Effects of Blood Flow Restriction Training on Neuromuscular Function and Performance in Artistic Jump Rope Athletes

Effects of Blood Flow Restriction Training on Upper and Lower Limb Neuromuscular Function, Body Composition, Physiological Responses, and Sport Performance in Artistic Jump Rope Athletes: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The goal of this randomized controlled trial is to investigate whether blood flow restriction training can improve physical function and sports performance in artistic jump rope athletes. The study will include 30 healthy artistic jump rope athletes aged 18 to 25 years. The main questions this study aims to answer are:

1. Does blood flow restriction training improve neuromuscular function compared with conventional training?
2. Does blood flow restriction training improve muscle strength, power, body composition, physiological responses, and artistic jump rope performance?

Researchers will compare participants receiving blood flow restriction training with participants performing conventional training to determine whether blood flow restriction training provides additional benefits. Participants will complete an 8-week training program and undergo assessments before and after the intervention, including muscle function tests, physical performance tests, body composition measurements, and physiological response evaluations.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Neuromuscular Function; Athletic Performance Enhancement
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Blood Flow Restriction Training; Behavioral: Conventional Artistic Jump Rope Training

Detailed Description

Blood flow restriction (BFR) training is an exercise method that uses external pressure to partially restrict blood flow during exercise. This method may allow individuals to achieve improvements in muscle function and physical performance while using lower exercise loads. However, the effects of BFR training in artistic jump rope athletes are not fully understood.

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of an 8-week blood flow restriction training program on neuromuscular function, body composition, physiological responses, and sport-specific performance in artistic jump rope athletes.

Approximately 30 healthy artistic jump rope athletes aged 18 to 25 years will participate in this study. Participants will be randomly assigned to either a blood flow restriction training group or a conventional training group. Both groups will continue their regular artistic jump rope training during the intervention period. The blood flow restriction training group will complete selected training sessions with individualized blood flow restriction pressure.

Before and after the 8-week intervention, researchers will assess changes in neuromuscular function, upper and lower limb muscle strength, explosive power, jump rope-specific performance, body composition, heart rate responses, and blood lactate responses.

This study may provide information about whether blood flow restriction training can be used as an effective training strategy to improve physical function and performance characteristics in artistic jump rope athletes.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 30
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Shijun Jin, student; Phone Number: 86+15670976576; Email: 15670976576@163.com
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Liubin Fu, Student; Phone Number: 86+15329763941; Email: 1076102965@qq.cn

Study Locations

• China
  • Shanghai Municipality
    • Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China, 200000
      • Shanghai University of Sport, School of Physical EducationKun
      • Contact: Kun Zhu, Professor; Phone Number: 86+13938431772; Email: zhukun@sus.edu.cn
      • Contact: Shijun Jin, Student; Phone Number: 86+15670976576; Email: applecatt2002@gmail.com

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Adults aged 18 to 25 years.
2. Current artistic jump rope athletes with at least 2 years of regular artistic jump rope training experience.
3. Participants who are able to perform artistic jump rope skills and complete all study-related assessments and training procedures.
4. Participants who are physically healthy and have no medical conditions that may interfere with exercise testing or blood flow restriction training.
5. Participants who have no acute or chronic musculoskeletal injuries affecting the upper limbs, lower limbs, or trunk.
6. Participants who voluntarily agree to participate and provide written informed consent before enrollment.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Participants younger than 18 years or older than 25 years.
2. Presence of cardiovascular disease, peripheral vascular disease, respiratory disease, neurological disease, metabolic disease, coagulation disorders, history of thrombosis, severe varicose veins, severe hypertension, or other conditions that may affect exercise safety.
3. Presence of acute or chronic musculoskeletal injuries, including injuries involving muscles, joints, ligaments, tendons, or bones, that prevent safe completion of study procedures.
4. Significant pain, severe fatigue, insufficient recovery, poor sleep condition, or other health conditions that may affect exercise performance or participant safety.
5. Use of medications, nutritional supplements, or sports supplements within the previous week that may influence cardiovascular function, muscle metabolism, blood lactate response, heart rate variability, neuromuscular activation, fatigue response, or exercise performance.
6. Skin damage, infection, dermatological disorders, severe allergy history, or other conditions affecting blood flow restriction cuff application or surface electromyography electrode placement.
7. Inability to understand the study procedures or inability to complete required assessments, including physical performance tests, blood flow restriction training, or blood lactate testing.
8. Refusal to participate in blood flow restriction training or withdrawal of informed consent during the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

• 1. Age younger than 18 years or older than 25 years. 2. Presence of cardiovascular disease, peripheral vascular disease, respiratory disease, neurological disease, metabolic disease, coagulation abnormalities, history of thrombosis, severe varicose veins, severe hypertension, or other conditions that may affect exercise testing or blood flow restriction training safety.

