2.1. Study Design Overview
VAS-DOMS, muscle soreness, MVIC, PRS
CONTRACTION
Participants attended the laboratory on three separate occasions over a three-week period in a counterbalanced, cross-over design. Each individual participant’s visits were separated by one week, and the two experimental trials were performed at approximately the same time (±1 h) of day. Participants were asked to refrain from any moderate-to-vigorous physical activity for 72 h prior to each laboratory visit during the study [The first visit served to provide participants with an explanation of study procedures and familiarization with study equipment. This was followed by assessment of baseline participant characteristics (height, body mass, and resting blood pressure (BP)) and familiarization with perceptual measures (visual analog scale-delayed-onset muscle soreness (VAS-DOMS) and perceptual recovery status (PRS)). Lastly, the barbell back-squat 1RM testing was completed.During the second and third visits, participants completed two experimental trials in a counterbalanced order. Upon arrival at the laboratory, participants completed VAS-DOMS and PRS measures followed by measures of resting BP and body mass. Next, baseline biomarkers (finger prick blood lactate and venous blood samples) were collected prior to the warm-up. Participants completed a 5-min warm-up on a cycle ergometer, followed by a self-selected dynamic warm-up (i.e., arm circles, lunges, walking hamstring stretch, bodyweight squats). Participants then completed a series of non-fatiguing performance measures: maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC), countermovement jump (CMJ), and mean propulsive velocity (MPV). Next, participants completed one of two resistance exercise protocols: 1. traditional high-intensity resistance exercise (CTRL: 75% 1RM, 4 sets to failure); and 2. high-intensity resistance exercise with BFR (BFR: 75% 1RM, 4 sets to failure, 80% LOP), followed by post-exercise biomarker and performance measurements.