Keywords

Blood flow restriction, Females, Muscle size, Perceptual responses

Abstract

The use of blood flow restriction (BFR) allows for reductions in exercise intensity without compromising muscular adaptations that are typically only manifested during high-load non-BFR exercise. There exist, however, several ways to implement BFR and there is a lack of information regarding which application may be beneficial over another. The purpose of this investigation was to examine acute changes in muscle size and perceptual responses following different pressure applications of BFR (i.e., continuous BFR [cBFR], intermittent during sets BFR [iBFRsets], and intermittent during rest BFR [iBFRrest]) relative to an unrestricted condition (i.e., nBFR). Participants completed cBFR, iBFRsets, iBFRrest, and nBFR with a 75-reptition protocol consisting of 1 × 30 repetitions, followed by 3 × 15 repetitions with 30 seconds of rest in between each set. Muscle thickness of the vastus lateralis (VL) and rectus femoris (RF) muscles were assessed prior to and immediately following each exercise protocol, while ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) and perceptual pain responses were quantified after each set. The results indicated that there were similar acute increases in muscle size for the VL and RF muscles, regardless of BFR application. Additionally, RPE was similar among all exercise conditions and applications of BFR. Perceptual pain, however, was greater for iBFRsets than nBFR. Both RPE and pain increased progressively across the four sets of exercise. These findings suggest that cBFR, iBFRrest, and nBFR elicit comparable acute changes in muscle size as well as perceived exertion and perceptual pain.

Thesis Completion Year

2026

Thesis Completion Semester

Spring

Thesis Chair

Hill, Ethan

College

College of Health Professions and Sciences

Department

Kinesiology

Thesis Discipline

Exercise Physiology

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus Access

None

Campus Location

Orlando (Main) Campus

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Rights Statement

In Copyright