The effects of acute resistance exercise intensity on pain perception and muscle mechanical properties of taekwondo athletes

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of acute resistance exercise intensity on pain perception, muscle mechanical properties, oxygen saturation (OS) and lactate in taekwondo athletes. METHODS: A total of 21 national and university taekwondo athletes participated in the study. The participants were randomly classi-fied into 70% of one repetition maximum (1 RM) (70% group, n=7), 30% of 1 RM (30% group, n=7), and 30% all-out group of 1 RM (30%A group, n=7). We measured resting pain perception, muscle mechanical properties, lactate, heart rate (HR) and OS, and those were measured immediately after exercise (IAE), 5-and 15-minute after recovery according to exercise intensity. RESULTS: The 70% group showed that heat pain threshold (HPT) became numerically sensitive IAE compared to rest. Pain visual analog scale (VAS) and HR increased significantly IAE compared to rest, and lactate increased significantly IAE, 5-and 15-minute after exercise compared to rest, respectively. Dynamic stiffness (DS) decreased significantly in 15-minute after the exercise compared to IAE. In 30% group case, pain VAS and HR increased significantly IAE compared to rest, and lactate increased significantly IAE, 5-and 15-minute after exercise compared to rest, respectively. DS decreased significantly in 15-minute after the exercise compared to IAE. The 30%A group showed that pain VAS and HR increased significantly IAE compared to rest. Lactate increased significantly IAE, 5-and 15-minute after exercise compared to rest, respectively. DS decreased significantly in immediately and 5-minute after the exercise compared to rest, respectively. Frequency increased IAE compared to rest. CONCLUSIONS: HPT, pain VAS, lactate, HR, and OS were found to be no difference between resistance exercise intensity. The intensity of 1 RM 30% all-out has been shown to contribute to muscle-adaptation effects of resistance exercise by further increasing muscle tension and dynamic stiffness as much as 70% of 1 RM.