Bed rest results in marked vascular adaptations, and resistive vibration exercise has shown to be an effective countermeasure. As vibration exercise has practical and logistical limitations, the use of resistive exercise alone has the preference under specific circumstances. However, it is unknown if resistive exercise is sufficient to prevent vascular adaptations to bed rest. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to examine the impact of resistive exercise and resistive vibration exercise on vascular function and structure of the superficial femoral artery in young men exposed to 60 days bed rest. Eighteen healthy men (31±8 years) were assigned to bed rest and randomly allocated to control (CTR), resistive exercise (RES), or resistive vibration exercise (RVE). Exercise was applied three times a week for 5-7 min per session. Resting diameter and blood flow, flow-mediated dilation (FMD), and dilator capacity of the superficial femoral artery (SFA) were measured using echo Doppler ultrasound. Bed rest decreased SFA diameter and dilator capacity (P<0.001), which was significantly attenuated in RVE (P<0.01 and <0.05, respectively) but not in RES (P=0.202 and 0.696, respectively). Bed rest significantly increased FMD (P<0.001), an effect that was abolished by RVE (P<0.005), but not RES (=0.078). Resting and hyperaemic blood flow did not change in any of the groups. Thus, RVE abolished the marked increase in FMD and decrease in baseline diameter and dilator capacity, normally associated with prolonged bed rest. However, the stimulus provided by RES alone was insufficient to counteract the vascular adaptations to bed rest.