The Effects of Vascular Occlusion Training on Respiratory Exchange Ratio and Energy Expenditure When Coupled With Cardiovascular Training

Vascular occlusion training is a novel training modality that has received considerable attention in the exercise science literature. The current study is the first of its kind to look at the effects of vascular occlusion training on substrate utilization when combined with aerobic training. This study examined the effects of pairing a vascular occlusion training protocol with a bout of submaximal aerobic exercise on energy expenditure (EE) and fuel use during exercise. Subjects performed a 20 minute bout of sub-maximal aerobic exercise either exclusively, or after performing a body weight squat protocol either with or without vascular occlusion. Peak lactate concentrations, EE and respiratory exchange ratio (RER) were all measured. A repeated measures analysis of variance was performed to look at differences among groups and interactions among protocols. The results suggest no difference in peak lactate (7.29 mmol/dl vs. 10.17 mmol/dl; F=0.946; p>0.05) or EE (92.09 Kcals vs 93.48 Kcals; F=0.898 p>0.05) among protocols. However, there does appear to be a shift in substrate utilization towards fatty acid oxidation by performing either a vascular occlusion training protocol (mean RER= 0.836) or a protocol of body weight squats (mean RER= 0.823) prior to aerobic training in comparison to performing aerobic training alone (mean RER= 0.881). There were, however, no significant differences between the occlusion protocol and the body weight squat protocol prior to the aerobic training. These results suggest that while there are no differences in overall caloric expenditure between protocols, performing either a resistance training protocol or a vascular occlusion training protocol shifts substrate utilization in favor of fatty acid oxidation over the oxidation of carbohydrates.