Introduction: Ischemic preconditioning (IPC) has been explored as a strategy to enhance physical performance due to its effects on vasodilation, oxygen transport, and energy metabolism. However, findings on its effectiveness in anaerobic exercises remain inconsistent, and most studies have employed longer protocols of three to four cycles. Therefore, investigations into shorter protocols (two cycles) are necessary to assess their feasibility and potential practical application. This study analyzed the effect of IPC protocols with different durations on the lower-limb performance of recreational futsal athletes. Methods: A total of 16 athletes completed five visits to the laboratory. The ankle-arm index and anthropometric measures were taken on the first visit. Participants were also familiarized with the vertical countermovement jump (CMJ) protocol. On the subsequent visits, the participants were randomly allocated and counterbalanced to perform the following protocols: (i.) four IPC cycles; (ii.) three IPC cycles; (iii.) two IPC cycles; (iv.) no IPC cycles (control). The cuff remained inflated on both lower limbs at an external pressure of 220 mm Hg during the ischemic period (5 min) and was deflated during the reperfusion period (5 min). After the protocols, the CMJ test was performed for 60 s, and the following variables were analyzed: jump height (cm), minimum, average, and peak power (W), and the fatigue index (%). Results: There was no significant difference between the IPC protocols for any of the analyzed variables: mean height ( P = 0.52), minimum power ( P = 0.34), mean power ( P = 0.46), peak power ( P = 0.92), and fatigue index ( P = 0.18). Conclusion: It is concluded that the tested IPC protocols do not seem to maximize lower-limb performance in recreational athletes, regardless of the number of ischemia-reperfusion cycles.
Ribeiro et al. (Wed,) studied this question.