ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Physiol.
Sec. Exercise Physiology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphys.2025.1620294
This article is part of the Research TopicImpact of Blood Flow Restriction Device Features and Methodological Considerations on Acute- and Longitudinal Responses to Blood Flow Restricted ExerciseView all 16 articles
Acute Effects of Blood Flow Restriction Training at Various Arterial Occlusion Pressures on Muscle Activation, Blood Lactate Responses, and RPE in Healthy Adult Males
Provisionally accepted
- 1Nanjing Xiaozhuang University, Nanjing, China
- 2Nanjing Sport Institute, Nanjing, China
- 3Anshan Normal University, Anshan, China
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Background: Blood flow restriction training (BFRT) can induce significant muscle activation and metabolic stress at low loads. However, the acute physiological and perceptual responses to different arterial occlusion pressures (AOPs) remain unclear. This study aimed to examine the effects of varying AOP levels on muscle activation, blood lactate concentration, and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) during low-load resistance exercise in healthy young males. Methods: Sixteen healthy males (20.4 ± 1.5 years) participated in a single-group, repeated-measures study. Each performed barbell back squats (20% 1RM) under four AOP conditions: 0%, 60%, 70%, and 80% AOP. Muscle activation (%MVC), blood lactate concentrations, and RPE were assessed. One-way and two-way repeated-measures ANOVAs were used to analyze the outcomes across pressure and time conditions. Results: Muscle activation increased significantly at 70% and 80% AOP compared to 0% and 60% (e.g., semitendinosus: F(3, 45) = 15.79, p < 0.001, ηp² = 0.51, 95% CI [0.14, 0.40]), with no difference between 70% and 80% AOP. Blood lactate concentrations increased significantly post-exercise under 70% and 80% AOP (F(3, 45) = 4.82, p = 0.005, ηp² = 0.24, 95% CI [0.03, 0.22]), although the main effect of pressure was not significant across time points (F(3, 45) = 1.63, p = 0.192, ηp² = 0.08, 95% CI [0.01, 0.13]). RPE increased progressively with pressure (F(1.80, 26.94) = 25.34, p < 0.001, ηp² = 0.63, 95% CI [0.28, 0.66]), and was highest at 80% AOP. Conclusions: 70-80% AOPs elicited greater acute neuromuscular and metabolic responses compared to lower pressures, with 70% AOP achieving similar physiological outcomes as 80% but with lower perceived exertion. These findings provide practical guidance for selecting relative occlusion pressures during BFRT. Further studies are warranted to explore long-term training adaptations at these pressures.
Keywords: Blood flow restriction training, Arterial occlusion pressure, muscle activity, Lactate, Ratings of perceived exertion, Repeated-measures ANOVA, Partial eta-squared
Received: 29 Apr 2025; Accepted: 11 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhu, Tan, Zhang, Li and Qi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Hu Qi, Nanjing Xiaozhuang University, Nanjing, China
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