Effects of Practical Blood Flow Restriction Training on Adolescent Lower-Body Strength

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a practical blood flow restriction (BFR) training program on lower-body strength of high school weightlifters. Twenty-five students were divided into three groups. For six weeks, each group completed the same resistance training program with the exception of the parallel back squat exercise (2 days/week), which was different for each group. One group (HI) completed a traditional high load (≥65% 1RM) back squat protocol with three sets of low repetitions (≤10). The LO group completed the squat exercise using a relatively light load (≤30% 1RM) for one set of 30 repetitions and three sets of 15 with 30 seconds of rest between sets. The LO+BFR group followed the same protocol as LO, but did so with blood flow restricted. 1RM back squat tests were conducted prior to the start of the program and again upon conclusion, the values of which were used as the dependent measure. A 3 x 2 (group x time) repeated measures ANOVA revealed a significant interaction (p=.043). Follow-up tests were conducted to explore the interaction. Paired-sample t-tests for each group indicated a significant increase in leg strength for the LO+BFR group (p=.005), but not for the HI (p=.142) or LO groups (p=1.00). This suggests that a practical BFR training program may be effective in increasing 1RM squat performance of high school students.

Low-Load Blood Flow Restriction Squat as Conditioning Activity Within a Contrast Training Sequence in High-Level Preadolescent Trampoline Gymnasts

“…On the other hand, the current study demonstrated that a contrast training program using low-loads with BFR as a conditioning activity might provide an effective and equivalent positive influence on maximal strength compared to using high-loads for preadolescents athletes. Our results agree with the evidence from other previous studies employing low load BFR with other populations ( Loenneke et al, 2012b ; Yamanaka et al, 2012 ; Luebbers et al, 2019 ; Hansen et al, 2020 ) and high school adolescent weightlifters ( Mohamed et al, 2017 ; Luebbers et al, 2019 ). No side-effects (hazards or unbearable discomfort) were reported during the ten weeks of training, which implicates that LL-BFRE integrated into a contrast training sequence is effective and safe for young athletes’ strength development.…”

“…The use of lower limb LL blood flow restriction exercises (LL-BFRE) has proven to be an efficacious alternative to high-load exercises (HL-RE) when used alternately within the same week or alternating weekly ( Hansen et al, 2020 ). The employment of LL-BFRE can provide a less stressful stimulus on joints and tendons with a similar level of neuromuscular adaptations ( Luebbers et al, 2019 ). Some studies have reported that low-load resistance exercises (i.e., ∼30% 1 RM) with a high number of repetitions (12–30) ( Pope et al, 2013 ) in combination with BFR (LL-BFRE) are effective at increasing muscle mass and strength across a wide range of populations ( Loenneke et al, 2014 ; Loenneke et al, 2012b ; Centner and Lauber, 2020 ; Pearson and Hussain, 2015 ).…”

Effects of Resting vs. Continuous Blood-Flow Restriction-Training on Strength, Fatigue Resistance, Muscle Thickness, and Perceived Discomfort

“…Both groups had two supervised BFR-training sessions per week, as suggested by (Patterson et al, 2019). Each session lasted approximately 15 min, equating to an average workload of 30 min per week (Luebbers et al, 2019). We aimed for a between-training recovery of at least 1-2 days (Figure 2).…”

“…However, there has been an increasing number of studies within the last decades demonstrating that low-intensity strength training with external blood-flow restriction (BFR) induces similar effects compared to resistance training with heavier loads (65 + % 1RM). For instance, significant improvements in muscle mass, strength, and fatigue resistance were reported (Loenneke and Pujol, 2009;Luebbers et al, 2019;Pignanelli et al, 2020). BFR-training is characterized by a short-term, external restriction of the blood flow of the exercising muscles during the training session (Loenneke, 2011).…”

The effect of blood flow restriction and plyometric training methods on dynamic balance of Taekwondo athletes

“…Because of the ischemia that occurs, the body secretes growth hormone as a mechanism of self-protection and thus removes lactic acid and also fat metabolism is activated [13][14][15]. In recent years, traditional training methods have been applied together with blood flow restriction training [16].…”