Strength is vital if you want to stay active and healthy even as you age. There are many ways to gain strength, and they all require that you develop muscle mass. While it is true that there are various muscle and strength building exercises you can try, your body might not be ready for any intensive workout routines. This is where you will find blood flow restriction training really useful.
What Is Blood Flow Restriction?
When you engage in any weight training routines, you may actually do blood flow restriction to enhance the ability of your body to develop muscles. This is done by wrapping around a band on either your upper arm or upper thigh.
If you haven’t done any blood flow restriction training yet, you will be surprised to know that it allows for the development of strong and huge muscles without requiring you to lift heavy weights.
A number of studies have also been conducted to look into the effects and benefits of blood flow restriction training for older people. Although traditional weight training exercises are effective for developing muscle size and strength, they are usually not suitable for older people. With the emergence of blood flow restriction, however, it is now possible for older people to gain bigger and stronger muscles without the need for heavy lifting.
How Does BFR Work for Older Individuals?
A study was conducted to see how blood flow restriction may work for aging people. In the study, there were a total of 23 participants, who had an average of 64 years old. They were divided into three groups, and were made to take part in a program that lasted for 12 weeks.
The control group was not required to do any exercise, while the heavy-resistance training group was made to do a regular weight lifting routine. Lastly, the blood flow restriction group did weight lifting sets but with just 20 to 30 percent of their max. the BFR group performed their workouts with their restriction bands on. The bands were tightened to 50 percent of their arterial blood pressure.
The Results
The participants in the blood flow restriction group turned out to have the most considerable gain of muscle size. This is the same result that came out of other studies involving younger participants.
Training with Restriction Bands
According to fitness experts, you don’t have to go to the gym all the time to perform weight training exercises to have bigger muscles. In fact, the use of Blood Flow Restriction Bands from BFR Bands while you are walking is good for strengthening and growing your muscles on your legs. So all you need is a good quality blood flow restriction band, and you will be in your way to bigger and stronger muscles and body.
