Hemodynamic responses and energy expenditure during blood flow restriction exercise in obese population

Purpose The study investigated the acute effects of different initial restrictive pressures (IRP; tightness of cuffs before inflation with air) on heart rate (HR), systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), rating of perceived exertion (RPE), respiratory exchange ratio (RER) and energy expenditure (EE) during constant-load upright cycling. Methods In a within subject study design, 34 obese men (age = 24� 3, n = 18) and women (age = 23� 1, n = 16) completed three cycling sessions (two blood flow restriction and one control sessions). The cycling exercise was performed with an external load of 1kp at 50 rpm for 20 min with 1-min rest after the 10th-min. The blood flow restriction (BFR) cuffs were placed on the thigh of both legs during BFR sessions and IRP and IRP of ~40 or ~60 mmHg were applied in random order. Results There were significant condition 9 time interactions for HR, SBP, RPE and RER and time 9 gender interactions for HR and SBP. There were also significant condition and time main effects for HR, SBP, RPE and RER (P