This study was to investigate the blood pressure and heart rate response to isokinetic contraction at the knee joint. The subjects(n=30) performed unilateral knee extension/flexion contraction at 60°/sec(4repitition), 180°/sec(4repitition) and 180°/sec(20repitition).

The heart rate and blood pressure were measured at rest and following contraction completion at immediate, 1 and 3 minutes. In response to isokinetic contraction, heart rate was increased significantly(p<0.01). The mean increment ratio for heart rate was meaningful different in all test methods(p<0.01). In addition, increment ratio for systolic blood pressure notable increased in 180°/sec(20 repitition) compared with 180°/sec(4repitition)(p<0.01). Findings from the present study suggest that cardiovascular stress(the increase in heart rate and blood pressure associated with isokinetic contraction is proportional to amount of total work.