THE EFFECTS OF FUNCTIONAL TRAINING WITH BLOOD FLOW RESTRICTION ON BODY COMPOSITION IN OLDER ADULTS
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Abstract
Background
Older adults experience age-related physiological declines across various body systems, notably the loss of muscle mass, reduced metabolic rate, and increased fat mass, which are linked to a higher risk of non-communicable diseases. While previous research demonstrates that resistance training effectively improves body composition, high-intensity training may increase the risk of injury in older adults. Therefore, functional resistance training combined with blood flow restriction (BFR) can stimulate muscle growth even with low-load resistance. However, research on this modality in older adults remains limited. Thus, this study aims to explore a safe and effective approach to improving body composition in this population.
Purpose
This study aimed to investigate the effects of functional resistance training combined with blood flow restriction on body composition in older adults.
Methods
Thirty-two elderly participants (65.92±3.67 years old) were divided into two groups: a control group (CON, n=16) and a functional resistance training with blood flow restriction group (FT-BFR, n=16). The CON group were maintaining daily routine activities. FT-BFR group were perform 8-week functional resistance training combined with blood flow restriction program consisted of 45-minute sessions, 3 days per week. The elastic band tightness was set at 40% arterial occlusion pressure (AOP). Body composition and physiological variables were assessed pre- and post-intervention. Statistical analyses included mixed-effects models to examine main effects and interactions between time and group, independent samples t-tests to compare percentage changes between groups, and effect size (ES) calculations to estimate the magnitude of differences.
Results
After 8 weeks, the FT-BFR group showed a significant increase in fat-free mass (2.08 ± 2.22, p=0.027) and significant decreases in body fat percentage (-1.92 ± 2.92, p=0.018) and resting heart rate (71.12 ± 4.96, p=0.013) when compared to the CON group.
Conclusion
Functional resistance training combined with blood flow restriction is a safe and effective method for improving body composition in older adults, offering a viable exercise alternative for this population.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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