Nordsborg, N., Mohr, M. Pedersen, L. D., Nielsen, J. J., & Bangsbo, J. (2001). Previous arm exercise leads to greater interstitial potassium accumulation and earlier fatigue of leg muscle. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 33(5), Supplement abstract 1485.

This study investigated how potassium kinetics in leg muscle were affected by previous arm exercise. Males (N = 6) served as Ss. A one-legged knee-extensor exercise was performed to exhaustion on one occasion, and after 15 minutes of intense arm-cycling on another.

Arm exercise shortened the time to fatigue in the leg exercise. At the fatigue point, there was no difference in interstitial potassium in both conditions. The rise in potassium in the arm exercise carried over to influence leg-endurance performance.

Implication. Interstitial potassium increased through one exercise will influence the increase in another exercise shortening the length of time to exhaustion.

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