Low-intensity with Practical Blood Flow Restriction Strength Protocols Successfully Increases Maximal Isometric Strength in Both Upper and Lower Muscles : A Pilot Study
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
This pilot study investigated the efficacy of a short-course minimal strength-protocol utilizing practical blood flow restriction, aiming to optimize muscle strength gains within a limited timeframe. The participants included 8 healthy undergraduate individuals undergoing the training intervention, and whose baseline strength levels were evaluated before the study. The intervention spanned three weeks, with a single session per week, and comprised a combination of high-intensity and low-intensity exercises with practical blood flow restriction. The results revealed significant improvements in both elbow flexor and knee extensor muscle strength postintervention (p < 0.05), with notable percentage increases recorded. Specifically, participants demonstrated enhancements of approximately 24.94% in elbow flexor strength and 23.08% in knee extensor strength in the limited timeframe. These findings demonstrated the practical applicability of the protocol in diverse settings, emphasizing its potential as a time-efficient strategy for maximizing muscle strength gains within a limited training period.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Journal of TCI is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) licence, unless otherwise stated. Please read our Policies page for more information.
References
Suchomel TJ, Nimphius S, Bellon CR, Stone MH. The Importance of Muscular Strength: Training Considerations. Sports Med. 2018;48(4):765–785. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-018-0862-z
American College of Sports Medicine. American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(3):687–708. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181915670
Kasper K. Sports Training Principles. Curr Sports Med Rep. 2019;18(4):95–96. https://doi.org/10.1249/JSR.0000000000000576
Cuffe M, Novak J, Saithna A, Strohmeyer HS, Slaven E. Current Trends in Blood Flow Restriction. Front Physiol. 2022;13:882472. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2022.882472
Wortman RJ, Brown SM, Savage-Elliott I, Finley ZJ, Mulcahey MK. Blood Flow Restriction Training for Athletes: A Systematic Review. Am J Sports Med. 2021;49(7):1938–1944. https://doi.org/10.1177/0363546520964454
Hwang PS, Willoughby DS. Mechanisms Behind Blood Flow-Restricted Training and its Effect Toward Muscle Growth. J Strength Cond Res. 2019;33 Suppl 1:S167–S179. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000002384
Pearson SJ, Hussain SR. A review on the mechanisms of blood-flow restriction resistance training-induced muscle hypertrophy. Sports Med. 2015;45(2):187–200. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-014-0264-9
Pope ZK, Willardson JM, Schoenfeld BJ. Exercise and blood flow restriction. J Strength Cond Res. 2013;27(10):2914–2926. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e3182874721
Scott RB. Using Blood Flow Restriction Strategies to Manage Training Stress for Athletes. J Aust Strength Cond. 2014;22(6):84-90.
Lixandrao ME, Ugrinowitsch C, Berton R, Vechin FC, Conceição MS, Damas F, et al. Magnitude of Muscle Strength and Mass Adaptations Between High-Load Resistance Training Versus Low-Load Resistance Training Associated with Blood-Flow Restriction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Med. 2018;48(2):361–378. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-017-0795-y
Schoenfeld BJ. Science and Development of Muscle Hypertrophy. Human Kinetics. 2020.
Yasuda T, Ogasawara R, Sakamaki M, Ozaki H, Sato Y, Abe T. Combined effects of low-intensity blood flow restriction training and high-intensity resistance training on muscle strength and size. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2011;111(10):2525–2533. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-011-1873-8
Laurentino GC, Ugrinowitsch C, Roschel H, Aoki MS, Soares AG, Neves M Jr, et al. Strength training with blood flow restriction diminishes myostatin gene expression. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2012;44(3):406–412. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e318233b4bc
Thiebaud RS, Loenneke JP, Fahs CA, Rossow LM, Kim D, Abe T, et al. The effects of elastic band resistance training combined with blood flow restriction on strength, total bone-free lean body mass and muscle thickness in postmenopausal women. Clin Physiol Funct Imaging. 2013;33(5):344–352. https://doi.org/10.1111/cpf.12033
Cook SB, Murphy BG, Labarbera KE. Neuromuscular function after a bout of low-load blood flow-restricted exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2013;45(1):67–74. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e31826c6fa8
Kubo K, Komuro T, Ishiguro N, Tsunoda N, Sato Y, Ishii N, et al. Effects of low-load resistance training with vascular occlusion on the mechanical properties of muscle and tendon. J Appl Biomech. 2006;22(2):112–119. https://doi.org/10.1123/jab.22.2.112
Cognetti DJ, Sheean AJ, Owens JG. Blood Flow Restriction Therapy and Its Use for Rehabilitation and Return to Sport: Physiology, Application, and Guidelines for Implementation. Arthrosc Sports Med Rehabil. 2022;4(1):e71–e76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asmr.2021.09.025
Clark BC, Manini TM, Hoffman RL, Williams PS, Guiler MK, Knutson MJ, et al. Relative safety of 4 weeks of blood flow-restricted resistance exercise in young, healthy adults. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2011;21(5):653–662. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0838.2010.01100.x
Martín-Hernández J, Marín PJ, Menéndez H, Ferrero C, Loenneke JP, Herrero AJ. Muscular adaptations after two different volumes of blood flow-restricted training. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2013;23(2):e114–e120. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.12036
Moore DR, Burgomaster KA, Schofield LM, Gibala MJ, Sale DG, Phillips SM. Neuromuscular adaptations in human muscle following low intensity resistance training with vascular occlusion. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2004;92(4-5):399–406. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-004-1072-y