Rate of force development to evaluate the neuromuscular fatigue and recovery after an intermittent isometric handgrip task with different blood flow restriction conditions

Abstract Aim: To investigate the neuromuscular fatigue and recovery after an intermittent isometric handgrip exercise (IIHE) executed until failure with different blood flow restriction (BFR) conditions (free flow, partial and total vascular restriction). Methods: Thirteen healthy men carried out an IIHE at 45% of maximum voluntary isometric force (MVIF) until failure with total restriction (TR), partial restriction (PR) or free flow (FF). The rate of force development (RFD) was extracted from the MIVF over the time intervals of 0-30, 0-50, 0-100, and 0-200ms and normalized by MVIF [relative RFD (RFDr)]. Results: The RFDr decreased significantly (p