Leg workouts with tight bands make muscles puff up but don't hurt them
Muscle Swelling and Neuromuscular Responses Following Blood Flow Restricted Exercise in Untrained Women
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Women did leg exercises with bands around their thighs. Their muscles got bigger right after, but went back to normal by the next day. Their strength got better over the next few days, and their muscles didn't get damaged.
Surprising Findings
Strength increased by 12% over 96 hours without any change in nerve signaling (sEMG).
Common belief: strength gains require increased neural activation. This study shows strength improved even though the nervous system’s output stayed flat.
Practical Takeaways
Use BFR leg extensions with light weights (30% MVIC) for 75 total reps—no need to train to failure—to boost strength without soreness.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Women did leg exercises with bands around their thighs. Their muscles got bigger right after, but went back to normal by the next day. Their strength got better over the next few days, and their muscles didn't get damaged.
Surprising Findings
Strength increased by 12% over 96 hours without any change in nerve signaling (sEMG).
Common belief: strength gains require increased neural activation. This study shows strength improved even though the nervous system’s output stayed flat.
Practical Takeaways
Use BFR leg extensions with light weights (30% MVIC) for 75 total reps—no need to train to failure—to boost strength without soreness.
Publication
Journal
Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport
Year
2024
Authors
C. Proppe, P. Rivera, David H. Gonzalez-Rojas, David H. Fukuda, Abigail T Wilson, Hansen A. Mansy, Ethan C. Hill
Related Content
Claims (7)
Muscle swelling following resistance training returns to baseline within 24 hours, regardless of training volume (7–21 sets per session).
Even though the muscles got puffy right after exercise, there was no sign of muscle damage or inflammation in the ultrasound images for the next four days.
Even though the muscles got stronger, the way the nerves activated the muscles didn’t change at all during the recovery period.
Surprisingly, right after doing these tough leg exercises with bands, the women got stronger over the next few days—not weaker, as you might expect.
After doing leg exercises with tight bands around the thighs, the muscles in the front of the thighs get temporarily puffy right after, but go back to normal by the next day.