rest in the supine position. Thereafter, the subjects were taken to the gym to perform their exercise sessions or remained at rest during the same period. Both S1 and S3 comprised a set of ten repetitions of 10 exercises, with an interval of 90 seconds between exercises. Subsequently, the measurements were again performed at 10, 30, 50, 70, and 90 minutes of recovery (postintervention) in the supine position. Postexercise hypotension (systolic/diastolic) was greater in S3 than in S1 (-26 +/- 4/-14 +/- 5 mm Hg vs. -18 +/- 5/-8 +/- 5 mm Hg, p <= 0.05). Similarly, FBF and cardiac LF/HF increased in both sessions, being more evident in S3 than in S1 (4.98 +/- 0.32 vs. 4.36 +/- 0.27 ml . min(-1).100 ml(-1), p <= 0.05; and LF/HF = 1.69 +/- 0.225 vs. 1.37 +/- 0.13 p <= 0.05, respectively). We conclude that a single RE session with 3 series were able to promote higher PEH in hypertensive women, and this phenomenon was accompanied by increased FBF and increased cardiac autonomic activity.