  3. Current acute or chronic injuries involving muscles, joints, ligaments, tendons, or bones that prevent safe completion of study procedures.

  4. Severe fatigue, poor recovery status, significant pain, insufficient sleep, or other conditions that may influence exercise performance or participant safety.

  5. Use of medications, nutritional supplements, or sports supplements that may affect cardiovascular function, muscle metabolism, blood lactate response, heart rate variability, neuromuscular activation, fatigue response, or exercise performance within the previous week.

  6. Skin damage, infection, dermatological disorders, severe allergy history, or other conditions affecting blood flow restriction cuff application or surface electromyography electrode placement.

  7. Inability or unwillingness to complete study assessments, blood flow restriction training, blood lactate testing, or other required procedures.

  8. Withdrawal of consent or inability to comply with the study protocol during the intervention period.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Blood Flow Restriction Training Group	Behavioral: Blood Flow Restriction Training; An 8-week blood flow restriction training program combined with regular artistic jump rope training. External pressure will be applied using a blood flow restriction device during selected training sessions.
Active Comparator: Conventional Training Group	Behavioral: Conventional Artistic Jump Rope Training; An 8-week conventional artistic jump rope training program without blood flow restriction.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Neuromuscular Function Assessed by Surface Electromyography and Maximal Voluntary Contraction	Neuromuscular function will be assessed using surface electromyography (sEMG) and maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) testing. Outcome measures include muscle activation amplitude, root mean square (RMS, μV), integrated electromyography (iEMG, μV·s), mean power frequency (MPF, Hz), and maximal voluntary contraction force (N).	Baseline and after 8 weeks of intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Upper Limb Muscle Strength Assessed by Hand Grip Strength Test	Upper limb muscle strength will be assessed using grip strength testing. The outcome measure is maximal voluntary grip force (kg) measured during maximal effort contraction.	Baseline and after 8 weeks of intervention
Change in One-Repetition Maximum Strength	Maximal muscle strength will be assessed using one-repetition maximum (1RM) testing. The outcome measure is the maximal load successfully completed during the strength test (kg).	Baseline and after 8 weeks of intervention
Change in Lower Limb Explosive Power Assessed by Three-Dimensional Force Platform	Lower limb explosive power and jump performance will be assessed using a three-dimensional force platform during jump testing. Outcome measures include jump height (cm), peak ground reaction force (N), peak power output (W), and rate of force development (N/s).	Baseline and after 8 weeks of intervention
Change in Upper Limb Anaerobic Power During Wingate Test	Upper limb anaerobic power will be assessed using a 30-second upper limb Wingate test performed on an arm crank ergometer. Outcome measures include peak power output (W), mean power output (W), relative peak power output (W/kg), total work (J), and fatigue index (%).	Baseline and after 8 weeks of intervention
Change in Lower Limb Anaerobic Power During Wingate Test	Lower limb anaerobic power will be assessed using Wingate cycling tests. Outcome measures include peak power output (W), mean power output (W), relative peak power output (W/kg), total work (J), and fatigue index (%). A 6-second Wingate test will assess explosive power, and a 30-second Wingate test will assess anaerobic capacity and fatigue-related performance.	Baseline and after 8 weeks of intervention
Change in Body Composition Assessed by Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry	Body composition will be assessed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Outcome measures include body mass (kg), body fat percentage (%), fat mass (kg), lean body mass (kg), and bone mineral content (kg).	Baseline and after 8 weeks of intervention
Change in Physiological Responses During Exercise	Physiological responses will be assessed using heart rate monitoring and blood lactate testing. Outcome measures include resting heart rate (beats/min), peak heart rate (beats/min), heart rate recovery (beats/min), and blood lactate concentration (mmol/L).	Baseline and 8 weeks after intervention
Change in Dynamic Balance Performance	Dynamic balance performance will be assessed using the Y Balance Test. Outcome measures include anterior reach distance (cm), posteromedial reach distance (cm), posterolateral reach distance (cm), and composite reach score (%).	Baseline and 8 weeks after intervention
Change in Short-Duration Rope Turning Performance	Short-duration rope turning performance will be assessed using a 10-second maximal rope turning test. Outcome measures include total repetitions completed within 10 seconds and average movement frequency (repetitions/s).	Baseline and after 8 weeks of intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Shanghai University of Sport
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: kun Zhu, Professor, Shanghai University of Sport; Study Director: Jing Wang, Student, Shanghai University of Sport

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): August 30, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 15, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 15, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 25, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 3, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): August 6, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): August 6, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 3, 2026
• Last Verified: August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Neuromuscular Function; Blood Flow Restriction Training; Artistic Jump Rope
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Therapeutics; Physical Therapy Modalities; Patient Care; Exercise Therapy; Rehabilitation; Aftercare; Continuity of Patient Care; Blood Flow Restriction Therapy
• Other Study ID Numbers: 102772026RT119

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

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