•  
  •  
 

Abstract

Blood flow restricted resistance training (B2RT) has been shown to enhance effectiveness of low-intensity resistance training. While B2RT is increasingly popular, its specific effects on muscle quality have yet to be specified. PURPOSE: The purpose of this intervention was to investigate the effects of B2RT on muscle quality (MQ) of biceps brachii, triceps brachii, biceps femoris, and rectus femoris. METHODS: 30 undergraduates (11M, 19F) were broken into control (CON, n=15, 21.1±2.1 years, 23.9±3.5 kg/m2) and B2RT (n=15, 19.9±1.4 years, 26.3±5.1 kg/m2) groups. Control maintained normal activity while B2RT participated in an 8-week B2RT training regimen consisting of 3 sessions/week, with 4 sets of 30, 15, 15, and 15 reps at 60% occlusion pressure and 30% of one-repetition maximum for squats, Romanian deadlifts, bench rows, and bench presses. Maximal isometric strength was assessed for each muscle group with a HUMAC Norm and cross-sectional thickness was captured on a Terason ultrasound. Image J software was utilized to measure size (cm) changes within the muscles. For each image, a pixel to cm ratio was calculated before the image was measured. Muscle quality (strength/thickness) for each muscle was calculated and analyzed with SPSS. RESULTS: No significant findings were observed for most variables with the exception of significant percent changes in triceps brachii thickness in male B2RT vs. CON (pCONCLUSION: This short short-term B2RT protocol does not seem to systematically alter MQ although further research could focus on altered training variables to yield more conclusive evidence.

Download

Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.