title: Comparisons between low-intensity resistance training with blood flow restriction and high-intensity resistance training on quadriceps muscle mass and strength in elderly.
abstract: High-intensity resistance training (HRT) has been recommended to offset age-related loss in muscle strength and mass. However, part of the elderly population is often unable to exercise at high intensities. Alternatively, low-intensity resistance training with blood flow restriction (LRT-BFR) has emerged. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of LRT-BFR and HRT on quadriceps muscle strength and mass in elderly. Twenty-three elderly individuals, 14 men and 9 women (age, 64.04 ± 3.81 years; weight, 72.55 ± 16.52 kg; height, 163 ± 11 cm), undertook 12 weeks of training. Subjects were ranked according to their pretraining quadriceps cross-sectional area (CSA) values and then randomly allocated into one of the following groups: (a) control group, (b) HRT: 4 × 10 repetitions, 70-80% one repetition maximum (1RM), and (c) LRT-BFR: 4 sets (1 × 30 and 3 × 15 repetitions), 20-30% 1RM. The occlusion pressure was set at 50% of maximum tibial arterial pressure and sustained during the whole training session. Leg press 1RM and quadriceps CSA were evaluated at before and after training. A mixed-model analysis was performed, and the significance level was set at p ≤ 0.05. Both training regimes were effective in increasing pre- to post-training leg press 1RM (HRT: ∼54%, p < 0.001; LRT-BFR: ∼17%, p = 0.067) and quadriceps CSA (HRT: 7.9%, p < 0.001; LRT-BFR: 6.6%, p < 0.001); however, HRT seems to induce greater strength gains. In summary, LRT-BFR constitutes an important surrogate approach to HRT as an effective training method to induce gains in muscle strength and mass in elderly.
authors.affiliation: 1Laboratory of Neuromuscular Adaptations to Strength Training, School of Physical Education and Sport, University of São Paulo; 2Laboratory of Exercise Physiology, School of Physical Education, State University of Campinas; and 3Department of Physical Education, Center of Biological Sciences and Health, Federal University of São Carlos-UFSCar.
authors.forename: Felipe C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Vechin
authors.forename: Cleiton A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Libardi
authors.forename: Miguel S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Conceição
authors.forename: Felipe R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Damas
authors.forename: Manoel E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Lixandrão
authors.forename: Ricardo P B
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Berton
authors.forename: Valmor A A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Tricoli
authors.forename: Hamilton A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Roschel
authors.forename: Claudia R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Cavaglieri
authors.forename: Mara Patricia T
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Chacon-Mikahil
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ugrinowitsch
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D062186:Arterial Pressure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D053580:Muscle Strength; D064797:Physical Conditioning, Human / Q000379:methods* / Q000502:physiology*; D052097:Quadriceps Muscle / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000502:physiology*; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology; D055070:Resistance Training / Q000379:methods*; D016909:Tibial Arteries / Q000502:physiology