Hormonal
Low-intensity walk training (approx. 20% VO2max) combined with restricted venous blood flow (Kaatsu) induces significant muscle hypertrophy and strength gains in young men, whereas identical walking without blood flow restriction produces no changes.
If you cannot perform heavy resistance training, combining walking with blood flow restriction (using specialized cuffs) may stimulate muscle growth. This protocol involves walking at a slow pace (50 m/min) for short bouts (2 minutes) with rest periods, while wearing occlusion cuffs on the legs. This was shown to increase muscle size and strength in young men over 3 weeks, likely due to metabolic stress rather than mechanical load.
The results suggest that the combination of leg muscle blood flow restriction with slow-walk training induces muscle hypertrophy and strength gain, despite the minimal level of exercise intensity.
Why this rating
Small sample size (n=9 per group), short duration (3 weeks), and lack of mechanistic biopsy data (myostatin not measured in humans).
Source
Muscle size and strength are increased following walk training with restricted venous blood flow from the leg muscle, Kaatsu-walk training
Takashi Abe et al. · Journal of Applied Physiology · 2005
DOI 10.1152/japplphysiol.01267.2005
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