Abstract
Purpose
We examined the concurrent characteristics of the remote development of strength and cross-sectional area (CSA) of upper body skeletal muscle in response to lower body resistance training performed with an applied blood flow restriction (BFR).
Methods
Males allocated to an experimental BFR group (EXP; n = 12) or a non-BFR control group (CON; n = 12) completed 7-weeks of resistance training comprising three sets of unilateral bicep curls [50% 1-repetition maximum (1-RM)], then four sets of bilateral knee extension and flexion exercises (30% 1-RM). EXP performed leg exercises with an applied BFR (60% limb occlusion pressure). 1-RM strength was measured using bilateral leg exercises and unilateral bicep curls in both trained and untrained arms. Muscle CSA was measured via peripheral quantitative computed tomography in the dominant leg and both arms.
Results
1-RM in the trained arm increased more in EXP (2.5 ± 0.4 kg; mean ± SEM) than the contralateral untrained arm (0.8 ± 0.4 kg), and the trained arm of CON (0.6 ± 0.3 kg, P < 0.05). The increase in knee extension 1-RM was twofold that of CON (P < 0.01). Knee flexion 1-RM, leg CSA, and trained arm CSA increased similarly between groups (P > 0.05), while untrained arm CSA did not change (P > 0.05).
Conclusion
Lower limb BFR training increased trained arm strength more than the contralateral untrained arm, and the trained arm of controls. However, there was no additional effect on muscle CSA. These findings support evidence for a BFR training-derived remote strength transfer that may be relevant to populations with localised movement disorders.
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Abbreviations
- 1-RM:
-
One-repetition maximum
- 4w:
-
Week 4 of the training programme
- 8w:
-
Week 8 of the training programme
- ACSM:
-
American College of Sports Medicine
- ANOVA:
-
Analysis of variance
- BFR:
-
Blood flow restriction
- BMI:
-
Body mass index
- CON:
-
Non-blood flow restriction training group
- CON-T:
-
Trained arm of non-blood flow restriction training group
- CON-U:
-
Untrained arm of non-blood flow restriction training group
- CSA:
-
Cross-sectional area
- EXP:
-
Blood flow restriction resistance training group
- EXP-T:
-
Trained arm of blood flow restriction resistance training group
- EXP-U:
-
Untrained arm of blood flow restriction resistance training group
- LOP:
-
Limb occlusion pressure
- pQCT:
-
Peripheral quantitative computed tomography
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This research was supported only by local funds made available by the School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Victoria, Australia.
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All authors conceived and designed research. AM conducted experiments. AM and SW analysed data. All authors wrote, edited, and approved the manuscript.
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All procedures performed in this study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
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Communicated by Anni Vanhatalo.
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May, A.K., Russell, A.P. & Warmington, S.A. Lower body blood flow restriction training may induce remote muscle strength adaptations in an active unrestricted arm. Eur J Appl Physiol 118, 617–627 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-018-3806-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-018-3806-2