TABLE 2.
Reference (year) | Sample (n) | Exercises protocol | Cardiovascular outcomes | BFR protocol | BFRP adjusted yes/no (reason) | Main findings |
Healthy young adults | ||||||
Kim et al. (2009) | Young males (30) | Leg press, knee flexion, and knee extension (20% 1RM; 2 sets of 10 reps; 3x/week; 3 weeks) | AC, HR, SBP, and DBP | BFRP: 20% above systolic SBP; Cuff width: 5 cm | No (NR) | ↔ |
Credeur et al. (2010) | Young males and females (20) | Handgrip (60% MVC; 15 grips/min; 20 min; 3x/week; 4 weeks) | FMD and AD | BFRP:80 mmHg; Cuff width: 4 cm | No (NR) | ↓FMD and ↔ for other outcomes |
Evans et al. (2010) | Young males (9) | Heel raises (30% MVC; 4 sets of 50 reps; 3x/week; 4 weeks) | MFC | BFRP:150 mmHg; Cuff width: 15 cm | No (NR) | ↑MFC |
Patterson and Ferguson (2010) | Young females (16) | Heel raises (25–50% 1RM; 3 sets until failure; 3x/week; 4 weeks) | RH | BFRP:110 mmHg; Cuff width: NR | No (NR) | ↑RH |
Clark et al. (2011) | Young males and females (16) | Knee extension (30% 1RM; 3 sets until failure; 3x/week; 4 weeks) | PWV | BFRP:30% above SBP; Cuff width: 6 cm | No (NR) | ↔ |
Kacin and Strazar (2011) | Young males (10) | Knee extension (15% MVC; reps until failure; 4x/week; 4 weeks) | HR, SBP, and DBP | BFRP:230 mmHg; Cuff width: 13 cm | No (NR) | ↑DBP and ↔ for other outcomes |
Hunt et al. (2012) | Young males (9) | Handgrip (40% 1RM; 3 sets until failure; 3x/week; 4 weeks) | FMD and AD | BFRP:80 mmHg; Cuff width:13 cm | No (NR) | ↑AD and ↔ for other outcomes |
Fahs et al. (2012) | Young males (46) | Knee extension and knee flexion exercises (20% 1RM; 75 reps; 3x/week; 6 weeks) | AC, HR, SBP, DBP, and VCo | BFRP:160–200 mmHg; Cuff width: 5 cm | Yes (NR) | ↑VCo ↓DBP and ↔ for other outcomes |
Ozaki et al. (2013) | Young males (19) | Bench press (30% 1RM; 30 reps; 3x/week; 6 weeks) | AC, SBP, and DBP | BFRP:100–160 mmHg; Cuff width: 3 cm | Yes (to reduce arterial blood flow by 60% at rest and by 30% during exercise) | ↔ |
Hunt et al. (2013) | Young males (11) | Heel raises (30% of 1RM; 3 sets until failure; 3x/week; 6 weeks) | FMD and AD | BFRP:110 mmHg; Cuff width: 13 cm | No (NR) | ↑FMD ↑AD |
Fahs et al. (2014) | Young males and females (16) | Knee extension (30% 1RM; 2–4 sets until failure;3x/week; 6 weeks) | PWV | BFRP: 80% of total restriction pressure; Cuff width: 5 cm | No (NR) | ↑PWV |
Crisafulli et al. (2018) | Young males (17) | Handgrip (30% MVC; 30 reps per minute for 3 min; 3x/week; 4 weeks) | HR and MAP | BFRP:75–150% of SBP; Cuff width: NR | Yes (NR) | ↓MAP and ↔ for other outcomes |
Mouser et al. (2019) | Young males and females (40) | Biceps curl and knee extension (15% 1RM; 4 sets of 90 reps; 2x/week; 8 weeks) | VCo | BFRP: 40 and 80% of total restriction pressure Cuff width: 5 cm | No (NR) | ↑VCo |
Christiansen et al. (2020) | Young males (10) | Interval cycling (61–81% of MAPO; 3 sets of three 2-min bouts; 3x/week; 6 weeks) | AD | BFRP: 180 mmHg; Cuff width: 13 cm | No (NR) | ↑AD |
Early et al. (2020) | Young males and females (31) | Biceps curl, elbow extension, knee extension, leg curl and heel raise (30% 1RM; 3sets of 30 reps; 2–3x/week; 8 weeks | HR, SBP, DBP, and FMD | BFRP: 250 or 350 mmHg Cuff width: 5.5 or 7.0 cm | No (NR) | ↓SBP ↑FMD and ↔ for other outcomes |
Ramis et al. (2020) | Young males (28) | Elbow flexion and knee extension (30% 1RM; 4 sets of 21–23 reps; 3x/week; 8 weeks) | FMD | BFRP: 20 mmHg below SBP; Cuff width: 14–16 cm | No (NR) | ↑FMD |
Zhao et al. (2020) | Young males (24) | Elbow flexion (30% 1RM; 5 sets of 20 reps; 5xweek; 8 weeks) | HR, SBP, DBP, and MAP | BFRP: 65 or 130% of SBP; Cuff width: NR | No (NR) | ↓HR and ↔ for other outcomes |
