Some time ago we talked about what was occlusive training and how should it be performed in a safe way. Occlusion is just one way to define when any duct becomes blocked. Its use on the airways and other organs should be avoided during training, but venous occlusion may be of ergogenic help.
Many studies talk about the restriction of blood flow and its effects on hypertrophy and strength, but it is not fully defined whether it is convenient or not. In a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research wanted to know for sure if occlusive training works.
What does venous occlusion involve?
The occlusion of a vein is simpler than it seems. Its creation is given by simple tourniquets and pressurized bracelets. The tight bandage squeezes (excuse the redundancy) the veins, and a pressurized cuff is something like what a doctor uses to control your blood pressure.
Of course, the amount of pressure used in occlusion is important. Restricting blood circulation must not be so strong as to cause arterial occlusion, as this would seriously impair the results. The arteries, which are pressurized by the heart, carry oxygenated blood to the muscles; while the veins return deoxygenated blood from the muscles. So less pressure is needed to block veins than to block arteries.
We cannot train at the same intensity
The result of blocking the veins and not the arteries is that blood pools in the muscles. This means that when we are in weight training, we improve strength and muscle size. While it is true, any normal strength training also produces the same results.
The striking thing is that while we usually train normally with an intensity between 60% and 100%, in occlusive training, we can only perform between 20% and 50%.
The pressure to be used depends on the size of the person, but when we use occlusion, any stimulus can produce an increase in size and force. It also appears to be effective on the muscles on both sides of the occlusion device as well. Meaning, if we wrap a tourniquet around your arm near your armpit and do a bench press, your triceps and pecs can also benefit.
The truth is that the reason why occlusion works remains to be determined. What science does assure is that it is quite safe, as long as we do it consciously.