Muscle Media Magazine

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    What's Hot

    What do you bring to the table…?

    Estrogen, Oral Contraceptives AND Muscle Growth

    The Dynamic Warm-Up

    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Facebook Instagram RSS
    Muscle Media Magazine
    Subscribe Login
    • Store
    • Our Magazine
      • Magazine Download Desktop
      • Magazine Download Mobile
      • Apple News
    • TRAINING
      1. Fitness class
      2. Gym equipment
      3. Routines
      4. Sport equipment
      5. View All

      The Importance of Working Your Core Muscle

      You Need More Than Aerobic Exercise

      Exercise Videos At Home

      All About Working The Transverse Abdominals

      Rowing Machine, Exercise Equipment

      Free Weights vs. Machine Exercise

      Training With a Stability Ball

      Buying An All-In-One Home Gym

      Arm Exercise

      Get Minutes Of Fitness Exercise

      5 Super Simple Exercise Tips

      The Importance of Working Your Core Muscle

      Exercise Equipment Options

      Training With a Stability Ball

      Equipment for Home Exercise

      Amazing Kettlebell Workout Produces Superior Results

      Estrogen, Oral Contraceptives AND Muscle Growth

      The Dynamic Warm-Up

      Get Up Get Outside Get Moving

       Benefits of Hypertrophy Training

    • DATING

      6 Tips For Safe Online Dating

      Single Dads, 8 Dating Rules

      Your Digital Spring Date

      3 Things That Can Save You When You Don’t Know What To Say

      “Tools” For Picking-Up Girls

    • HEALTH & WELLNESS
      1. BODY
      2. DIET & NUTRITION
      3. MIND
      4. MOTIVATION
      5. SPIRIT
      6. TOPICS FOR MEN
      7. View All

      Are  SARMs the future of sport performance?

      Preventing Age-Related Muscle Loss

      Sleep & Athletic   Performance

      Antihistamines  &  Physical Activity

      Timing Your Nutrition

      Performance Supplementation

      Why go Raw?

      Amino Acids in Food

      Preventing Age-Related Muscle Loss

      Making Exercise More Fun

      Mirror, Mirror on the Wall… Body Image

      Hypnosis Weight Loss: Stop the “Weighting”

      Preventing Age-Related Muscle Loss

      Get Minutes Of Fitness Exercise

      5 Super Simple Exercise Tips

      Child Exercise Equipment

      Preventing Age-Related Muscle Loss

      Making Exercise More Fun

      Spiritual Growth: Spiritual Challenges of Modern Times

      Hypnosis Weight Loss: Stop the “Weighting”

      Timing Your Nutrition

      Preventing Age-Related Muscle Loss

      Antihistamines  &  Physical Activity

      Single Dads, 8 Dating Rules

      Timing Your Nutrition

      Mental Strengthening for Athletes with Injuries

      Are  SARMs the future of sport performance?

      Preventing Age-Related Muscle Loss

    • DIET & NUTRITION
      • LOSE WEIGHT
      • RECIPES
    Muscle Media Magazine
    Home»TRAINING & FITNESS»Blood Occlusion Training: Key to Kickstarting Your Muscle Growth
    TRAINING & FITNESS

    Blood Occlusion Training: Key to Kickstarting Your Muscle Growth

    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr WhatsApp VKontakte Email
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    Have your arms stopped growing? Are you stuck in a rut, doing the same old bicep exercises over and over and not seeing results? If you answered yes to these questions, then listen up, I am going to tell you about a technique that could be the key to kick starting your muscle growth. This training protocol is called blood occlusion training, or blood flow restriction training.

    By Noah Bryant

    What is blood occlusion training?

    Blood occlusion training is not new, it has been around for a couple of decades and the science behind it has been well researched. Blood occlusion training involves restricting the venous flow of blood from the muscle, while still allowing arterial flow to the muscle (remember venous flow returns blood to the heart and arterial flow takes blood from the heart to the muscles). Basically, you want the blood to pool in the muscle and not be able to escape. To achieve this blood occlusion, we simply wrap above the muscle we want to work with some type of band or wrap (knee wraps seem to be the easiest to use).

