Exercise-induced muscle damage and the repeated bout effect: evidence for cross transfer

Abstract

We examined whether a prior bout of eccentric exercise in the elbow flexors provided protection against exercise-induced muscle damage in the contralateral arm. Fifteen males (age 22.7 ± 2.1 years; height 178.6 ± 6.8 cm, mass 75.8 ± 9.3 kg) were randomly assigned to two groups who performed two bouts of 60 eccentric contractions (30°/s) separated by 2 weeks: ipsilateral (n = 7, both bouts performed in the same arm), contralateral (n = 8, one bout performed in each arm). Strength, muscle soreness and resting arm angle (RAA) were measured at baseline and at 1, 24 and 48 h post exercise. Surface electromyography was recorded during both bouts of exercise. The degree of strength loss was attenuated (p < 0.05) in the ipsilateral group after the second bout of eccentric exercise (-22 cf. -3% for bout 1 and 2 at 24 h, respectively). Strength loss following eccentric exercise was also attenuated (p < 0.05) at 24 h in the contralateral group (-30 cf. 13% for bout 1 and 2, respectively). Muscle soreness (≈34 cf 19 mm) and change in RAA (≈5 cf. 3%) were also lower following the second bout of eccentric exercise (p < 0.05), although there was no difference in the overall change in these values between groups. Median frequency (MF) was decreased by 31% between bouts, with no difference between groups. Data support observations that the repeated bout effect transfers to the opposite (untrained) limb. The similar reduction in MF between bouts for the two groups provides evidence for a centrally mediated, neural adaptation.

Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage: Is it detrimental or beneficial?

“…The authors also reported that the attenuation in markers of muscle damage in the contralateral group were smaller when compared to the group that performed both bouts with the ipsilateral arm. 54 Another study by Starbuck and Eston 55 found similar results. They had subjects perform six sets of 10 maximal eccentric contractions of the elbow flexors with the ipislateral arm during the first bout.…”

“…In addition, the cross-transfer repeated bout effect demonstrates that part of the repeat bout effect is produced irrespective of mechanical damage. This protective effect is most likely provided through neural mechanisms as suggested by Starbuck and Eston 55 . A complete understanding, however, of the involvement of the neural system in producing this repeated bout effect is still not clear.…”

Muscle Damage Response in Female Collegiate Athletes After Repeated Sprint Activity

“…In addition to the lack of data on the damage response in female athletes, much of the existing 73 literature investigating EIMD employs damage protocols that lack specificity to a sporting 74 context and are often eccentric biased (5,7,(17)(18)(19)(20)(21), and in isolated muscle groups (4,7, 18). Intermittent sports, such as soccer, rugby and basketball that require periods of high 76 intensity, repeated sprint activity and changes of velocity (22) and direction (23), elicit 77 significant muscle damage and prolonged decrements in function.…”

Ipsilateral resistance exercise prevents exercise-induced central sensitization in the contralateral limb: a randomized controlled trial

“…For example, Howatson and Van Someren (2007) reported smaller increases in creatine kinase activity, delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), and decreases in muscle strength after a repeated bout of eccentric exercise on both the contralateral and ipsilateral elbow flexors with a greater attenuation of these muscle damage markers for the ipsilateral limb. More recently, Starbuck and Eston (2012) showed that strength loss and muscle soreness after the second eccentric exercise of the elbow flexors were attenuated for the contralateral arm, but median frequency was decreased in the second bout similarly between the ipsilateral and contralateral arms, suggesting a centrally mediated, neural adaptation. Furthermore, Xin et al (2014) reported an attenuated increase in nuclear factor-kappa B, an important regulator of muscle inflammation, after a second bout of eccentric exercise by the contralateral leg.…”

“…In the present study, TA muscle was chosen due to its muscle action, fiber composition, and activation profile (Johnson et al 1973;Madeleine et al 2006) and also because of its appropriateness for NWR recordings (Andersen 2007). Since previous studies have reported attenuated RBE in the contralateral elbow flexors muscle when compared with the ipsilateral side (Howatson and Van Someren 2007;Starbuck and Eston 2012), the secondary bout of eccentric exercise was therefore hypothesized to result in smaller increase in the sensitivity of spinal nociceptive system, and smaller decrease in local muscle blood oxygenation response in both the ipsilateral and the contralateral TA, with a greater attenuation being observed for the ipsilateral condition.…”