Dong-il Seo

The effect of acute blood-flow-restricted resistance exercise on postexercise blood pressure

Introduction:  Blood‐flow‐restricted (BFR) exercise is an emerging type of exercise that may be particularly beneficial to elderly or special populations. These populations may also benefit from reductions in blood pressure (BP). The effect of BFR exercise on postexercise BP has not been examined; this should first be examined in a young, healthy population as a preliminary investigation.

Jump test performance and sarcopenia status in men and women, 55 to 75 years of age.

Background and Purpose:Jumping mechanography uses maximal countermovement jumps to test obtain such as jump power (JPow). Recently, it has been shown to be a safe method for assessing muscle function in older adults; however, little is known about the relationships between JPow, muscle strength, and sarcopenia status. The purpose of this study was to examine jump performance, muscle strength, and sarcopenia status in older adults. Methods:This was a cross-sectional study that included men (n = 27) and women (n = 33) (55–75 years) recruited from the general community. Participants completed health status and physical activity questionnaires. Body composition, including appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM), bone free lean body mass, and relative skeletal muscle mass index, were assessed by total body dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scans. The criteria for sarcopenia were relative skeletal muscle mass index values less than 7.26 kg/m2 for men and less than 5.45 kg/m2 for women. Three vertical jumps on a jump mat were performed to assess JPow, jump velocity (JVel), and jump height (JHt). Muscle strength was measured by 1RM testing for leg press (LP) and right and left hip abduction isotonic resistance exercises. Results:Sarcopenia was found in 20% (12/60) of the participants. Jump power was significantly lower (P = .001) in the sarcopenia group than in the normal group, 651.1 (41.7) W versus 851.0 (27.4) W, respectively. Jump power and JHt were significantly (P < .01) positively correlated (r = 0.54−0.77) with ASM and bone free lean body mass. Significant (P < .01) positive correlations (r = 0.43−0.70) were also reported between jump test variables (JPow, JVel, JHt) and muscle strength (LP, right and left hip abduction). Discussion:The jump test protocol was conducted safely with no injuries or balance issues. Our finding of lower JPow in sarcopenic individuals adds new information to the existing literature on age-related declines in muscle power. Conclusion:Community-dwelling individuals classified as sarcopenic had significantly lower JPow but not muscle strength compared with their counterparts with normal amounts of muscle mass. Jump test variables were positively correlated with lean tissue and lower body muscle strength. Based on our findings, JPow may be useful for sarcopenia screening in the middle-aged and older adults; however, more research is needed to determine the utility of this method in clinical populations.

Effects of 4 weeks of traditional resistance training vs. superslow strength training on early phase adaptations in strength, flexibility, and aerobic capacity in college-aged women.

Kim, E, Dear, A, Ferguson, SL, Seo, D, and Bemben, MG. Effects of 4 weeks of traditional resistance training vs. superslow strength training on early phase adaptations in strength, flexibility, and aerobic capacity in college-aged women. J Strength Cond Res 25(11): 3006–3013, 2011—This study compared SuperSlow resistance training (SRT) to traditional resistance training (TRT) during early phase adaptations in strength, aerobic capacity, and flexibility in college-aged women. Subjects were randomly assigned to SRT (n = 14); TRT (n = 13); or control (CON; n = 8) groups. To equalize training times, TRT trained 3 times per week for 25 minutes each session, whereas SRT trained twice a week for 35 minutes each session. Both groups trained for 4 weeks, whereas the CON group maintained normal daily activities. Workouts consisted of 5 exercises: shoulder press, chest press, leg press, low row, and lat pull down. The SRT group completed 1 set of each exercise at 50% 1RM until momentary failure with a 10-second concentric and a 10-second eccentric phase. The TRT group completed 3 sets of 8 repetitions at 80% 1RM for each exercise, with 4 seconds of contraction time for each repetition. Groups were statistically similar at baseline. There was a significant (p ≤ 0.01) time main effect for flexibility with the greatest improvements occurring for the training groups (SRT 14.7% and TRT 11%). All strength tests had significant (p ≤ 0.01) time main effects but no group or group by time interactions. Both training groups had large percent improvements in strength compared to CON, but the large variability associated with the SRT group resulted in only the TRT group being significantly different from the CON group. In conclusion, percent improvements were similar for the TRT and SRT groups, but only the TRT group reached statistical significance for the strength improvements, and both groups were equally effective for improving flexibility.

