IMPACT OF BLOOD FLOW RESTRICTION CUFF DESIGN ON UPPER BODY EXERCISE

https://youtu.be/r2VY-Op4Rvk INTRODUCTION: The disparities in cuff blood flow restriction (BFR) bladder design, specifically between single-chambered (SC-BFR) and multi-chambered (MC-BFR) configurations, may impact cardiovascular function, exercise performance, and compliance. Importantly, the potential adverse effects of MC-BFR and SC-BFR cuffs on vascular physiology in both healthy and clinical populations are currently undetermined. The purpose of this study was to compare SC-BFR versus MC-BFR cuff design on acute performance, perceptual, and cardiovascular outcome measures during four sets of upper body bilateral biceps curl exercise to volitional failure using recommended application BFR guidelines. METHODS: In a randomized cross-over design, twenty-six healthy physically active individuals (22.6±5.5 years old, 10 females; 25 reported engaging in resistance-exercise consistently) performed four sets of bilateral biceps curls to volitional failure using 20% of the 1-repetition maximum under three conditions: SC-BFR, MC-BFR, and a non-BFR control, post-exercise perceptual responses, and cardiovascular measures pre- and post-exercise. RESULTS: SC-BFR significantly reduced total repetitions compared to MC-BFR (Δ = -19.5; p = 0.002; 95% CI = -34.9 to -3.9) and N-BFR (Δ = -48.7; p < 0.001; 95% CI = -74.7 to -22.8). MC-BFR and N-BFR conditions demonstrated comparable performance in later sets. RPD was significantly higher in SC-BFR compared to MC-BFR and N-BFR (p < 0.001), while MC-BFR elicited lower RPE than SC-BFR (p = 0.025). Both SC-BFR and N-BFR conditions significantly reduced post-exercise diastolic blood pressure and mean arterial pressure, whereas MC-BFR did not. SC-BFR blunted post-exercise increases in carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (p = 0.328), whereas the other conditions showed elevations (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: SC-BFR induces greater repetition reduction and perceptual discomfort than MC-BFR, while neither affected metrics of arterial stiffness. Findings indicate that the cuff design plays a role in acute performance and perception-related responses but does not induce adverse cardiovascular responses; thereby creating opportunities for its application within cardiovascular populations.