Effects of Blood Flow Restriction Training at Different Levels of Arterial Occlusion Pressure on Body Composition and Athletic Performance in Youth Soccer Players: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Qing L, Zhao T, et al. • Journal of sports science & medicine • 2026
Six weeks of low-load blood flow restriction training at both 40% and 60% arterial occlusion pressure improved lower-limb muscle mass, squat strength, and selected athletic performance in youth soccer players compared with low-load training without BFR, with 60% AOP producing greater gains in muscle mass and squat strength.
Key Findings
Results
Lower-limb muscle mass increased significantly in both BFRT groups after six weeks of training.
The 40% AOP group showed a mean change of 0.55 kg (95% CI: 0.13 to 0.97 kg, P = 0.010).
The 60% AOP group showed a mean change of 0.83 kg (95% CI: 0.37 to 1.29 kg, P < 0.001).
The 60% AOP group showed significantly greater gains than the control group (between-group difference = 1.48 kg, 95% CI: 0.40 to 2.56 kg, P = 0.008).
Training was performed at 30% of one-repetition maximum (1RM), three times per week for six weeks.
Results
Back squat 1RM improved significantly in both BFRT groups, with the 60% AOP group demonstrating superior strength gains compared with the 40% AOP group.
The 40% AOP group improved by a mean of 6.50 kg (95% CI: 3.90 to 9.10 kg, P < 0.001).
The 60% AOP group improved by a mean of 9.25 kg (95% CI: 6.75 to 11.75 kg, P < 0.001).
Between-group difference favoring 60% AOP over 40% AOP was 2.94 kg (95% CI: 0.20 to 5.68 kg, P = 0.048).
Results
Countermovement jump (CMJ) height improved significantly in both BFRT groups with no significant difference between the two pressure levels.
The 40% AOP group improved by a mean of 2.07 cm (95% CI: 0.80 to 3.34 cm, P = 0.002).
The 60% AOP group improved by a mean of 2.65 cm (95% CI: 1.00 to 4.30 cm, P = 0.003).
No significant differences were observed between the two BFRT groups (P > 0.05).
Results
T-test agility performance improved significantly in both BFRT groups with no significant difference between the two pressure levels.
The 40% AOP group improved by a mean of -0.23 s (95% CI: -0.35 to -0.11 s, P = 0.001).
The 60% AOP group improved by a mean of -0.26 s (95% CI: -0.38 to -0.14 s, P < 0.001).
No significant differences were observed between the two BFRT groups (P > 0.05).
Results
No significant changes in 30-m sprint performance were observed across any of the groups after the six-week intervention.
Sprint performance did not improve significantly in the 40% AOP group, 60% AOP group, or control group (all P > 0.05).
This finding held regardless of the level of arterial occlusion pressure applied.
The result indicates that low-load BFRT at either pressure level provided no additional benefit for sprint performance compared with low-load training without BFR.
Methods
The study randomized 24 male youth soccer players to three groups performing low-load resistance training under different blood flow restriction conditions.
Participants were randomly assigned to a 40% AOP group, a 60% AOP group, or a control group (n = 8 per group).
BFRT groups performed lower-limb resistance training at 30% of 1RM under corresponding pressure conditions.
The control group trained without blood flow restriction.
Training was conducted three times per week for six weeks.
Outcomes assessed included body composition, back squat 1RM, CMJ, T-test, and 30-m sprint performance before and after the intervention.
What This Means
This research suggests that strapping a cuff around the upper thigh to partially restrict blood flow during low-intensity leg exercises — a technique called blood flow restriction training (BFRT) — can help young soccer players build muscle and strength more effectively than the same low-intensity exercises without any restriction. Over six weeks of training three times per week, players using cuffs inflated to either 40% or 60% of the pressure needed to fully stop blood flow saw meaningful gains in leg muscle mass, squat strength, jump height, and agility compared to a group that trained the same way without cuffs. Importantly, the higher pressure level (60%) produced noticeably greater improvements in leg muscle mass and squat strength than the lower pressure level (40%), suggesting that cuff pressure matters when designing these programs.
However, the two cuff pressure levels produced similar improvements in jump height and agility, and neither level of restriction helped players sprint faster over 30 meters. This suggests that BFRT may be better suited to improving certain aspects of physical fitness — like strength and muscle size — than sprint speed, at least over a six-week period with this training approach. The use of low loads (only 30% of maximum strength capacity) combined with blood flow restriction is notable because it may offer a way to build muscle and strength with less mechanical stress on joints and tendons, which could be particularly useful during periods of heavy soccer training or injury recovery.
This research suggests that youth soccer programs looking to incorporate supplementary strength training might consider BFRT as a viable tool, and that using a moderately higher cuff pressure (60% of arterial occlusion pressure) may yield greater gains in muscle mass and strength than a lower setting, without additional benefit for sprint performance. The study's small sample size (8 players per group) means these findings should be interpreted with some caution, and future research with larger groups would help confirm these results.
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Qing L, Zhao T, Wang L, Zhu L, Dong C, Liu J, et al.. (2026). Effects of Blood Flow Restriction Training at Different Levels of Arterial Occlusion Pressure on Body Composition and Athletic Performance in Youth Soccer Players: A Randomized Controlled Trial.. Journal of sports science & medicine. https://doi.org/10.52082/jssm.2026.606