People who had never lifted weights before were split into two groups: one group lifted heavy weights normally, and the other lifted heavy weights while wearing bands that restricted blood flow. After 10 weeks, both groups got about the same amount stronger and their muscles grew about the same size — the difference wasn’t big enough to say one method was better than the other.

If you're new to lifting weights, heavy lifting makes you stronger faster than light lifting with blood flow restriction, but both methods build muscle about the same.

Some people build more muscle with heavy weightlifting alone, while others build more muscle when they add a special band to cut off some blood flow—so everyone might need a different kind of workout to get the best results.

People who already lift weights regularly get stronger and build more muscle from low-weight exercises with blood flow restriction than from heavy lifting, making BFR-RT a powerful tool for advanced athletes.

Doing heavy weightlifting with your legs squeezed to restrict blood flow doesn't make your muscles grow more than just doing heavy weightlifting normally — at least not for most people who haven't trained before.

Some people grow more muscle with regular heavy lifting, others grow just as much or more with heavy lifting plus blood flow restriction — there’s no one-size-fits-all answer.