What is occlusion training?

There was a day not so long ago when we didn’t know we need protein to fuel muscle growth.  Popeye thought spinach would work. We didn’t know that progressive overload followed by adequate recovery is the best conventional lifting protocol for muscle growth.  Today, every gymgoer who seeks a better physique knows protein, progressive overload and adequate recovery are the three cornerstones of an effective gym programme.

The time has come to add the fourth cornerstone – occlusion training.  Why?  Because years of scientific research tell us that it is the only legal shortcut to bigger muscles.  Because if you don’t practice occlusion training, you’re not maximizing your potential.  Because you don’t want to be left behind.

What’s the difference between occlusion and Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) Training?  There is none.  They mean exactly the same thing.

Occlusion means obstructing or blocking the flow of something. Occlusion training is training while partially blocking blood flow out of the muscle, without blocking blood flow into the muscle. Visualise it.  Water flows into the sink faster than it drains out. Water pools in the sink. The same thing happens in the muscle.  Blood pools in the muscle and you get pumped. In fact, you get pumped like never before.

Occlusion Training Benefits

Now comes the science.  You don’t need to remember this part, so feel free to skip to the next paragraph if you’re not the academic type.  All you need to know is that it works and you’re missing out.  Blood pooling in the muscle creates a hypoxic (low oxygen) environment in the muscle. That fools your body into thinking the muscle is working harder than it really is.  Your body starts overproducing hormones and other metabolites that accelerate muscle repair and growth.  Your body also recruits more muscle fibres faster and puts them to work.

As a result, you get bigger and stronger faster. You recover from your workout faster. Your muscular and cardiovascular endurance improve faster.  Don’t believe us?  See what the experts say or read the science for yourself.

Getting the Right Occlusion Training Bands

The key to effective occlusion training is to use the right width occlusion band, positioned in the right place on your arm or leg, tightened to the right pressure to perform the right occlusion training protocol.  If you don’t do those four things, it won’t work. Even worse, you might hurt yourself.

Why isn’t everyone doing it?  Until Hytro launched its BFR wearables business this year, there was no safe, convenient, affordable and effective way for gymgoers to perform occlusion training programmes on their own. Strength and conditioning coaches working with elite sports clubs have been using occlusion training with their athletes for many years.  But they use occlusion bands with pneumatic and other devices to create and maintain pressure.  The products are expensive (beyond the reach of most people) and they require professional supervision to use safely and effectively.

There are far cheaper occlusion bands available for sale.  You may have seen people in the gym strapping occlusion bands around their arms or legs. While some cheaper products are designed and manufactured in alignment with the science, many aren’t.  People who use them often position the bands in the wrong place or make them too tight or not tight enough, so they are neither safe nor effective.  If you’re sure you know what you’re doing and you have time during your workout to fuss with bands, you can purchase them and apply them yourself.  If you want to be sure you’re doing it right or you don’t want the fuss, using Hytro BFR wearables and including Hytro occlusion training protocols in your workout is the only solution.  If you follow our simple and easy to remember safety guidelines, Hytro BFR wearables are safe, effective, and comfortable and make you look good on and off the gym floor.

Why are we so sure it works?  Because there are many dozens of recent, reliable scientific studies that prove it works.  Because the world’s top S&C coaches and performance athletes know it works. We can’t find any reliable scientific studies that prove herbal pills will boost your testosterone or that a keto diet is better than other diets.  We don’t believe in gym floor mythology, and neither should you.  We believe in facts demonstrated by real science.

Stay tuned to Hytro for our upcoming articles on the benefits of occlusion training and on optimal occlusion training protocols to outlift, outperform and out impress your friends.

Whether you want a head-turning physique or optimal performance on the pitch, you can’t afford not to incorporate occlusion training into your exercise routine.