Effects of Warm-up Intensity and Blood Flow Restriction

Effects of Warm-up Intensity and Blood Flow Restriction: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Introduction: warming up has the function of preparing the body structures for a given task to be performed during sports, increasing body and muscle temperature, focusing on improving performance. Therefore, the use of the blood flow restriction technique (BFR) can be seen as a promising alternative for promoting greater mechanical and muscular stress, thus providing a more efficient warm-up and optimizing performance. Objectives: to analyze the effects of RFS used during low-intensity warm-up compared with low-intensity and high-intensity warm-up without RFS on performance (jump test and 30-meter sprint test) and skin surface temperature. In addition to analyzing and comparing, after the warm-up protocols with and without RFS, the acute responses on perceptual outcomes (perception of pain, change in sensitivity, subjective perception of exertion and perception of discomfort in relation to RFS) and muscle outcomes (tonus , muscle stiffness and elasticity). Methods: a randomized controlled clinical trial will be carried out, with 33 amateur soccer players aged between 18 and 35 years who will be randomly divided into three groups: low-intensity warm-up without RFS (30% VO2max), high-intensity warm-up without RFS ( 80% VO2max) and low-intensity warm-up associated with BFR (80% of total occlusion pressure) [30% VO2max-BFR]. All groups will carry out the heating protocol and the outcomes will be evaluated at baseline and immediately after the end of the heating, as well as 10 and 20 minutes after its completion, namely: skin surface temperature through thermography; tone, stiffness and muscle elasticity by myotometry, subjective perception of pain (VAS); pain threshold through the pressure algometer; subjective perception of exertion (BORG scale); perception of discomfort in relation to RFS (LIKERT-CR-10 scale); 30-meter sprints measured through photocells and vertical jump, measured through the force platform. Descriptive statistics will be used and comparisons will be made using the generalized linear mixed model, assuming a significance level of p<0.05.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Healthy Men
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Warm-up exercise; Other: Warm-up exercise with Blood Flow Restriction

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 108
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Brazil
  • SP
    • Presidente Prudente, SP, Brazil, 55
      • Franciele Marques Vanderlei
  • São Paulo
    • Presidente Prudente, São Paulo, Brazil, 19060-900
      • Carlos Alberto Toledo Teixeira Filho

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 35 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• male
• healthy
• amateur soccer player
• aged between 18 and 35 years

Exclusion Criteria:

• smokers;
• alcoholics;
• use drugs that influenced cardiac autonomic activity;
• cardiovascular, metabolic or endocrine diseases;
• having one or more predisposing risk factors for thromboembolism;
• history of lower extremity surgery or musculoskeletal injury within the last six months that may impair your performance during testing or warm-up (e.g., meniscal repair, ligament reconstruction, muscle injury, tendinopathy, lower extremity patellofemoral pain, and/or back pain);

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: warm-up performed at 80% VO2max; The warm-up exercise will be performed on an ergometric treadmill, through a protocol of 15 minutes duration, with the first 5 minutes of acceleration, until reaching 80% of VO2max, the following 5 minutes of maintenance and the remaining 5 minutes being of slowdown.	Other: Warm-up exercise; The warm-up exercise will be performed on a treadmill.; Other Names: Aerobic Exercise; Warming-up
Experimental: warm-up performed at 30% VO2max; The warm-up exercise will be performed on an ergometric treadmill, through a protocol of 15 minutes duration, with the first 5 minutes of acceleration, until reaching 30% of VO2max, the following 5 minutes of maintenance and the remaining 5 minutes being of slowdown.	Other: Warm-up exercise; The warm-up exercise will be performed on a treadmill.; Other Names: Aerobic Exercise; Warming-up
Experimental: warm-up performed at 30% VO2max with Blood Flow Restriction; The warm-up exercise will be performed on an ergometric treadmill, through a protocol of 15 minutes of duration, with the first 5 minutes of acceleration, until reaching 30% of VO2max, the following 5 minutes of maintenance and the remaining 5 minutes being of slowdown. During the warm-up exercise, a pressure cuff will be used on each leg, with the blood flow restriction technique (80% of arterial occlusion pressure).	Other: Warm-up exercise with Blood Flow Restriction; The warm-up exercise will be performed on a treadmill and pressure cuffs will be used for the blood flow restriction technique.; Other Names: Aerobic Exercise; Blood Flow Restriction; Warming-up

