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. 1980 Dec;309:45–54. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1980.sp013492

The role of muscle mass in the cardiovascular response to static contractions

J H Mitchell 1,*, F C Payne 1,*, B Saltin 1, B Schibye 1
PMCID: PMC1274568  PMID: 7252875

Abstract

1. Eleven men performed static contractions with the fingers (digits II and III), forearm (handgrip) and the knee extensors (knee angle 90°) at 40% maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) for 2 min. In seven of the subjects handgrip and knee extension were combined, both contractions held at 40% MVC. At the end of the contraction, cuffs were inflated to 250 mmHg for 3 min around the extremity which had been contracting. Continuous measurements were performed of force, heart rate and intra-arterial blood pressure (a. brachialis; 20 cm proximally), before and during contraction as well as during the recovery with and without cuffs inflated.

2. Heart rate and blood pressure increased momentarily with the onset of a contraction whereafter a gradual further increase took place. This pattern of response was similar for all muscle groups studied. The increases during the contractions were in the order: fingers, forearm, knee extensors and combined forearm—knee extensors, with the difference between each muscle group contraction being significant.

3. In the recovery period from a contraction with the cuff(s) inflated, heart rate returned to control level. Blood pressure also dropped, but remained elevated above pre-contraction level until the cuff(s) was released.

4. The present data during contraction are at variance with earlier observations showing that the cardiovascular response to a static contraction is proportional to the% MVC regardless of the muscle mass involved in the contraction. Our findings are in line with the traditional concept of central and peripheral nervous inputs playing a role in the cardiovascular adjustments to exercise, with both the central and the peripheral factors being related to the mass of the muscles engaged in the exercise.

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Selected References

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