Whether the women did 75 reps total or did four sets until they couldn’t do more, their muscles reacted the exact same way—no difference in swelling, strength, or nerve signals.
Scientific Claim
In untrained women, two different blood flow-restricted exercise protocols (75 total repetitions vs. four sets to volitional failure) are associated with no differences in muscle swelling, torque, or neuromuscular responses over 96 hours post-exercise.
Original Statement
“There were no differences between conditions.”
Evidence Quality Assessment
Claim Status
appropriately stated
Study Design Support
Design cannot support claim
Appropriate Language Strength
association
Can only show association/correlation
Assessment Explanation
The phrase 'no differences between conditions' is a direct quote and appropriately framed as a descriptive observation. Causal or superiority claims are avoided, and verb strength is conservative.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
Muscle Swelling and Neuromuscular Responses Following Blood Flow Restricted Exercise in Untrained Women
The study found that two different ways of doing a special type of exercise with blood flow restriction caused the same amount of muscle puffiness, strength changes, and nerve responses in untrained women—so neither method was better or worse than the other.