Occlusion Training – Can It Work for Women?

Would you believe if I told you that you can get stronger and bigger muscles doing less work and lifting less weight? You would probably not believe me, and may even think I am to offer you some sort of muscle gain formula. Well, the purpose of this post is to introduce to you this popular trend in muscle building - restricted blood flow training. Essentially, this training method makes use of a light tourniquet or an elastic band to restrict blood flow to a working muscle.

Is Occlusion Training a Proven Effective Method?

When it comes to efficacy and effectiveness of occlusion training results, several studies have been conducted and proven that occlusion training produces similar results to those of traditional high-load training. The study conducted by Moore et. al. showed that blood restriction training can increase muscle strength, and can also improve neuromuscular functioning. Meanwhile, Yamanaka et. al. discovered that occlusion training results in increased muscle strength and hypertrophy.

Occlusion Training and Metabolic Accumulation

Researchers also found that doing restricted blood flow training can enhance metabolic accumulation. This means that the restriction band you use to wrap your muscles keeps all the metabolic products of exertion in the muscles instead of letting them get flushed out of the body. As a result, there is a release of anabolic growth factors, as well as increased production of protein.

Can Occlusion Training Replace Heavy Lifting?

While a number of research studies produce positive occlusion training results, it is important to remember that this kind training should not be used as a replacement for heavy lifting. Occlusion training chest exercises, for instance, are an ideal therapy for those people who aren’t able to lift heavy loads.

How to Incorporate Occlusion Training into Your Exercise Routine

Using an elastic restriction band like BFR Restriction Bands, the first thing to do is wrap it around the joint right above the muscle you wish to train. The band should be tied tightly enough to obstruct blood flow, but not to cut off the blood supply totally.

Occlusion training is often incorporated with body weight isometric training. For example, when you do a set of pushups, you may occlude at the shoulders, and then hold your pushups for about 10 seconds at different angles throughout the movement. And during your weight training, you may go for 50% of your max, which won’t be as difficult for you to do.

Occlusion or restricted blood flow training may be extremely difficult and very uncomfortable. But then again, this is a relatively easy method for growing bigger and stronger muscles. This method is easy to do as well. All you need to have is a reliable muscle wrap, such as BFR’s blood flow restrictionbands.