Effects of Low-Intensity Blood Flow Restriction Training on Strength and Kicking Performance in Taekwondo Athletes (BFRT)

April 10, 2026 updated by: Yunzhou Hu, Shanghai University of Sport

Effects of Low-Intensity Blood Flow Restriction Training on Lower-Limb Strength and Kicking Performance in Taekwondo Athletes: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This study aims to investigate the effects of low-intensity blood flow restriction training (LI-BFRT) on lower-limb strength and kicking performance in taekwondo athletes. Blood flow restriction training is a method that partially restricts blood flow to the muscles during exercise, which may improve performance while reducing training load.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This study investigates the effects of low-intensity blood flow restriction training (LI-BFRT) on neuromuscular performance in taekwondo athletes. BFRT involves the application of external pressure to the proximal limbs to partially restrict blood flow during exercise, creating a hypoxic and metabolically stressful environment that may enhance muscle activation and promote performance adaptations.

Participants are randomly assigned to either a LI-BFRT group or a high-intensity resistance training (HIRT) group. Both groups complete a 6-week lower-limb resistance training program performed three times per week. The LI-BFRT group performs exercises at low intensity under controlled occlusion, while the HIRT group performs conventional high-load resistance training.

Outcome assessments focus on lower-limb strength, explosive performance, and sport-specific kicking ability. These measures are used to evaluate the effectiveness of LI-BFRT compared with HIRT in improving performance-related outcomes.

This study aims to determine whether LI-BFRT can achieve comparable training effects to traditional high-intensity resistance training while using lower mechanical loads, providing a practical training strategy for taekwondo athletes.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

18

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

  • China
    • Shanghai Municipality
      • Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China, 200438
        • Recruiting
        • Shanghai University of Sport
        • Contact:
        • Contact:
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Zhi Cao, MSc

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

- Taekwondo athletes aged 16-25 years National-level athletes (National Level 1 or higher); Minimum of 3 years of systematic taekwondo training experience; Free from lower-limb injury within the past 6 months; Able to complete the training intervention and testing procedures.

Exclusion Criteria:

- History of cardiovascular, metabolic, or neurological disorders; Current musculoskeletal injury or pain affecting training; Participation in other structured resistance training programs during the study period; Use of medications or supplements that may affect physical performance Inability or unwillingness to provide informed consent.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Basic Science
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: LI-BFRT
Participants perform low-intensity resistance training combined with blood flow restriction. External pressure is applied to the proximal limbs during exercise to partially restrict blood flow. The training program is conducted three times per week for 6 weeks.
Other: LI-BFRT
Low-intensity resistance training combined with blood flow restriction applied to the proximal limbs.
Active Comparator: HIRT
Participants perform conventional high-intensity resistance training without blood flow restriction. The training program is conducted three times per week for 6 weeks.
Other: HIRT
Conventional high-intensity resistance training without blood flow restriction.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Sport-specific kicking performance
Time Frame: Baseline and after 6 weeks
Sport-specific kicking performance is assessed using a standardized kicking test, including kicking frequency and kicking decrement index during repeated kicking tasks.
Baseline and after 6 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Lower-limb strength
Time Frame: Baseline and after 6 weeks
Lower-limb strength is assessed using thigh circumference, countermovement jump height, and one-repetition maximum squat.
Baseline and after 6 weeks
Anaerobic performance
Time Frame: Baseline and after 6 weeks
Anaerobic performance is assessed using the Wingate anaerobic test, including peak power, mean power, relative peak power, and relative mean power.
Baseline and after 6 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Shanghai University of Sport

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

April 10, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

June 29, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

June 29, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 10, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 10, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

April 20, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 20, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 10, 2026

Last Verified

April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 102772021RT013

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

data are not publicly available due to ethical restrictions

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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