Healthy middle-aged and older adults | ||||||
Ozaki et al. (2011) | Older males and females (23) | Treadmill walking (45% of heart rate reserve; 20 min; 4x/week; 10 weeks) | AC, HR, SBP, and DBP | BFRP:140–200 mmHg; Cuff width: 5 cm | Yes (to impose progressive overload in muscle and central circulation) | ↑AC and ↔ for other outcomes |
Patterson and Ferguson (2011) | Older males and females (10) | Heel raises (25% 1RM; 3 sets until failure;3x/week; 4 weeks) | RH | BFRP:110 mmHg; Cuff width: NR | No (NR) | ↑RH |
Yasuda et al. (2014) | Older males and females (19) | Knee extension and leg press (20–30% 1RM; 75 reps; 2x/week; 12 weeks) | FMD, HR, SBP, DBP, and AS | BFRP:120–270 mmHg; Cuff width: 5 cm | Yes (to achieve high levels of perceived effort). | ↑FMD and ↔ for other outcomes |
Yasuda et al. (2015a) | Older females (14) | Arm curl and triceps down (elastic resistance; 75 reps; 2x/week; 12 weeks) | HR, SBP, DBP, FMD, and AS | BFRP:120–270 mmHg; Cuff width: 3 cm | Yes (to achieve high levels of perceived effort). | ↔ |
Yasuda et al. (2015b) | Older males and females (17) | Arm curl and triceps down (Elastic resistance; 75 reps; 2x/week; 12 weeks) | HR, SBP, DBP, FMD, and AS | BFRP:120–270 mmHg; Cuff width: 3 cm | Yes (to achieve high levels of perceived effort). | ↔ |
Shimizu et al. (2016) | Older males and females (40) | Leg extension, leg press, rowing and chest press (20% 1RM; 3 × 20 reps; 3x/week; 4 weeks) | RH | BFRP: 100% of SBP Cuff width: 10 or 7 cm | No (NR) | ↑RH |
Kim et al. (2017) | Young and older males and females (27) | Handgrip (20% MVC; 3 sets until failure; 2x/week; 4 weeks) | VCo, HR, SBP, and DBP | BFRP:130% of SBP; Cuff width: 16 cm | No (NR) | ↑VCo and ↔ for other outcomes |
Junior et al. (2019) | Middle-aged males (21) | Treadmill walking (6 km⋅h–1, 5% grade; 5 sets of 3 min; 3x/week; 6 weeks) | HR and HRV | BFRP:80–100 mmHg; Cuff width: 18 cm | Yes (to allow participants to adapt to the BFRP during the early phase of the training) | ↓HR ↑HRV |
Ferreira Junior et al. (2019) | Middle-aged males (21) | Treadmill walking (6 km⋅h–1, 5% grade; 5 sets of 3 min; 3x/week; 6 weeks) | SBP, DBP, and HRV | BFRP:80–100 mmHg; Cuff width: 18 cm | Yes (to allow participants to adapt to the BFRP during the early phase of the training) | ↑HRV ↓SBP and ↔ for other outcomes |
Clinical populations | ||||||
Cezar et al. (2016) | Hypertensive females (23) | Wrist flexion (30% MVC; 3 sets until failure; 2x/week; 8 weeks) | HR, SBP, and DBP | BFRP:70% of SBP; Cuff width: NR | Yes; based on SBP (to adjust BFRP to SBP in each training session). | ↓SBP ↓DBP and ↔ for other outcomes |
Barbosa et al., 2018 | Patients with chronic kidney disease | Handgrip (40% MVC; 3 sets of 20 reps; 2x/week; 8 weeks) | AD | BFRP:50% of SBP; Cuff width: NR | No (NR) | ↑AD |
Kambič et al. (2019) | Patients with coronary artery disease (24) | Knee extensions (30–40% 1RM; 3 sets of 8–12 reps; 2x/week; 8 weeks) | HR, SBP, and DBP | BFRP:15–20 mmHg above systolic BP; Cuff width: 23 cm | Yes (NR) | ↓SBP and ↔ for other outcomes |
AC, arterial compliance; HR, heart rate; SBP, systolic blood pressure; DBP, diastolic blood pressure; BFRP, blood flow restriction pressure; MVC, maximal voluntary contraction; MAPO, maximal aerobic power output; FMD, flow-mediated dilation; AD, arterial diameter; MFC, microvascular filtration capacity; RH, reactive hyperemia; PWV, pulse wave velocity; VCo, vascular conductance; MAP, mean arterial pressure; AS, arterial stiffness; HRV, heart rate variability; NR, not reported; ↔ no significant differences; ↑ increased; ↓ decreased.