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
Surprising Findings
Light load training (30% 1RM) produced greater hypertrophy than heavy training (60-85% 1RM) in trained athletes
Contradicts the common belief that heavy weights are necessary for muscle growth in trained individuals
Practical Takeaways
Consider incorporating blood flow restriction with light weights (30% 1RM) to target type I muscle fiber growth
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Light load training (30% 1RM) produced greater hypertrophy than heavy training (60-85% 1RM) in trained athletes
Contradicts the common belief that heavy weights are necessary for muscle growth in trained individuals
Practical Takeaways
Consider incorporating blood flow restriction with light weights (30% 1RM) to target type I muscle fiber growth
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.