Physiological Exercise and Post‐Exercise Effects of Inverse Sequences of Combined Bench‐Step Aerobics and Resistance Exercise

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of using inverse sequences of combined bench-step aerobics and resistance exercise on cardiorespiratory, hemodynamic and perceptual variables during exercise and one-hour post-exercise. The tested sequences were bench-step aerobics immediately before and immediately after resistance exercise. Thirteen apparently healthy and physically active women (age = 21.9 ± 6.1 years, body height = 160 ± 0.1 cm, body mass = 58.8 ± 7.5 kg, estimated fat mass = 17.2 ± 2.0% and estimated maximal oxygen uptake = 37.5 ± 2.6 mL∙kg-1∙min-1) performed a 20-minute bench-step aerobics routine, immediately before (STEP_RES) and after (RES_STEP) resistance exercise. Oxygen uptake and heart rate were continuously measured, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, body temperature and perceived exertion were measured at rest, immediately after each type of exercise and at 15, 30, 45 and 60 min after exercise. When resistance exercise was performed first (RES_STEP), oxygen uptake was higher (23.2 ± 3.9 vs. 20.5 ± 4.8 mL∙kg-1∙min-1), but the heart rate (164.5 ± 9.1 vs. 173.9 ± 11.7 bpm) and body temperature (36.5 ± 0.4 vs. 37.6 ± 0.6 ºC) were lower. In both sequences, the type of exercise performed first was pointed out with a lower perceived exertion or lower perceived intensity. Exercise and 60-min post-exercise blood pressure had a similar response in both sequences, and systolic blood pressure along with diastolic blood pressure were lower than pre-exercise from 30 min until 60 min post-exercise. The results suggest that the sequence affected oxygen uptake and perceived exertion during exercise and that this total workload, despite the sequence, promoted a post-exercise blood pressure decrease in normotensive participants.