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Temperature	Skin surface temperature will be evaluated using a thermographic camera	At the baseline
Temperature	Skin surface temperature will be evaluated using a thermographic camera	Immediately after warm-up
Performance in Squat Jump Test	The squat jump test will be performed at jumping platform (Multisprint, Hidrofit, Brazil)	At the baseline
Performance in Squat Jump Test	The squat jump test will be performed at jumping platform (Multisprint, Hidrofit, Brazil)	Immediately after warm-up
Performance in 30 meter sprint	the sprint test will be performed in a hall and two pairs of photoelectric cells (Multisprint®, Hidrofit, Brazil) will be used with an accuracy of 0.01 seconds.	At the baseline
Performance in 30 meter sprint	the sprint test will be performed in a hall and two pairs of photoelectric cells (Multisprint®, Hidrofit, Brazil) will be used with an accuracy of 0.01 seconds.	Immediately after warm-up

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Pain threshold	To assess the pain threshold, the pressure algometer will be applied at 10 specific locations on the lower limb	At the baseline
Pain threshold	To assess the pain threshold, the pressure algometer will be applied at 10 specific locations on the lower limb	Immediately after warm-up
Muscle Pain	The subjective evaluation of pain will be obtained through the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), graded from 0 to 10, with zero being the total absence of pain and 10 the maximum level of pain supported by the participan	At the baseline
Muscle Pain	The subjective evaluation of pain will be obtained through the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), graded from 0 to 10, with zero being the total absence of pain and 10 the maximum level of pain supported by the participan	Immediately after warm-up
Perceived Effort Scale (Borg)	The degree of subjective exertion reported by the participants in relation to the lower limbs will be analyzed by Borg's scale of perception of effort of 0 to 10 points, 0 being "very easy" and 10 being "exhaustive."	At the baseline and Immediately after warm-up
Resistance through Bioimpedance analysis (BIA)	Evaluation of tissue resistance, the higher the value, the worse the result	At the baseline and Immediately after warm-up
Reactance through Bioimpedance analysis (BIA)	Evaluation of tissue reactance, the higher the value, the better the cell integrity	At the baseline and Immediately after warm-up
Phase angle through Bioimpedance analysis (BIA)	Assessment of the phase angle, the higher the value, the better the condition of the participant	At the baseline and Immediately after warm-up
Tone muscular through Myotonometry used the MyotonPRO equipment	Natural Oscillation Frequency [Hz], characterizing Tone of the muscles: quadriceps femoris, biceps femoris, semitendinosus, triceps surae and tibialis anterior	At the baseline and Immediately after warm-up
Stiffness through Myotonometry used the MyotonPRO equipment	Mechanical Stress Relaxation Time [ms] featuring muscle elasticity of the muscles: quadriceps femoris, biceps femoris, semitendinosus, triceps surae and tibialis anterior	At the baseline and Immediately after warm-up
heart rate variability indices in the time domain	Mean RR, SDNN e rMSSD	At the baseline time (30 minutes rest in the supine position), during the warm-up (15 minutes in the treadmill) and immediately after the warm-up (60 minutes rest in the supine position)
heart rate variability indices in the frequency domain	LF and HF in nu and ms2	At the baseline time (30 minutes rest in the supine position), during the warm-up (15 minutes in the treadmill) and immediately after the warm-up (60 minutes rest in the supine position)
heart rate variability indices analyzed in the Poincaré plot	SD1 and SD2 in ms	At the baseline time (30 minutes rest in the supine position), during the warm-up (15 minutes in the treadmill) and immediately after the warm-up (60 minutes rest in the supine position)
Perceived discomfort Scale (Likert-RFS)	The degree of subjective discomfort reported by the participants in relation to the lower limbs refferd a blood flow restriction will be analyzed by Likert Scale of perception of effort of 0 to 10 points, 0 being "no discomfort" and 10 being "very discomfortable."	At the baseline and Immediately after warm-up

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Paulista University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 15, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): August 20, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): December 15, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 11, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 29, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): August 31, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 31, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 27, 2025
• Last Verified: May 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Performance; Body temperature; warm-up; Vascular occlusion
• Other Study ID Numbers: Warm-up_BRF_FCT/UNESP

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No