Does blood flow restriction influence the maximal number of repetitions performed during the bench press? A pilot study

Abstract

Background:The main goal of the presented study was to assess the effect of blood flow restriction (BFR) on the maximum number of repetitions in the bench press exercise (BP) with different movement tempos.Material and methods: Four female athletes volunteered for the study. The experiment was performed following a randomized crossover design, with four different testing protocols: 2/0/X/0 fast tempo with BFR (FAST BFR ); 2/0/X/0 fast tempo without BFR (FAST NO-BFR ); 6/0/X/0 slow tempo with BFR (SLOW BFR ) or 6/0/X/0 slow tempo without BFR (SLOW NO-BFR ). During the experimental session, participants performed 5 sets of the BP at 80%1RM. The following variables were recorded: the maximal number of repetitions in every set (REP Set1-5 ) and the total number of repetitions performed in 5 sets (TREP). Two-way ANOVA was used to show differences between variables.Results: There were significant differences between FAST NO-BFR and SLOW NO-BFR , between FAST BFR and SLOW BFR variables in REP Set1-5 (p < 0.05) and TREP (p < 0.01). Similarly, there were significant differences between FAST NO-BFR and FAST BFR variables in REP Set1,2,5 (p < 0.05) and TREP. Significant differences between SLOW NO-BFR and SLOW BFR variables were also found in REP Set1,5 (p < 0.05), as well as in TREP (p < 0.01). Conclusions:The use of BFR in resistance training improves the maximal number of REP during the BP.

The Acute Impact of External Compression on Back Squat Performance in Competitive Athletes

“…Therefore, the results of this study as well as the previous study of Wilk et al [32] showed that an additional increase in external compression pressure above complete blood flow restriction may additionally enhance performance. As previously suggested by Wilk et al [14,32] and Rawska et al [29], the mechanical energy generated by the cuff, strictly external, may have a potential impact on performance, which may partially explain the obtained results. A cuff used for external compression is a passive element, but during the movement (especially in the eccentric phase) the strain of the material of which the cuff is made may produce additional elastic energy [14], which can consist of the main factor affecting the increase in performance for EC-150, compared to EC-100, as well as compared to the CONT.…”

“…Therefore, not only physiological factors but also mechanical energy generated by the cuff can be a potential factor that influences the magnitude of acute changes during exercise under external compression. This statement was also confirmed by Rawska et al [29] and Wilk et al [32]. Rawska et al [29] showed an increase in the number of performed repetitions (5 sets) during the bench press exercise at a load of 80% 1-RM under external compression (80% AOP), compared to control conditions.…”

“…This statement was also confirmed by Rawska et al [29] and Wilk et al [32]. Rawska et al [29] showed an increase in the number of performed repetitions (5 sets) during the bench press exercise at a load of 80% 1-RM under external compression (80% AOP), compared to control conditions. Similarly, Wilk et al [32] showed that extremely high pressure of external compression (150% AOP) significantly increased the result of the 1-RM test and the strength-endurance performance during the bench press exercise.…”

“…Previous studies indicate that external compression causing blood flow restriction increases the effectiveness of resistance exercises, however most studies concern chronic adaptive changes [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28]. There are only a few studies related to the acute impact of external compression on performance during resistance exercise [5,[29][30][31][32], and only one considered the impact of BFR on power output and bar velocity changes [14]. Wilk et al [14] indicated that intermittent, high-pressure external compression increases power output and bar velocity during the bench press exercise at 70% 1-RM.…”

Acute Effects of Continuous and Intermittent Blood Flow Restriction on Movement Velocity During Bench Press Exercise Against Different Loads

“…Resistance exercise under BFR affects physiological responses, increases mechanical tension, metabolic stress (Pearson and Hussain, 2015;Teixeira E. L. et al, 2018), cell swelling (Loenneke et al, 2012b), and enhances responses of the endocrine system (Takano et al, 2005;Shimizu et al, 2016). Individual limb characteristics, as well as the width, length, shape and material of the cuffs determine the level of applied pressure and as a consequence, modify post-exercise adaptive responses to BFR training (Loenneke et al, 2012b(Loenneke et al, , 2015Jessee et al, 2016;Rawska et al, 2019;Wilk et al, 2020e). However, not only physiological, but also mechanical factors related to BFR should be taken into consideration (Wilk et al, 2020d,f).…”