The Short-Term Effects of an Exercise Protocol Incorporating Blood Flow Restriction and Body Cooling in Healthy Young Adults

Blood flow restriction (BFR) and body cooling (BC) have been investigated separately during exercise, but little is known about their concurrent use. This study examined acute metabolic responses, respiratory physiology, and rate of perceived exertion (RPE) during interval training (IT) performed with combined BFR and BC (VASPER ON) compared with IT without BFR and BC (VASPER OFF). It was hypothesized that VASPER ON would elicit greater physiological demands. A total of 7 female and 19 male participants (20.2 ± 2.4 years) completed a 21-min IT exercise. In VASPER ON, the participants wore cuffs that simultaneously applied BFR and BC. Total oxygen consumption (TVO2), total carbon dioxide production (TVCO2), total breaths (BRTH), and total ventilation (TVE) were measured during exercise (EX) and for 10 min post-exercise (Post-EX). RPE was recorded during EX. During EX, TVE and ventilatory equivalents for both oxygen and carbon were significantly higher in VASPER ON. Post-EX, all variables remained significantly elevated in VASPER ON except for the ventilatory equivalent for carbon dioxide. Sprint interval RPE was significantly lower in VASPER OFF. These findings suggest that concurrent BFR and BC increase post-exercise metabolic and ventilatory demands without attenuating each other’s effect.