Blood Flow Restriction Training Makes Specific Muscle Fibers Bigger
Type 1 Muscle Fiber Hypertrophy after Blood Flow–restricted Training in Powerlifters
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 542 / 90
Evidence Score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. Considered the gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 542 / 90
Evidence Score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. Considered the gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Publication
Journal
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise
Year
2019
Authors
Thomas Bjørnsen, M. Wernbom, Alexander Kirketeig, G. Paulsen, Lars Samnøy, L. Bækken, D. Cameron-Smith, S. Berntsen, T. Raastad
Related Content
Claims (5)
Lifting lighter weights with more reps might make your slow-twitch muscles grow bigger than lifting heavier weights with fewer reps.
When top powerlifters do a special type of exercise that limits blood flow to their muscles, their thigh muscle size grows almost 8% bigger—way more than the tiny growth from normal workouts.
When powerlifters do squats with restricted blood flow using lighter weights, it makes their slow-twitch muscle fibers grow bigger by 12%, while regular training doesn't change muscle fiber size.
When top powerlifters do a special type of weight training that restricts blood flow, it makes their slow-twitch muscle fibers grow more cell nuclei by 18%, but normal weight training doesn't do this.
For top powerlifters, two types of weight training—one that restricts blood flow and one that doesn't—both leave fast-twitch muscle fibers the same size after training.