Hytro Chats: Meet Dr Elliott Hall

Could you tell us a little bit about your background and who you’re working with?

Academically, my background involves a degree in sports and exercise science and a masters in sports physiology. I then went on to work in private health care and did a PhD at Liverpool University. That’s when I got the opportunity to start working with Rocky Fielding and David Price.

What were your experiences like at Madison Square Garden?

On fight night as an S&C coach, there actually isn’t much to do… but I would still experience the ring walk and having sky sports cameras in my face. And although it’s surreal, you do get used to it quite quickly and it’s an amazing thing to be involved in overall.

With regards to fight preparation, knowing that losing and cutting weight is significant for a lot of people, how do you go about that leading into a fight?

The boxers don’t spar until halfway through the fight camp as their weight is coming down. So at those stages, you don’t want to be hammering them with high intensity as by this point the sparring is the most important. If they spar brilliantly, they feel really good so that is key.

Had you ever heard of blood flow restriction training before this interview?

Yes, the first time I ever heard of it was while doing my masters. Some peers and I went into the gym and used a tourniquet to try different loads and really felt how it fatigued the muscle!

There is evidence to suggest that 20-30% of 1 rep max will create hypertrophy using BFR.

I can attest to the way that it feels and it is quite uncomfortable, but if you imagine the level of discomfort needed to gain hypertrophy from someone at 70% of their maximum and then for you to get the same benefits at 20%, you would still expect the need to challenge the body enough to get that level of discomfort.

Basically, it’s uncomfortable but not dangerous and it is definitely a good feeling as well!

For a lot of people the discomfort could be off-putting, but the benefits are clear so why wouldn’t you put yourself through that for those benefits?

Yes exactly, and especially if you’re an elite level athlete and you’re talking about getting back on the pitch quicker – that’s a sacrifice that you would be willing to make.