Blood flow restriction accelerates aerobic training-induced adaptation of (V) over dotO2 kinetics at the onset of moderate-intensity exercise

It is unclear whether blood flow restriction (BFR) accelerates the adaptation of the time constant (tau) of phase II oxygen uptake (<(V) over dot>O-2) kinetics in the moderate-intensity exercise domain via moderate-intensity aerobic training. Therefore, healthy participants underwent moderate-intensity [45-60% <(V) over dot>O-2 Reserve] aerobic cycle training with or without BFR (BFR group, n=9; CON group, n = 9) for 8 weeks to evaluate O-2 kinetics during moderate-intensity cycle exercise before (Pre) and after 4 (Mid) and 8 (Post) weeks of training. Both groups trained for 30 min, 3 days weekly. BFR was performed for 5 min every 10 min by applying cuffs to the upper thighs. The tau significantly decreased by Mid in the BFR group (23.7 +/- 2.9 s [Pre], 15.3 +/- 1.8s [Mid], 15.5 +/- 1.4s [Post], P < 0.01) and by Post in the CON group (27.5 +/- 2.0 s [Pre], 22.1 +/- 0.7 s [Mid], 18.5 +/- 1.9 s [Post], P < 0.01). Notably, the BFR group's tau was significantly lower than that of the CON group at Mid (P < 0.01) but not at Post. In conclusion, BFR accelerates the adaptation of the <(V) over dot>O-2 kinetics of phase II by moderate-intensity aerobic training.

Automated summary

This study aimed to investigate whether blood flow restriction (BFR) during moderate-intensity aerobic training can accelerate the adaptation of the time constant (tau) of phase II oxygen uptake (<(V) over dot>O-2) kinetics in the moderate-intensity exercise domain. The results showed that tau significantly decreased in the BFR group at the mid-point of training, while the CON group showed a decrease at the end of training. The BFR group had significantly lower tau than the CON group at the mid-point, but there was no significant difference between the two groups at the end of training.