can produce spectacular growth as well as leanness: They
occlude blood flow to the target muscle.
Size, Strength and Fat Burning
Scientists have been getting incredible muscle growth and
strength increases by blocking blood flow during workouts. It’s
called occlusion training. One study, reported in the Journal of
S t rength and Conditioning Researc h(15:362-366), applied
occlusion to the subjects’ forearms by placing a blood-pressure
c u ff on their upper arms for two minutes. The cuff was then
removed and the subjects did wrist curls. Results: Those who
had their blood flow impaired prior to exercise showed a 20
percent strength increase over the subjects who didn’t use the
blood-pressure cuff. Impressive, to say the least.
Wh at ab o ut m u sc le s iz e? R ob T ho bu r n ( ww w
. ro b t h o b u rn.com), an IRON MAN contributor and muscle-
science re s e a rc h e r, has been corresponding with Japanese
sci entists who h ave be en exper ime nting wi th occlusio n
techniques. Thoburn reported that Takashi Abe, Ph.D., got a 7
p e rcen t i n cre as e i n
quadriceps cro s s - s e c t i o n a l
a rea in f o ur m o nt h s wi t h
standard training, but when he
used occlusion, he got an 8
p e rce nt in cr eas e i n cro s s -
sectional are a —in only t wo
w e e k s !T h a t ’s right, slightly
better results in about one-
eighth the time—two weeks
as o p pos e d t o 1 6 w ee k s.
Continuous tension, as
Jonathan gets here with the
Forearm Bar, blocks blood flow
to the target muscle, and that
can result in extraordinary size
and strength gains as well as a
fat-burning aftereffect.