Low-intensity resistance exercise with blood flow restriction significantly reduced systolic (-5.5%), diastolic (-11.5%), and mean blood pressure (-8.8%) over 60 minutes (p≤0.05).
RCT (n=24)
randomized
Does low-intensity resistance exercise combined with blood flow restriction reduce blood pressure post-exercise in normotensive young men compared to other exercise protocols?
Low-intensity resistance exercise combined with blood flow restriction induces significant post-exercise hypotension in normotensive young men, comparable to or greater than high-intensity resistance exercise.
p-value: p=≤0.05
The effects of low-intensity resistance exercise (RE) combined with blood flow restriction (BFR) on blood pressure (BP) are an important factor to be considered because of the acute responses imposed by training. The aim of this study was to compare the hypotensive effect of RE performed with and without BFR in normotensive young subjects. After 1 repetition maximum (1RM) tests, 24 men (21.79 ± 3.21 years; 1.72 ± 0.06 m; 69.49 ± 9.80 kg) performed the following 4 experimental protocols in a randomized order: (a) high-intensity RE at 80% of 1RM (HI), (b) low-intensity RE at 20% of 1RM (LI), (c) low-intensity RE at 20% of 1RM combined with partial BFR (LI + BFR), and (d) control. Analysis of systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was conducted over a 60-minute period. The 3 RE protocols resulted in hypotensive SBP (HI = -3.8%, LI = -3.3%, LI + BFR = -5.5%) responses during the 60 minutes (p ≤ 0.05). The LI + BFR protocol promoted hypotensive (-11.5%) responses in DBP during the 60 minutes (p ≤ 0.05), and both the HI and LI + BFR protocols resulted in mean blood pressure (MBP) hypotension between 30 (-7.0%, -7.7%) and 60 minutes (-3.6%, -8.8%), respectively. In conclusion, postexercise hypotension may occur after all 3 exercise protocols with greater reductions in SBP after HI and LI + BFR, in DBP after LI + BFR, and in MBP after HI and LI + BFR protocols.
Neto et al. (2014) conducted an RCT in normotensive (n=24). Low-intensity resistance exercise combined with partial blood flow restriction (LI + BFR) vs. High-intensity RE, low-intensity RE, and control was evaluated on Systolic blood pressure (SBP) response over 60 minutes (p=≤0.05). Low-intensity resistance exercise with blood flow restriction significantly reduced systolic (-5.5%), diastolic (-11.5%), and mean blood pressure (-8.8%) over 60 minutes (p≤0.05).