Y. Takarada et al., Effects of resistance exercise combined with moderate vascular occlusion on muscular function in humans, J APP PHYSL, 88(6), 2000, pp. 2097-2106
Acute and long-term effects of resistance exercise combined with vascular o
cclusion on muscular function were investigated. Changes in integrated elec
tromyogram with respect to time (iEMG), vascular resistive index, and plasm
a lactate concentration were measured in five men either during or after el
bow flexion exercises with the proximal end of the arm occluded at 0-100 mm
Hg. The mean iEMG, postexercise hyperemia, and plasma lactate concentration
were all elevated with the increase in occlusion pressure at a low-intensi
ty exercise, whereas they were unchanged with the increase in occlusion pre
ssure at high-intensity exercise. To investigate the long-term effects of l
ow-intensity exercise with occlusion, older women (n = 24) were subjected t
o a 16-wk exercise training for elbow flexor muscles, in which low-intensit
y [similar to 50-30% one repetition maximum (1 RM)] exercise with occlusion
at similar to 110 mmHg (LIO), low-intensity exercise without occlusion (LI
), and high- to medium-intensity (similar to 80-50% 1 RM) exercise without
occlusion (HI) were performed. Percent increases in both cross-sectional ar
ea and isokinetic strength of elbow flexor muscles after LIO were larger th
an those after LI (P < 0.05) and similar to those after HI. The results sug
gest that resistance exercise at an intensity even lower than 50% 1 RM is e
ffective in inducing muscular hypertrophy and concomitant increase in stren
gth when combined with vascular occlusion.