Learn how to shock your body to make sure it builds new muscle fibers. Scientists have proven the effectiveness of blood flow restriction training as a way to stimulate hypertrophy processes. Even if you think this approach to training is completely insane, research suggests otherwise. Today we will consider this issue in as much detail as possible.
To restrict the access of blood to the muscles, you will need a tourniquet or regular elastic bandage. Experienced athletes recommend using this technique at the end of the session. The exercises should first be done in a normal style with moderate to heavy loads. Only then can blood flow restriction training be performed using isolated movements.
Although now there are a large number of different training methods, they have a lot in common, because it is quite difficult to find something new. We are talking only about working systems right now, and if you want to try a new approach, then blood flow restriction training could be.
This is not a new system, it was actively used in Japan in the nineties. Most of the scientific research on this topic is dated precisely to this time. While there is ample evidence for the effectiveness of this approach, not many athletes are aware of it. Now we will try to change this situation and may even turn your idea of the organization of the training process upside down.
How does blood flow restriction workout work?
The training method that we are talking about now is to partially limit the flow of blood to the working muscle. To do this, a tight bandage (tourniquet) must be applied to the limb and dynamic exercises must be performed. As a result, you slow down the venous blood flow, practically without affecting the arterial one. The blood enters the muscle tissue and is retained in them.
Athletes are constantly looking for new ways to accelerate progress, and for many, blood flow restriction training may seem like a step backwards. It is not immediately possible to imagine what may be useful in limiting blood flow. It is important to remember that it is impossible to completely block the access of blood to the muscles.
As we have already said, it is necessary to slow down only the venous blood flow, but not arterial. At the moment, there are three mechanisms for the operation of this training methodology. Many of you have heard of pumping, but it is only possible to fully experience it during blood flow restriction workouts.
By blocking the outflow of blood, muscle fibers are overflowing with blood, and they need to explode or grow. You should also remember about the drop in oxygenation of the targeting muscles at the time of their overflow with blood. In response to this, the body begins to use large fast-type fibers in its work and activates the processes of hypertrophy. The third mechanism of operation of this technique is an increase in the concentration of lactic acid, which is a powerful stimulator of the growth of muscle tissue fibers.
We have already noted that in the nineties a large amount of research was carried out on this topic. Moreover, scientists used in their experiments not only athletes, but also sick, bedridden people. As a result, in bedridden patients, muscle wasting and weakening were prevented by restricting blood flow. It is quite clear that in such a situation, there could be no talk of any training.
Scientists have found that even simple walking with limited access to blood in the muscles of the legs can increase their strength and gain mass. However, the greatest results have been obtained with blood flow restriction training, when the muscles have to overcome significant resistance. Even when using moderate weights, the rate of hypertrophy processes increased by about a third. Note that in the early stages of training, this approach was more effective in comparison with the usual hard work when large weights are used.
How to do blood flow restriction training correctly?
Scientists have not yet revealed all the secrets of the hypertrophy process and believe that metabolic stress plays a major role here. Under this term it is necessary to understand the creation and accumulation of metabolites of energy processes, which actively proceed under the influence of physical activity. This is most clearly manifested at the moment when the muscles work in conditions of oxygen deficiency.
This is what we do with blood flow restriction training. The main metabolites that activate the processes of hypertrophy are lactate "lactic acid", hydrogen and inorganic phosphate ions. According to scientists, it is these substances that increase the anabolic background through the use of various methods of its activation, for example, accelerated synthesis of growth factors, edema of cell structures, etc.
Relatively recently, a report on a large-scale study devoted to this problem was published. This work was authored by renowned sports scientists Jeremy Lennecke and Jacob Wilson. They analyzed all possible aspects of occlusal training to find the optimal strategy for conducting blood flow restriction training.
In the course of the study, occlusal walking and lifting were compared (the work was carried out with weights of 20-40 percent of the maximum). As a result, scientists came to the conclusion that occlusal lifting is the optimal type of training for hypertrophy. However, walking with blood flow restriction should not be discounted.
This type of physical activity can be an excellent remedy for injury rehabilitation. In addition to all of the above, the authors of the study proved that a decrease in the duration of pauses between sets up to 30 seconds contributes to a more complete filling of muscle tissues with blood and increases the concentration of lactic acid.
It is also necessary to remember the work of Dr. Thibault, who conducted an independent study, the purpose of which was to determine the optimal mode of muscle contractions during training with blood flow restriction. They compared the concentric and eccentric phases of movement.
While in classical training the eccentric phase has the greatest effect on hypertrophy, the opposite results were obtained during training with blood flow restriction. It is the concentric phase that allows you to start the growth processes of muscle tissue and accelerate them. Based on the above, you should aim for maximum pumping and increasing lactate concentration.
How to apply a tight bandage correctly?
In the studies that we talked about above, special expensive accessories were used, the cost of which reaches several thousand dollars. They are pneumatic, which allows you to control the pressure of the device on the working limb. Scientists proceeded from the indicator of arterial systolic pressure and established from 160 to 200 millimeters of mercury.
However, you don't need to purchase all of these accessories to do blood flow restriction workouts. For solving the tasks set, an elastic bandage is quite suitable, the length of which allows you to wrap the limb several times. Actually, it is the length of the bandage that is the main requirement for the accessory. In addition, it must be correctly applied:
- shoulders - as high as possible on the biceps;
- hip - under the gluteal fold.
If you apply a bandage below the indicated places, then you will not be able to optimally slow down the venous blood flow, which will lead to a decrease in the effectiveness of the entire session.
How tight should the bandage be?
The bandage should be applied in the indicated places, but at the same time not cause discomfort. If you use a ten-point scale to assess your condition, then after using the bandage, it should correspond to the "seven". It will certainly take time for you to learn how to define it. Most often, after several attempts, athletes do everything right.
Once again, we remind you that you should only slow down the venous blood flow, without touching the arterial one. If the bandage is too tight, all circulation will stop, which can cause serious problems. It is also necessary to remember that the more work will be done in a lesson with blood flow restriction, the more active the growth of muscle tissue will be.
The width of the bandage is also important. In the course of studies, it was found that due to the use of wide cuffs, blood flow slows down with less pressure on the limb. This is what we advise you to do to get the best results. Most often, an elastic bandage is five centimeters wide and this will be quite enough.
As we discussed above, blood flow restriction training should be done at the end of the session. Also, you should not perform basic movements at this time, but limit yourself to isolated ones. The operating weight should be approximately one third of the maximum. As a result, in the first set, you must complete 20 to 25 repetitions. The pause between sets is 0.5 minutes to increase metabolic stress. Do not remove the bandage between sets, as metabolic stress will decrease and you will not get the results you want.
Learn more about blood flow restriction training in this story:
