Effects of bilateral or unilateral lower body resistance exercises on markers of skeletal muscle damage

BACKGROUND: It is known that different intensity exercises create skeletal muscle damage at different levels. The purpose of the study was to compare effects of bilateral or unilateral lower body resistance exercise on markers of skeletal muscle damage. METHODS: The Brzycki Formula was used to calculate participants' one repetition maximum strength for each movement and limb, separately. Blood samples were obtained before exercise, immediately after exercise, and 30 min after exercise for both types of exercise. Creatine Kinase (CK), Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH), Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST), and Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) levels were analyzed. Data was analyzed using two-way repeated measures ANOVA. RESULTS: When CK, AST, and ALT levels were compared according to time points, a statistical difference was found (p < 0.05). Furthermore, it was revealed that LDH levels were statistically significant according to exercise types (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Unilateral lower body resistance exercise caused higher skeletal muscle damage than the bilateral lower body resistance exercise. This result suggests that unilateral lower body resistance exercise should be preferred for short preparation period as opposed to bilateral lower body resistance exercise.