Strength Training With and Without Blood Flow Restriction on Shoulder Muscle Strength in Healthy Adults

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare two types of shoulder strength training: low-load training with blood-flow restriction (BFR) and high-load training without BFR. The study includes healthy adults.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

Are changes in shoulder strength, power, endurance, and muscle mass similar with low-load BFR and high-load training?

Researchers will compare strength training with BFR to strength training without BFR to see whether changes in shoulder muscle performance are similar.

Participants will:

* Provide basic personal details, body measurements (e.g., height and weight), and a brief medical history before starting.
* Train in one of the two programs (BFR or no BFR) two times per week for 4 weeks.
* Complete tests of shoulder maximum strength, power, endurance, and muscle mass at the start and at the end of the protocol.

Conditions

• Resistance Training
• Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) Training Effects

Interventions

DEVICE

Low-load resistance training with Blood flow Restriction

Each session began with a warm-up including mobility and stretching exercises for the shoulders and upper limbs. During the first session, the one-repetition maximum (1RM) for each participant and exercise was determined using a failure-to-repetition method with applied coefficients. Training was performed at 30 percent 1RM, following a standardized sequence of three shoulder-targeted exercises (shoulder abduction, external rotation, Dumbbell Overhead Press), totaling 75 repetition per session (30/15/15/15), 30-second rest intervals per sets. Movements were executed at a controlled 4-sec. tempo (2 seconds concentric, 2 seconds eccentric). BFR was applied using pneumatic cuffs, maintained during each exercise, released for 60 seconds between exercises, and reapplied for the next. Participants rated exercise difficulty, including pain, tension, and numbness, using a 0-10 numeric scale, with protocol adjustments or session cancellation if symptoms exceeded 7/10.

OTHER

High-load resistance training.

Each session began with a warm-up including mobility and stretching exercises for the shoulders and upper limbs. During the first session, the 1RM for each participant and exercise was determined using a failure-to-repetition method with applied coefficients. Training was performed at 70 percent following a standardized sequence of three shoulder-targeted exercises (shoulder abduction and external rotation, and Dumbbell Overhead Press). Four sets of 8 to 10 repetitions were completed for each exercise, with 2-minutes rest between sets and exercises. Movement speed was moderate (1-second concentric, 2-second eccentric).

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Alice Maria da Costa Carvalhais

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Alice Carvalhais, PhD · Cooperativa de Ensino Superior, Politécnico e Universitário

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

40 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-04-08

Primary Completion

2024-05-30

Completion

2024-05-30

Countries

• Portugal

Study Locations