Comparison of Physiological Responses following Blood Flow Restriction between Low-Intensity Resistance Exercise and Running Exercise

It is well known that low-intensity resistance exercise combined with blood flow restriction (LIRE + BFR) can lead to increase in the metabolic stress and motor unit recruitment, which may contribute to greater gains in muscle hypertrophy, strength and endurance after a period of training. However, the effect of running exercise combined with blood flow restriction (RE + BFR) on acute physiological responses is still unknown. PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the physiological responses following LIRE +BFR or RE + BFR. METHODS: Twelve male track and field athletes were recruited to participate in this study. All participants underwent two conditions: (1) LIRE (41.3 ± 6.1 kg, 30 rep x 5 sets, 1min rest interval) + BFR (149.7 ± 4.9 mmHg). (2) RE (8.4 ± 1.7 km/hr, 2 min x 5 sets, 1min rest interval) + BFR. Heart rate (HR) and Ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were obtained (pre-ex, post-ex and 5 min post-ex) using the Heart Rate Monitor (Polar RS800CX, Polar Electro Oy, Finland) and Borg RPE Scale (6-20 point scale). Blood lactate (pre-ex and 3 min post-ex), muscle tissue oxygen saturation (from 5 min pre-ex to 5 min post-ex) and muscle activation (during-ex) were also determined using lactate meter (Lactate Pro™, KDK Corporation, Japan), near-infrared spectroscopy (Portamon™, AS Zetten, Netherlands) and electromyography machine (TeleMyo DTS®, Noraxon, USA). One-way ANOVA with repeated measures was performed to examine the differences of muscle activation between the treatments. Two-way ANOVA (treatment x time) with repeated measures was used to evaluate the treatment effects on other measured variables. RESULTS: Both LIRE +BFR and RE + BFR elicited higher HR (post-ex, 162.7 ± 4.9 vs. 163.5 ± 9.2 bpm), RPE (post-ex, 16.1 ± 0.7 vs. 15.9 ± 0.8), blood lactate (3 min post-ex, 5.6 ± 1.8 vs. 5.7 ± 2.2 mmol/L) response and lower muscle tissue oxygen saturation (during-ex, 47.5 ± 6.7 vs. 46.7 ± 4.6 %). However, no significant differences were observed between the treatments. Furthermore, RE + BFR resulted in greater muscle activation of the tibialis anterior (+18.7%), biceps femoris (+23.1%) and gastrocnemius (+17.7%) muscles when compared with LIER + BFR. CONCLUSION: RE + BFR may be a practical training strategy for promoting muscular fitness on track and field athletes.