Doing heavy weights followed by light weights with restricted blood flow might help power athletes build more muscle by keeping muscle growth signals turned on longer.

Doing a mix of heavy lifting and light lifting with restricted blood flow—switching between them each week—might help your muscles recover faster and grow bigger, especially the powerful ones used in sports.

You can make your muscles grow bigger by lifting very light weights if you restrict blood flow to your arm or leg — it tricks your body into thinking you’re lifting heavy.

For people who exercise casually but aren’t trained, doing light weightlifting with blood flow restriction helps grow fast-twitch muscle fibers almost as much as lifting heavy weights — and after 6 weeks, the difference between the two isn’t big enough to matter.

For most people, lifting light weights with blood flow restriction builds muscle just as well as lifting heavy weights — making it a great option if you can't lift heavy.

If you can't lift heavy weights because of an injury or illness, doing light weight exercises while squeezing your limbs tight might still help you get stronger — and that could be a good option for people in rehab.