ABSTRACT
We investigated the acute effects of aerobic exercise with blood flow restriction (BFR) on mood state in American football athletes. Twenty-two male American football athletes were randomly assigned to three experimental conditions: 1) aerobic exercise (AE: 40% VO2max), 2) aerobic exercise with BRF (AEâ¯+â¯BFR: 40% VO2 max), and 3) high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE: 80% and 40% VO2max during exercise and the active intervals, respectively). Mood state and total mood disturbance (TMD) were assessed before, immediately post, and 1â¯h post-exerciser. Ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were measured 30â¯min post-exercise. AEâ¯+â¯BFR and HIIE significantly (pâ¯<â¯0.05) increased fatigue and tension compared to baseline immediately post-exercise, whereas vigor significantly (pâ¯<â¯0.05) decreased at the same time point for both conditions. TMD increased significantly (pâ¯<â¯0.05) for AEâ¯+â¯BFR and HIIE immediately post-exercise and it remained elevated up to 1â¯h post-exercise for AEâ¯+â¯BFR. AE did not significantly (pâ¯>â¯0.05) affect mood state or TMD and it was significantly (pâ¯<â¯0.05) lower than AEâ¯+â¯BFR and HIIE. AEâ¯+â¯BFR and HIIE also elicited significantly (pâ¯<â¯0.05) greater RPE levels than AE 30â¯min post-exercise. Therefore, AEâ¯+â¯BFR induces acute impairments in mood state and RPE levels in a similar fashion to HIIE.
