Hypertrophic resistance exercise (HRE) induces central and peripheral fatigue. However, more detailed information about changes in corticospinal excitability remains to be elucidated.
Eleven volunteers participated in the upper arm HRE which included one repetition maximum (1 RM) control contractions and three sets of 13 RM (SET1-3). Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was applied during maximal isometric voluntary contraction (MVC) at the end of each set and during control contractions to study changes in corticospinal excitability. Electrical stimulation was used in order to measure peripheral changes.
MVC decreased after each set when compared to control contractions. Motor evoked potential (MEP) were 138.7 ± 52.7 % (p