Comparing the Effects of 3 Weeks of Upper-Body Vibration Training, Vibration and Stretching, and Stretching Alone on Shoulder Flexibility in College-Aged Men

Abstract Ferguson, SL, Kim, E, Seo, D, and Bemben, MG. Comparing the effects of 3 weeks of upper-body vibration training, vibration and stretching, and stretching alone on shoulder flexibility in college-aged men. J Strength Cond Res 27(12): 3329–3334, 2013—This study compared the effects of 3 weeks of upper-body vibration training, vibration and stretching, and stretching alone on shoulder flexibility in college-aged men. Twenty-one men were randomly assigned to vibration-stretching (VS; n = 8), vibration only (VO; n = 6), or stretching only (SO; n = 7) groups that trained 3 times per week for 3 weeks. All 3 groups performed 9 total sets of 30-second stretches. The VS group performed four 30-second upper-body vibration exercises and five 30-second upper-body stretching exercises. The VO group performed nine 30-second upper-body vibration exercises. The SO group performed nine 30-second upper-body stretching exercises. Shoulder flexion (SF), shoulder extension (SE), and shoulder transverse extension (STE) were assessed by a Leighton Flexometer and back scratch tests bilaterally (BSR, BSL) were measured via tape measure. A 1-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) evaluated groups at baseline and a 2-way repeated-measures ANOVA evaluated the interventions over time. At baseline, there were no group differences in age, height, or weight. There was a significant (p < 0.01) time main effect for each flexibility outcome variable (SF: +6.1%, +3.9%, +3.4%; SE: +8.9%, +13.5%, +26.9%; STE: +12.8%, +8.7%, +24.3%; BSR: +4.4 cm, +3.4 cm, +3.1 cm; BSL: +3.6 cm, +2.3 cm, +6.1 cm) for SO, VO, and VS, respectively. Shoulder extension was the only variable that showed a significant (p < 0.05) interaction effect for group by time. In conclusion, vibration training, alone or combined with stretching, is a viable alternative to a standard stretching routine when attempting to increase shoulder flexibility. Adding vibration training to a flexibility regimen may improve the likelihood of regularly performing flexibility sessions because of increased variety.

Comparative Effects of Vigorous-Intensity and Low-Intensity Blood Flow Restricted Cycle Training and Detraining on Muscle Mass, Strength, and Aerobic Capacity

Abstract Kim, D, Singh, H, Loenneke, JP, Thiebaud, RS, Fahs, CA, Rossow, LM, Young, K, Seo, D-i, Bemben, DA, and Bemben, MG. Comparative effects of vigorous-intensity and low-intensity blood flow restricted cycle training and detraining on muscle mass, strength, and aerobic capacity. J Strength Cond Res 30(5): 1453–1461, 2016—Traditional high-intensity aerobic training has been shown to improve muscle protein synthesis and aerobic capacity; however, recent research indicates that low-intensity aerobic training with blood flow restriction (BFR) may have similar effects. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of vigorous-intensity (VI) cycling vs. low-intensity cycling with BFR (LI-BFR) on muscle mass, strength, and aerobic capacity after training and subsequent detraining. Thirty-one physically active subjects were assigned to one of 3 groups: VI (n = 10, 60–70% heart rate reserve [HRR]), LI-BFR (n = 11, 30% HRR with BFR at 160–180 mm Hg), and no exercise control (n = 10, no exercise). Subjects in VI and LI-BFR cycled 3 times per week for 6 weeks (total 18 sessions). Body composition, muscle mass, strength, and aerobic capacity were measured pre, post, and after 3 weeks of detraining. A group × time interaction (p = 0.019) effect for both knee flexion and leg lean mass was found. For both VI and LI-BFR groups, knee flexion strength was significantly increased between pre and post (p = 0.024, p = 0.01) and between pre and 3 week-post (p = 0.039, p = 0.003), respectively. For the LI-BFR group, leg lean mass was significantly increased between pre and 3 week-post (p = 0.024) and between post and 3 week-post (p = 0.013). However, there were no significant differences between groups for any variables. The LI-BFR elicits an increase in the knee flexion muscle strength over time similar to the VI. An increase in the leg lean mass over time was seen in the LI-BFR, but not in VI and CON.

Effects of 4 Weeks of Horseback Riding on Anxiety, Depression, and Self-Esteem in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Background and Objective: There is no report on the effects of horseback riding on children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the effects of 4 weeks of horseback riding on anxiety, depression, self-esteem, attention, and learning disorder in children with ADHD. Material and Methods: Subjects comprised a convenience sample of 10 children aged 10-12 years with ADHD and 10 children without ADHD. Horseback riding sessions were performed 2 times (40 minutes/day) per week for 4 weeks. Before and after the horseback riding program, we measured the children’s anxiety, depression, self-esteem, attention, and learning disorder. The pre-test and post-test scores were analyzed with repeated-measures analysis of variance. Results: After participating in the 4-week horseback riding program, anxiety (p = 0.013), depression (p = 0.007), attention (p < 0.001), and learning disorder (p < 0.001) were significantly improved in the ADHD group compared to the control group. However, self-esteem was not significantly different between the two groups (p=0.096). Conclusion: These results indicate that the 4-week horseback riding program used in this study was very effective for significantly improving anxiety, depression, and attention in children with ADHD.