    The beauty of this type of training is that you can use much lighter weights and receive the same hypertrophic benefits as lifting traditionally with heavier weights. Studies have shown significant increases in muscle development when low-load lifting (in the 20-30% of 1RM range) is used in conjunction with blood occlusion.

    Why is this finding important? Well, using lighter weights is much easier on your joints and ligaments. So, you are making gains while also giving your joints a much needed reprieve from constant pounding that can lead to injury.

    How to do it?

    There are many different ways to wrap your arm for blood occlusion training, the easiest way I have found is to use a pair of knee wraps. You want to wrap as high as possible on the bicep to get the full benefit. The wrap should be long enough to circle the arm a couple of times.

    Now the tricky part, how tight should you wrap? Like I said before, you want to cut off the venous flow but not the arterial flow. This means you want it tight, but not too tight. For bicep occlusion try to wrap at about 70% of maximum tightness. In the beginning you should error on the side of too loose rather than too tight. With a little bit of trial and error you will be able to find that sweet spot.

    When to do it?

    Blood occlusion training is most effective in single-joint, isolation movements. So go through your normal exercises and use the occlusion training as a finisher. You want to use a very light weight, in the 20-30% 1RM range. Really, that light. You are going to have to suck up your pride a little bit and grab the pink dumbbells at the end of the rack.

    For this type of training we want the reps to be high. The first set should be in the 25-30 rep range. Because of the occlusion and the short rest periods, the subsequent sets will consist of lower reps. The last two sets should be performed until muscular failure. Aim for a total of 3-5 sets with 45 seconds rest in between each set. It is important that you do not unwrap in between sets, keep your arm wrapped up for the entire 3-5 sets!

    If your routine is stale and your arms just don’t seem to grow, give blood occlusion training a try!

    Sample Bicep Workout

    First you want to go through your compound and heavier movements for the day.

    Load up the EZ-Curl bar with 30% of your 1RM.
    Wrap up those arms like I described above, as high on the bicep as possible.

    Perform the first set of seated preacher curls for 30 reps.
    Rest 45 seconds.
    Perform 15-20 reps.
    Rest 45 seconds.
    Lift until muscular failure
    Rest 45 seconds.
    Lift until muscular failure.

    Sample Tricep Workout

    Pick a light weight (20-30% 1RM) for tricep rope pushdowns.
    Wrap up those arms as high on the bicep as possible.

    Perform the first set of tricep pushdowns for 30 reps.
    Rest 45 seconds.
    Perform 15-20 reps.
    Rest 45 seconds.
    Lift until muscular failure
    Rest 45 seconds.
    Lift until muscular failure.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr WhatsApp Email
    Previous ArticleAdvanced Training- Program Beginner No More
    Next Article Fighting for My Life – The Story of a Cancer Survivor

    Related Posts

    Estrogen, Oral Contraceptives AND Muscle Growth

    The Dynamic Warm-Up

    Get Up Get Outside Get Moving

     Benefits of Hypertrophy Training

    Comments are closed.

    infinitelabs digital
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Vimeo
    Don't Miss
    DR TOM - GOT A MINUTE
    DR TOM - GOT A MINUTE

    What do you bring to the table…?

    This is one of the questions I most often ask of my patients and clients.…

    Estrogen, Oral Contraceptives AND Muscle Growth

    The Dynamic Warm-Up

    Timing Your Nutrition

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from SmartMag about art & design.

    infinitelabs digital
    Facebook Instagram
    • Advertise with us
    • Contact Us
    • Muscle Media Magazine App Downloads
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Write for Muscle Media
    © 2023 musclemediaonline.com | All rights designed. Designed by Infinite Labs Digital.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Sign In or Register

    Welcome Back!

    Login to your account below.

    Lost password?