We hypothesize that the fiducial points —maxima, minima, and zero crossings—of the arterial pulse wave (APW) first derivative (APWFD) respond jointly and distinctly to maneuvers that induce changes in cardiovascular function. Additionally, we propose that these changes in APWFD morphology may reflect simultaneous effects on the duration and maximum rates of rise and fall of the systolic and diastolic waves of the APW. To test these assumptions, we assessed and compared the effects of performing linearly incremented maximum leg extension (LIMLE) at a rate of 0.2 kg/s on the time courses of the amplitudes of the systolic maximum (SAmax) and minimum (SAmin), as well as the diastolic maximum (DAmax) and minimum (DAmin), interbeat period (IP), systolic time (ST), and diastolic time (DT) series, all obtained from APWFD, among 31 healthy volunteers. LIMLE induced: 1) Progressive increases in SAmax, SAmin, DAmax, and DAmin (Table), with mean correlations with the percentage of maximal muscular force (%MFmax) ranging from 0.62±0.27 to 0.73±0.14. The absolute differences between 100 %MFmax and baseline of the systolic and diastolic maxima and minima amplitudes were similar (Table). Smax and SAmin were 3.5 times greater than DAmax and DAmin, respectively (Table). 2) Progressive shortening in IP and DT, with little effect on ST. Mean correlations of IP, DT, and ST with %MFmax were -0.81±0.14, -0.77±0.18, and -0.52±0.31, respectively. Our findings suggest that the progressive increase in SAmax drives proportional increases in SAmin, DAmax, and DAmin, with lesser effects on DAmax and DAmin. Our results show that the shortening of IP and DT is proportional to %MFmax, with minimal impact on ST. Thus, the progressive changes in the fiducial points of APWFD indicate a gradual increase in the maximum rates of rise and fall of the systolic and diastolic waves of APW, which occur over progressively shorter DT.