Effect of Rest Interval between Sets of Resistive Resistance Exercise on Indices of Oxidative Stress in Young Males

Resistance Exercise (RE) induces oxidative stress damage by increasing the generation of free radicals and influences the antioxidant defense system. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of rest intervals between sets of resistance exercise on Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC), and Malondiadehyde (MDA).
A total of 20 male volunteers were randomly assigned to RE using either 90 s (n=10) or 180 s (n=10) of rest between sets. Resistance exercise in both groups was performed at a load of six repetitions maximum (6 RM) in four sets. Blood samples were collected from an antecubital vein pre exercise, immediately post exercise, 6, 24, and 48 hours post exercise and analyzed for MDA concentration, TAC, and SOD activity.
The results indicated that both SR and LR caused significant changes in the MDA response (P=0.003) and )P=0.036( in SR and LR, respectively, with MDA significantly increasing 6 hours post resistance exercise in the two groups. Also, SOD (p=0.0001) activity and TAC (P=0.0001) significantly increased at 6 h post exercise in both groups. However, there was no significant difference between corresponding MDA, TAC, and SOD values between the two groups (P>0.05).
It can been concluded that rest interval between sets of resistance exercise does not affect oxidative stress and antioxidant capacity. Therefore, coaches should not be worried about the effect of rest interval between sets on cell damage when designing resistance training programs.