An Adequate Interset Rest Period for Strength Recovery During a Common Isokinetic Test

Isokinetic testing is used in rehabilitation settings on a regular basis; yet, there is a lack of consistency in rest period usage among protocols. Furthermore, the allotment of rest periods has been arbitrary (e.g., 30, 60, 90 seconds or more). This investigation examines the work:rest ratio as an effective method of standardizing rest periods in isokinetic testing. The purpose of this study was to establish an adequate rest period that would allow reproducibility of strength during a common isokinetic strength test. Twenty-seven healthy college-aged men (age, 23 +/- 3.8 years; body weight, 79.54 +/- 11.09 kg) were tested on 5 separate occasions: 2 familiarization sessions and 3 experimental sessions. Each subject performed a knee extension/flexion isokinetic strength protocol (Cybex NORM; Lumex, Inc., Ronkonkoma, NY, USA) to determine peak torque by performing 5 maximal reciprocal repetitions at each ascending velocity of 60, 180, and 300 degrees s(-1). Work:rest ratios of 1:3, 1:8, and 1:12 were counterbalanced between sets. A 3 x 3 repeated measures analysis of variance was used to analyze the data. A significance level of 0.05 was used for all tests. There was no significant difference in either knee extension or knee flexion peak torque when comparing work:rest ratios. These findings suggest that a 1:3 work:rest ratio is sufficient during a common isokinetic strength test.