Abstract:
Purpose of this study was to determine if partial vascular occlusion of working musculature during all out cycling on an ergometer would improve peak-power output, as measured during a Wingate Test. Subjects were separated into three training groups: a low-load occluded group (LLO, n=7), a low-load free-flow group (LL, n=7) and a high-load free flow group (HL, n=7). The low-load groups (LL and LLO) trained twice a week at 45% of the resistance used during their Wingate test, while the high-load group (HL) trained twice per week at 95% of the resistance used during Wingate testing. Training involved short sprint intervals at a maximum cadence ranging in time from 4 to 10 seconds per repetition, and 4 to 8 repetitions per session. After 10 training sessions, subjects in the LLO group and subjects in a HL group both improved significantly from pre to post testing in relative peak power (watts/kilogram) by 14.4% and 14.1% respectively, while individuals in the LL group saw no significant improvement in relative peak power (4.6%). The LLO group improved significantly over the LL (p = .041), while the HL group’s improvement, compared to the LL group, nearly reached significance (p = .082). Utilizing low-load training under partially occluded conditions during sprinting on a cycle ergometer results in significant improvement to relative peak power output.
