Acute High Intensity Interval Training and Blood Flow Restriction

NCT ID: NCT05835544

Last Updated: 2024-04-03

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 24 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2022-08-01
• Study Completion Date: 2022-12-31

Brief Summary

The study aims to look at the blood flow restriction (BFR) + high intensity interval training (HIIT) variables to induce an optimal acute training stimulus (i.e., acute responses in main outcome measures of muscular activation, muscular deoxygenation, and secondary outcome measures of heart rate (HR), blood lactate (bLa), subjective ratings of perceived exertion and discomfort)

The hypotheses for this study are: (i) BFR increases muscular deoxygenation, muscular activation when HIIT exercise is of the same intensity, (ii) however, comparing between a lower BFR + HIIT exercise intensity (e.g. 80% V̇O2max) and higher HIIT exercise intensity (e.g. 100% V̇O2max), muscular deoxygenation and activation will be similar but HR will be lower in the BFR + HIIT condition.

Detailed Description

This study revolves around the optimisation of blood flow restriction (BFR) and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) protocols for the racket sport athlete. The study aims to look at the BFR + HIIT variables to induce an optimal acute training stimulus. This can be achieved with the consideration of two main research questions: (i) What is the ideal combination of BFR cuff pressure and exercise intensity (i.e. cycling) to elicit favourable training stimuli, i.e., acute responses in main outcome measures of muscular activation, muscular deoxygenation, and secondary outcome measures of heart rate (HR), blood lactate (bLa), subjective ratings of perceived exertion and discomfort?; (ii) How does BFR + HIIT compare with traditional HIIT at a similar or higher exercise intensity in terms of these acute responses?

The hypotheses for this study are: (i) BFR increases muscular deoxygenation, muscular activation when HIIT exercise is of the same intensity, (ii) however, comparing between a lower BFR + HIIT exercise intensity (e.g. 80% V̇O2max) and higher HIIT exercise intensity (e.g. 100% V̇O2max), muscular deoxygenation and activation will be similar but HR will be lower in the BFR + HIIT condition.

Conditions

Activity, Motor

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Primary Study Purpose: OTHER
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

HIIT Control

High intensity interval cycling

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Active Comparator: HIIT Control

Intervention Type: OTHER

Complete 3 sets of five repetitions of 30 seconds cycling at 100% of maximal aerobic power with 30 seconds of active unloaded recovery between repetitions; 3 minutes of passive rest between sets.

HIIT + BFR between cycling sets

High intensity interval cycling with blood flow restriction applied between sets of cycling

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Experimental: HIIT + BFR between cycling sets

Intervention Type: OTHER

Complete 3 sets of five repetitions of 30 seconds cycling at 100% of maximal aerobic power with 30 seconds of active unloaded recovery between repetitions; 3 minutes of passive rest between sets. Blood flow restriction is applied for 2 minutes during the passive rest at 80% of limb occlusion pressure.

HIIT + BFR moderate occlusion during cycling

High intensity interval cycling with moderate blood flow restriction applied during cycling

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Experimental: HIIT + BFR moderate occlusion during cycling

Intervention Type: OTHER

Complete 3 sets of five repetitions of 30 seconds cycling at 70% of maximal aerobic power with 30 seconds of active unloaded recovery between repetitions; 3 minutes of passive rest between sets. Blood flow restriction is applied during and between exercise repetitions at 50% of limb occlusion pressure and deflated during passive rest periods.

HIIT + BFR high occlusion during cycling

High intensity interval cycling with high blood flow restriction applied during cycling

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Experimental: HIIT + BFR high occlusion during cycling

Intervention Type: OTHER

Complete 3 sets of five repetitions of 30 seconds cycling at 70% of maximal aerobic power with 30 seconds of active unloaded recovery between repetitions; 3 minutes of passive rest between sets. Blood flow restriction is applied during and between exercise repetitions at 80% of limb occlusion pressure and deflated during passive rest periods.

Interventions

Active Comparator: HIIT Control

Complete 3 sets of five repetitions of 30 seconds cycling at 100% of maximal aerobic power with 30 seconds of active unloaded recovery between repetitions; 3 minutes of passive rest between sets.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Experimental: HIIT + BFR between cycling sets

Complete 3 sets of five repetitions of 30 seconds cycling at 100% of maximal aerobic power with 30 seconds of active unloaded recovery between repetitions; 3 minutes of passive rest between sets. Blood flow restriction is applied for 2 minutes during the passive rest at 80% of limb occlusion pressure.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Experimental: HIIT + BFR moderate occlusion during cycling

Complete 3 sets of five repetitions of 30 seconds cycling at 70% of maximal aerobic power with 30 seconds of active unloaded recovery between repetitions; 3 minutes of passive rest between sets. Blood flow restriction is applied during and between exercise repetitions at 50% of limb occlusion pressure and deflated during passive rest periods.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Experimental: HIIT + BFR high occlusion during cycling

Complete 3 sets of five repetitions of 30 seconds cycling at 70% of maximal aerobic power with 30 seconds of active unloaded recovery between repetitions; 3 minutes of passive rest between sets. Blood flow restriction is applied during and between exercise repetitions at 80% of limb occlusion pressure and deflated during passive rest periods.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Male
• Age: 18-40 years
• Competed in competitive varsity sports (endurance, tennis, badminton, squash, football, basketball, etc.) at the varsity/club level
• Actively training for at least 2 sessions (1 - 1.5h) per week
• Healthy (free from illnesses) and no musculoskeletal injuries for the past 6 months
• No history of cardiometabolic, vascular diseases or similar conditions (high blood pressure, peripheral vascular diseases, heart diseases, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, stroke, etc.).
• Pass pre-participation health screening tests - Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire for Everyone (PAR-Q+) and Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) pre-screening questionnaire (no history of any risk factors).
• Maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) of ≥40mmol/min/kg during a maximal aerobic cycling test.
• Non-smoker
• Drink alcohol less than 3 times each week and less than 3 drinks each time

Exclusion Criteria

• Any diagnosed form of cardiometabolic disease (CVD, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, hypertension)
• Any symptoms contraindication of exercise testing (eg chest pains)
• Any balance or dizziness problems
• Any chronic medical conditions (whether medicated or not)
• Any bone joint problems
• Any Physician diagnosed contraindications to exercise

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 40 Years
• Eligible Sex: MALE
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Nanyang Technological University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Stephen Burns

Associate Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Stephen Burns, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Nanyang Technological University

Locations

Human Bioenergetics Laboratory, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University

Singapore, , Singapore

Countries

Singapore

References

Chua M, Sim A, Burns SF. Acute physiological and perceptual responses to three blood flow restricted interval exercise protocols: a randomised controlled trial. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2025 Jan 1;50:1-13. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2024-0423.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 39919270 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

IRB-2022-135

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id