Comparision of the pre-exhaustion method and the inverse order in lower body exercises

Abstract

The purpose of this experiment was to compare the pre-exhaustion method (PRE) to the inverse order in leg press (LP) and leg extension (LE) exercises over the volume of maximum repetitions (RM) and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE). Thirteen trained men (22 ± 3.2 years; 84.7 ± 9 kg; 180 ± 8 cm) were submitted to four data collection sessions. After the determination of 8RM load, 96 hours of interval was respected for application to the sequence A, LP before LE, and after 72 hours sequence B (PRE) was executed, LE before LP. One set of each exercise were accomplished with a 20 seconds rest interval for transition between exercises. The procedure was accomplished four times with fixed intervals in two minutes. The number of RM and RPE (OMNI-RES) were collected after each set of each exercise. The results presented the total volume of RM and the mean number of RM in the exercise LE significantly lower in the sequence A (total volume = 38.6 ± 7.3; mean number of RM CE = 3.57 ± 1.19) when compared to the sequence B (total volume = 46.9 ± 8.4; mean number of RM CE = 6.69 ± 1.33). These data indicate that the order of PRE promotes the accomplishment of a larger total volume of training when compared to the inverse order without alterations in RPE.