You might not feel stronger right after this training, but your strength keeps going up for weeks after you stop — the best gains happen when you’re resting.

Scientific Claim

High-frequency, low-load blood flow-restricted resistance exercise is associated with a 6% increase in maximal strength (1RM knee extension) after 20 days of detraining in young adults, with peak gains occurring after training cessation.

Original Statement

“strength peaked after 20 days of detraining (6 ± 6%, P < 0.05)”

From study:Delayed myonuclear addition, myofiber hypertrophy, and increases in strength with high-frequency low-load blood flow restricted training to volitional failure.

Evidence Quality Assessment

Claim Status

overstated

Study Design Support

Design cannot support claim

Appropriate Language Strength

association

Can only show association/correlation

Assessment Explanation

The verb 'peaked' implies a causal sequence, but the study design cannot confirm causation. Strength change is an observed association, not a proven effect of BFRRE.

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

Delayed myonuclear addition, myofiber hypertrophy, and increases in strength with high-frequency low-load blood flow restricted training to volitional failure.

Cohort Study

Human

2019 Mar 1

After stopping the special low-weight, blood-flow-restricted leg exercises, participants got stronger — and their biggest strength gain happened 20 days later, not during training.

Contradicting (0)

No contradicting evidence found

Source Study

Delayed myonuclear addition, myofiber hypertrophy, and increases in strength with high-frequency low-load blood flow restricted training to volitional failure.

Score: 31

DOI: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00397.2018

Similar Assertions

If you lift heavy weights with either short or long breaks between sets—while doing the same total work—you’ll get about the same stronger in your leg muscles after 10 weeks.

78%

To get stronger, it matters more how heavy the weight is than whether you push to your absolute limit—lifting heavier weights makes you stronger, no matter if you stop short of failure.

76%

Even though people who trained one leg at a time ended up lifting heavier weights than those who trained both legs together, both groups ended up with the same muscle size and overall strength — so lifting heavier with one leg doesn’t automatically make you stronger overall.

74%

Even though drop sets make your thigh muscle grow more in some spots, they don’t make you stronger in a one-rep max or in a machine test than regular sets—both methods improve strength about the same.

73%

If you take only 20 seconds between sets, you can still lift the same total weight as someone taking 2 minutes—you just have to do more sets to make up for the shorter breaks.

73%