Key result
Low-load resistance training with blood flow restriction did not result in myofiber hypertrophy but produced comparable increases in muscle cross-sectional area to high-load resistance training.
Why the study?
Data examining myofiber hypertrophy from low-load resistance training with blood flow restriction in females were lacking.
Does 6 weeks of low-load resistance training with blood flow restriction improve myofiber hypertrophy and muscle cross-sectional area compared to high-load resistance training in untrained males and females?
Does 6 weeks of low-load resistance training with blood flow restriction improve myofiber hypertrophy and muscle cross-sectional area compared to high-load resistance training in untrained males and females?
Low-load resistance training with blood flow restriction produces similar increases in muscle cross-sectional area as high-load resistance training in untrained individuals, despite not causing myofiber hypertrophy.
Should not yet change training prescriptions; leaves open mechanisms of BFR-induced CSA gains in untrained adults.
This is the first study, to our knowledge, to examine myofiber hypertrophy from low-load resistance training with blood flow restriction (BFR) in females. Although this type of training did not result in myofiber hypertrophy, there were comparable increases in muscle cross-sectional area compared with high-load resistance training. These findings possibly highlight that males and females respond in a similar manner to high-load resistance training and low-load resistance training with BFR.
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Reece et al. (2023) studied this question. low-load resistance training with blood flow restriction vs. high-load resistance training was evaluated on myofiber hypertrophy and muscle cross-sectional area. Low-load resistance training with blood flow restriction did not result in myofiber hypertrophy but produced comparable increases in muscle cross-sectional area to high-load resistance training.
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