Occlusion training has received quite a bit of attention over the past two decades. If you are not familiar with the method, read Brad Schoenfeld’s article Blood Flow Restriction Training.
Yes, occlusion training can build muscle if implemented properly, but
there are some potential risks. Do the benefits outweigh the risks, and
is occlusion training even necessary?
A recent study
found that blood-flow restricted resistance training and low-load
traditional resistance training, when performed to fatigue, produce
equal muscle hypertrophy, which may partly rely on transient
exercise-induced increases in muscle water content.
Furthermore, in a prior discussion,
I mentioned a paper by Burd et al., 2012 suggesting that intensities as
low as 30% of maximum strength, when lifted to volitional fatigue, are
equally effective at stimulating muscle protein synthesis as heavier
training intensities (∼70%-80% of maximal strength).
It seems that occlusion training is not necessary. Low-intensity
resistance training conducted to volitional fatigue seems to do the job
just as well.
