Effects of resistance training programs with drop-set method and vascular occlusion on quadriceps: a systematic review

Abstract

Objective: The present study aims to systematically review the literature on the drop-set methods and Vascular Occlusion (Kaatsu training) on the quadriceps muscle, in order to summarize the possible applications of these two advanced methods in men. Materials and Methods: Searches for studies began on August 10, 2023 and ended on October 5, 2023 and were conducted in 5 electronic databases: PubMed, Scopus, Lilacs, web of Science and Scielo, carried out using the descriptors: “vascular occlusion”, “kaatsu training”, “blood flow restriction”, “drop-set”, “Strength Training”, “Resistance Training”, “resistance training methods”, “Training techniques”. The Boolean operators used were: AND, OR, NOT. Research that included male subjects, athletes or non-athletes, aged up to 50 years and the quadriceps femoris as the target muscle, was selected for inclusion in the review. 17 articles met the inclusion criteria and were part of the present review. Results: The results indicate that the vascular occlusion method is effective in obtaining gains in strength and hypertrophy using low loads, and that the drop-set method is not superior to traditional training, while all 17 studies included in this review showed some improvement in strength and hypertrophy using the drop-set and vascular occlusion methods. Conclusion: It is concluded that the drop-set method is effective in increasing training volume with a shorter training time, having results similar to traditional training, and the vascular occlusion method is effective in achieving gains in strength and hypertrophy similarly to training traditional high load, when worked with low load.