Author(s): STOLBERG, M., MOHAMMAD, M., HUYNH, D., BRUNET, S., LEMIRE, J., DUSSAULT, T., YACOUB, C., GARZON, M., BERDAHL, A., LALONDE, F., COMTOIS, A., Institution: UQAM, Country: CANADA, Abstract-ID: 2732

INTRODUCTION:
Musculoskeletal (MSK) health declines in sedentary adults on Earth and astronauts on long-duration missions in space. Countermeasures maintaining MSK health include high-intensity resistance training (HIRT). HIRT may be contraindicated for returning astronauts and sedentary adults due to injury risk. Blood flow restriction (BFR) with low-intensity resistance training (LIRT) is safe and effective in improving muscle mass and strength. LIRT can be a practical solution for home-based (HB) training. HB programs may be limited in resistance equipment availability. Fitness programs in space must circumvent gravity-dependent training modalities. In both cases, effective remote monitoring is crucial for appropriate programing. The purpose of the study is to investigate the effectiveness of a remotely monitored training using elastic bands combined with blood flow restriction in improving MSK health.
METHODS:
4 healthy adults (3 females and 1 male), 38.3.0 ± 12.4 years old with BMI 23.7 ± 7.1 kg/m2 participated in a HB, remotely monitored, 8-week BFR LIRT program, using elastic bands. Training 3 times per week at 30 % of 1 repetition maximum (1RM) with 40 - 65 % limb occlusion pressure (LOP) applied to cuffs of training limbs. 2 upper and 2 lower limb exercises were performed for 4 sets (30 - 15 - 15 - 15) for a total of 75 repetitions per exercise with 30 s rest between sets. Pre and post assessments included 30 s sit to stand test, handgrip strength (HGS) and 1RM in leg and chest press. Hedges’ g effect sizes (ES) were used to assess magnitude of change.
RESULTS:
30 s sit to stand improvements were medium (23.3 ± 1.9 vs. 27.0 ± 7.8 reps, ES = 0.58), HGS improvements were small (75.7 ± 16.7 vs. 80.8 ± 22.0 kg, ES = 0.23), 1RM improvements were medium in leg press (82.0 ± 19.4 vs. 100.1 ± 29.1 kg, ES = 0.63) and changes in chest press were trivial (80.3 ± 31.7 vs. 76.4 ± 32.2 kg, ES = 0.10).
CONCLUSION:
Our preliminary results suggest that a HB, remotely monitored, 8-week BFR LIRT program, using elastic bands, is effective in improving functional capacity and upper and lower body strength.