Abstract
The study aimed to analyze the effect of different levels of blood flow restriction
(BFR) on energy expenditure (EE) and subjective perceptions of discomfort (SPD) during
aerobic exercises. A sample group of 24 young men was required to walk on a treadmill
for 14 min at 40% of their maximum speed, with 4 different percentages of BFR (0,
50, 80 and 100%) applied in the lower limbs (LL) once a week with a 7-day interval
between the 4 evaluations. EE data were collected during the exercise periods; SPD
data were collected after the exercises. There was a significant increase in EE at
50, 80 and 100% BFR compared to the condition without BFR, and between 50 and 100%
BFR; however, there were no differences between 50 and 80% and 80 and 100% BFR. Discomfort
showed a significant increase according to the increase in BFR. During the walking
exercises with BFR, the EE strongly increased until 50% of BFR; after this level the
additional increases slowed. It can be concluded that when performing aerobic exercises
with BFR, there is no need to use BFR levels above 50% to reach satisfying level of
EE with only a moderate level of discomfort to the practitioner. This study was registered
in the Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials (REBEC) under number RBR-3XHSJX.
Key words
aerobic exercise - therapeutic occlusion - energy metabolism - oxygen consumption
- exercise
