Impact of rest interval duration on muscle performance in Hodgkin's Lymphoma survivors

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to compare the acute effects of three different rest intervals on peak torque (PT) and total work (TW) between Hodgkin's lymphoma survivors and age- and sex-matched healthy subjects. Methods: Fourteen Hodgkin's lymphoma survivors (34.4 ± 10.1 years) and 14 healthy subjects (34.1 ± 10.7 years) participated in three distinct strength training protocols on separate days. Each protocol consisted of three sets of 10 maximal unilateral isokinetic extensions of the right knee at 60 °/s, with rest intervals (RI) between sets of 1,2, and 3 min. PT and TW were measured during each set of all training protocols. Results: The results revealed no significant interaction between groups in terms of the effect of rest intervals and sets on PT (p = 0.70) and TW (p = 0.34). However, both groups exhibited a smaller decrease in PT and TW with 2- and 3-min rest intervals compared to 1 min one (p < 0.01). Notably, only in the Hodgkin's lymphoma survivors' group, PT was significantly greater in the third set with a 3-min rest interval (169.2 ± 51.2) compared to the same set with 1 min (146.2 ± 45.9) and 2 min (157.7 ± 47.3) of rest (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that Hodgkin's lymphoma survivors benefit from at least 2 min of rest intervals to maintain muscle performance during an ST session. This finding implies that exercise professionals working with this population can implement extended rest intervals (beyond 120 s) to ensure proper recovery between sets and optimize ST.