The Impact of Exercise With Blood Flow Restriction: Sex and Age Differences

The Impact of Exercise With Blood Flow Restriction: Sex and Age Differences on Physical Performance, Muscle Hypertrophy, and Blood Biomarkers

The primary objective is to investigate whether six weeks of resistance training, in combination with blood flow restriction, produces a different adaptation in fat-free mass between males and females that are not physically active. The secondary objective is to compare changes in physical function, physical performance, and blood biomarkers between males and females following resistance training and blood flow restriction.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Physical Activity
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Resistance Training with Blood flow restriction

Detailed Description

Previous studies indicated a reduced workload (i.e., lifting lighter weight) combined with blood flow restriction leads to increased fat-free mass and muscle strength. However, females have been underrepresented in the blood flow restriction literature. Therefore, no study has investigated whether males and females of different age groups have different adaptations in fat-free mass, muscle strength, and performance outcomes following resistance training using blood flow restriction.

The primary objective will be to investigate sex differences in fat-free mass following six weeks of resistance training combined with blood flow restriction in young and older adults.

The secondary objective is to investigate sex differences in muscle strength, physical performance, and blood biomarkers between males and females following resistance training and blood flow restriction.

Briefly, participants between 19-30 years and 65 years and older will be recruited to participate in this study. Participants will present to the laboratory for two baseline testing visits interspersed with a minimum of four days. The first testing visit will include a variety of questionnaires, a blood draw, lipid and glucose, a dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scan, anthropometrics, and a submaximal VO2. The second visit will include several physical function tests, such as the short physical performance battery and the Y-balance test, as well as a high-intensity isokinetic fatigue test using isokinetic dynamometry and 1-repetition maximum testing.

Upon completion of baseline testing, participants are enrolled in the exercise program. The first exercise session includes a blood draw before and immediately after the training session. This procedure will be duplicated at the final exercise session at the end of the six weeks.

Participants' full occlusion will be estimated using the formula developed by Loenneke et al. (2015). Then each participant's occlusion will be set at 60% of each individual's total limb occlusion. This will be used in combination with the following exercises incline chest press, seated row, leg press, knee extension, and knee flexion performed at 30% of 1RM. The protocol is as follows: 30 repetitions followed by three sets of 15 repetitions for a total of four sets and 75 repetitions per exercise. There will be a one-minute recovery between sets where the cuffs remain inflated and a four-minute recovery between exercises where the cuffs will be deflated.

Following the completion of the six weeks of exercise, participants will again present to the laboratory for two follow-up visits similar to the first two baseline visits.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 72
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Canada
  • New Brunswick
    • Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, E3B 5A3
      • University of New Brunswick - Kinesiology

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 19 years to 100 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Between the ages of 19 and 100 years
• Sedentary (not meeting physical activity guidelines), but otherwise healthy

Exclusion Criteria:

• Aged outside the threshold
• Uncontrolled hypertension
• Presence of cardiovascular disease
• Either surgery, bone fracture, or skin graft within the previous three months
• Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus
• Pregnancy
• Individuals taking medications known to increase risk of blood clotting

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Young adult (19-30 years); Individuals aged 19-30 who are not physically active will participate in resistance training combined with blood flow restriction.	Behavioral: Resistance Training with Blood flow restriction; Participants will perform six weeks of blood flow restriction (60% occlusion) combined with resistance training at 30% of 1RM. The intervention comprises five exercises: incline chest press, seated row, leg press, knee extension, and knee flexion. The protocol is as follows: 30 repetitions followed by three sets of 15 repetitions for a total of four sets and 75 repetitions per exercise. There will be a one-minute recovery between sets where the cuffs remain inflated and a four-minute recovery between exercises where the cuffs will be deflated.
Experimental: Older adults adult (aged 65 years and older); Individuals aged 65 years and older who are not physically active will participate in resistance training combined with blood flow restriction.	Behavioral: Resistance Training with Blood flow restriction; Participants will perform six weeks of blood flow restriction (60% occlusion) combined with resistance training at 30% of 1RM. The intervention comprises five exercises: incline chest press, seated row, leg press, knee extension, and knee flexion. The protocol is as follows: 30 repetitions followed by three sets of 15 repetitions for a total of four sets and 75 repetitions per exercise. There will be a one-minute recovery between sets where the cuffs remain inflated and a four-minute recovery between exercises where the cuffs will be deflated.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Muscle hypertrophy	Change in fat-free mass	Baseline and 6 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Strength	Change in 1-repetition maximum	Baseline and 6 weeks
Muscle Power	Change in vertical jump score	Baseline and 6 weeks
Muscle Endurance	Change in knee extension and flexion	Baseline and 6 weeks
Changes in physical function	Changes in short physical performance battery, senior fitness test, and Y-balance test	Baseline and 6 weeks
Changes in blood biomarkers	Changes in circulating blood biomarkers	Baseline and 6 weeks post-intervention and pre and post an acute bout of resistance training at baseline and and after 6 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of New Brunswick
• Collaborators: Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Martin Senechal, PhD, University of New Brunswick

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 1, 2022
• Primary Completion (Actual): November 22, 2023
• Study Completion (Actual): November 22, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 20, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 7, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): November 14, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): December 13, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 12, 2023
• Last Verified: December 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Aging; Resistance training; Strength Training; Blood flow restriction; Sex Differences; Sex comparisons; Young healthy
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2021-124

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No