Cardiac autonomic responses during and after a single session of aerobic exercise with and without blood flow restriction

Abstract Aim: To verify the on and off heart rate (HR) and HR variability (HRV) kinetics during a high-load aerobic exercise and a low-load aerobic exercise, with and without blood flow restriction (BFR). Methods: Fourteen healthy male subjects performed three randomly assigned experimental sessions: 1) 10 minutes walking at 40% of maximal aerobic speed (MAS) (40LL); 2) 10 minutes walking at 40% of MAS with BFR (40LL+BFR); and 3) 10 minutes running at 70% of MAS (70HL). The HR and HRV measurements were taken at rest, during exercise and the recovery period after constant load sessions. Results: The HR on- and off- kinetics, and HRV on-kinetics were faster in 40LL than in 40LL +BFR and 70HL (p