Effects of Blood Flow Restriction Training on Muscle Quality

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.