Effects of Practical Blood Flow Restriction Training on Adolescent Lower-Body Strength

Luebbers, PE, Witte, EV, and Oshel, JQ. Effects of practical blood flow restriction training on adolescent lower-body strength. J Strength Cond Res 33(10): 2674-2683, 2019-The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a practical blood flow restriction (BFR) training program on lower-body strength of high school weightlifters. Twenty-five students were divided into 3 groups. For 6 weeks, each group completed the same resistance training program with the exception of the parallel back squat exercise (2 d·wk), which was different for each group. One group (HI) completed a traditional high-load (≥65% 1 repetition maximum [1RM]) back squat protocol with 3 sets of low repetitions (≤10). The LO group completed the squat exercise using a relatively light load (≤30% 1RM) for 1 set of 30 repetitions and 3 sets of 15 with 30 seconds of rest between sets. The LO + BFR group followed the same protocol as LO, but did so with blood flow restricted. One repetition maximum back squat tests were conducted before the start of the program and again on conclusion, the values of which were used as the dependent measure. A 3 × 2 (group × time) repeated-measures analysis of variance revealed a significant interaction (p = 0.043). Follow-up tests were conducted to explore the interaction. Paired-sample t-tests for each group indicated a significant increase in leg strength for the LO + BFR group (p = 0.005) but not for the HI (p = 0.142) or LO groups (p = 1.00). This suggests that a practical BFR training program may be effective in increasing 1RM squat performance of high school students.