Muscle hypertrophy and strength improvements following blood flow restriction combined with resistance training in team-athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Huang Q, Xiao L, Zheng S, Meng L, Yue S. Ā· Frontiers in physiology Ā· 2026
Objective: The
Purpose: is to evaluate how blood flow restriction (BFR) and resistance training (RT), influence muscle adaptation and sports performance in team-athletes.
Methods: Preferred Reporting Program for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines are adhered to in the conduct of this study. From the beginning to September 11, 2025, a thorough literature search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and SPORTDiscus. Subsequently, a random-effects meta-analysis was performed to synthesize data on muscle adaptation and sports performance.
Results: The meta-analysis included 12 studies involving 859 team-athletes.
Results indicated that, compared to RT alone, the addition of BFR significantly induced muscle hypertrophy (SMD = 0.32, 95% CI: 0.05 to 0.58, P = 0.02, IĀ² = 4%) and improved muscle strength (SMD = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.18 to 0.66, P
Conclusion: BFRT slightly improves the muscle hypertrophy and strength of team-athletes, but has no significant increase in explosive power output such as jumping and sprinting. It can be used as a complementary means of load management, but should be interpreted with caution. The optimal prescription for transforming it into explosive power should be explored in the future.