2.4. Exercise protocols

The exercise load of 30% 1-RM was utilised by the CON and BFR groups, whereas the exercise load of 70% 1-RM was used by the RES group. The healthy limbs in each test required six sets of knee extension and flexion exercises utilising a sitting posture bending exerciser (HS-SLC, Life Fitness, Schiller Park, IL, USA) and a sitting leg extension exerciser (HS-LE, Life Fitness, Schiller Park, IL, USA). Both devices used similar movement modes that required the back of the body to be adjacent to the seat, holding the handles with both hands, and modifying the calf's force point to the ankle joint. The eccentric contraction and concentric contraction were 3 s each, each set was repeated 15 times, with 1 min interval between each set. For the BFR group, the participants were required to wear a pneumatic cuff with 70% AOP on their unaffected limbs (SC12L, Hokanson, Bellevue, WA, USA). This device assumed a straight cuff with a 12 × 124 cm in sized nylon sleeve on the outside. The cuff was worn on the upper third of the thigh (proximal end of the legs) during the exercise. Specifically, the cuff was adjacent to the lower limbs and perpendicular to the limbs when fastened. The device was detached upon completing the exercise [17].