Acute resistance exercise with blood flow restriction effects on heart rate, double product, oxygen saturation and perceived exertion

Summary The aim of this study was to compare the acute effect of resistance exercise (RE) with and without blood flow restriction (BFR) on heart rate (HR), double product (DP), oxygen saturation (SpO2) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE). Twenty‐four men (21·79 ± 3·21 years) performed three experimental protocols in a random order (crossover): (i) high‐intensity RE at 80% of 1RM (HI), (ii) low‐intensity RE at 20% of 1RM (LI) and (iii) low‐intensity RE at 20% of 1RM combined with partial blood flow restriction (LI+BFR). HR, blood pressure, SpO2 and RPE were assessed. The data were analysed using repeated measures analysis of variance and the Wilcoxon test for RPE. The results indicated that all protocols significantly increased HR, both immediately postexercise and during the subsequent 60 min (P