![]() Pulmonary gas exchange and minute ventilation, functional capacity measures of peak oxygen uptake, were assessed during a standardized cycle ergometer progressive exercise test by using an automated open-circuit Max II metabolic measurement system (Physio-Dyne Instruments Corp., Quogue, NY). An anthropometric measurement of body fat was performed using the Lunar DPX-L dual-energy X-ray absorptiometer (Lunar Corp., Madison, WI). The subjects were instructed not to perform any exercise before reporting to the laboratory. The experiments were performed at the same time of day, 7:00 - 9:00 am, after self-reported overnight fasting. The study was reviewed and approved by the Human Participants Institutional Review Board of Howard University.Īt the onset of the study, participants were familiarized with the study protocol, and measurements of body composition and peak oxygen uptake were done to determine the physiological characteristics and capacity for exercise training of the study population. The subjects were fully informed of the study’s purpose and risk and of the discomfort associated with the experiment before providing written, informed consent. ![]() The subjects had not been involved in regular strength training during the eight months before the study. The nine study subjects were normotensive, did not smoke, were free of overt disease (assessed by using a medical history questionnaire), were not taking medication, and were physically inactive. Nine young-adult African-Americans (7 women, 2 men) with a mean age of 21.4 ± 0.5 years volunteered as participants in this pilot study, but one other subject failed to complete the protocols. Such a finding would suggest an impairment of vascular autoregulation that could exacerbate the endothelial dysfunction that commonly occurs in overweight subjects. ![]() This study tests the hypothesis that unilateral Kaatsu exercise of the leg extensors in overweight individuals increases muscle strength and decreases vascular reactivity in both the trained and the untrained legs. Obese individuals are known to be susceptible to endothelial dysfunction, and decrements in the capacity for vasodilation have been demonstrated after Kaatsu exercise, perhaps indicating that the mechanism underlying the acute decrease in muscle endurance is associated with such training. Although Kaatsu exercise is reported to increase the blood flows in the calves of both young and elderly subjects, little is known about the hemodynamic effects of such exercise in African-Americans, a population that appears to possess a predilection for endothelial dysfunction. Previous studies have shown that low-load, low-intensity, restricted blood flow, resistance (Kaatsu) exercises increase muscle strength and induce muscle hypertrophy at relatively small, 20% - 30% of the 1-repetition maximum (1-RM), loads in subjects in healthy sedentary subjects and athletes, as well as in those undergoing musculoskeletal and cardiac rehabilitation. ![]()
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