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National Strength & Conditioning Association

BRIDGING THE GAP Volume 24, Number 2, pages 1314

Can Blood Flow


Influence Muscle Growth?
Bruce W. Craig, PhD
Human Performance Laboratory
Ball State University Bruce W. Craig
Column Editor
E-mail: bcraig@gw.bsu.edu

ONE AREA OF RESEARCH THAT gen or fat) or exogenous (plasma (mL/min) the heart can pump,
has received little attention in re- glucose or fat) fuels to make ATP. and it is controlled by altering
sistance training is its effects on The energy source employed and heart rate (beats/min) and/or
the cardiovascular system. If you the amount of oxygen needed de- stroke volume (mL/beat). Your
refer to any textbook on exercise pend on the amount of force gen- heart rate goes up any time you
physiology you will find a state- erated. Maximal force generation, move, because proprioreceptors
ment indicating that anaerobic such as power movements, re- within active muscles and joints
training does not cause significant quires a high percentage of fast- send neural messages to cardio-
cardiovascular adaptations. Al- twitch (type II) muscle fibers, vascular centers of the brain that
though this statement may be which use little oxygen and need speed up the heart. Stroke vol-
true, it is based on very limited re- only phosphagens if the activity is ume, on the other hand, is regu-
search. Furthermore, a close ex- short-term. High-intensity activi- lated by the amount of blood re-
amination of the mechanism of ties, such as hypertrophy training, turning to the heart (called
control for muscle blood flow sug- use a mixture of fast-twitch and venous return) and is affected by
gests that high-intensity resis- slow-twitch (type I) muscle fibers, total peripheral resistance (TPR).
tance training could have a signif- and such activities produce a lot The sympathetic portion of your
icant impact on muscle growth. To of carbon dioxide and lactic acid autonomic nervous system con-
understand why requires a brief during a typical workout. A trols the diameter of the precapil-
review of blood flow in active mus- buildup of these waste products lary vessels of your muscles. Exer-
cles. The hemodynamics of the will lower muscle pH, which can cise increases proprioreceptor
muscle are based on metabolic significantly attenuate muscle stimulation of the sympathetic
needs during contraction and the function and reduce force produc- system and will therefore decrease
removal of waste products. An ac- tion. The muscles ability to main- the diameter of precapillary ves-
tive muscle uses adenosine tain adequate blood flow helps to sels (called vasoconstriction)
triphosphate (ATP) to drive the flush out these waste products each time you move. The vasocon-
contractile apparatus, and the and would thus have a significant striction that occurs is wide-
muscle requires an energy source impact on performance. spread, and it elevates both TPR
and oxygen (exercise intensity sets Muscle blood flow depends on and blood pressure. This en-
the amount) to maintain adequate two primary factors: cardiac out- hanced TPR can decrease blood
supplies of ATP. The muscle can put and the muscles ability to flow to the muscle, but local con-
use stored phosphagens (ATP and control its own blood flow (termed trol can reestablish the rate of flow
creatine phosphate pools) or break autoregulation). Cardiac output to metabolically active tissues.
down endogenous (muscle glyco- represents the amount of blood The ability of muscle to regulate

April 2002 Strength and Conditioning Journal 13


localized blood flow involves a se- ercise. However, autoregulation release of vasodilators unneces-
ries of control mechanisms. The would be compromised during re- sary. The fact that muscle will
first of these is the release of ni- sistance training. grow if given the proper form of
trous oxide (NO). For a detailed de- Aerobic exercises, such as bik- stimulation is well-established,
scription of this process I refer you ing or running, can be character- but the mechanisms involved in
to a recent article (4). The release ized as steady state (continuous regulating growth are still in ques-
of NO is dependent on shear force blood flow) and are usually pro- tion. It is unlikely that the inabili-
(the force of blood flow) and can be longed in nature. The main prob- ty of the muscle to regulate blood
elevated during high-intensity lem facing the muscle is having flow during intense resistance
training programs. The ability of enough oxygen and exogenous training is a primary control factor
NO to vasodilate (open the vessel) fuel (glucose and/or fat) to supply in this process, but there are ade-
precapillary vessels is well-estab- the ATP demands. Under these quate grounds to suspect that it
lished but has not been examined conditions local blood can be ad- can play a role. The release of
in resistance training. The second justed easily and can be main- growth hormone and its relation-
factor involved in this control tained throughout the exercise pe- ship to muscle growth has been
mechanism is the muscle itself. riod. During resistance training, studied in resistance training (1,
Currently there are two theories to such as a muscle hypertrophy 2), but it may be time to examine
explain how it modifies vasocon- routine, autoregulation becomes muscle blood flow and damage
striction (3). The oxygen theory much more difficult. A typical during resistance training to de-
suggests that when the oxygen workout would include several lift- termine if localized growth factors
needs of the muscle are not met ing stations with a routine involv- influence hypertrophy.
the muscles of the precapillary ing 45 sets, 810 repetitions per
vessels relax. This theory might set, and a workload representing References
explain aerobic responses, but it 7085% of the subjects 1 repeti- 1. Craig, B.W., and H. Kang.
seems inadequate for short-term tion maximum. Each set could be Growth hormone release fol-
high-intensity anaerobic exercise. completed in approximately 30 lowing single vs. multiple sets
The vasodilator theory seems seconds and followed by a 1- to 2- of back squats: The influence
more plausible; it suggests that minute rest period. This sequence of total work vs power. J.
muscle blood flow can be con- would then be repeated at each Strength Cond. Res. 8(4):270
trolled by the muscles ability to subsequent lifting station after ap- 275. 1994.
release specific vasodilator sub- proximately 2-3 minutes of rest. 2. Kang, H., P.F. Martino, V.
stances. A final component of this This type of stimulation would in- Russo, J.W. Ryder, and B.W.
mechanism is the myogenic reac- crease heart rate and TPR each Craig. The influence of repeti-
tion of the capillary. This process time the weight is lifted but would tion maximum on growth hor-
is better understood in cardiac tis- allow them to return to normal mone release following the
sue, but it basically involves the during the resting period. The al- back squat and leg press in
ability of the capillary to respond ternating compression and relax- trained men: Preliminary re-
to changes in blood flow. If the ation of the vascular system dur- sults. J. Strength Cond. Res.
flow rate becomes high enough to ing the concentric portion of the 10:148153. 1996.
stretch the capillary, the vessels lift would increase shear force and 3. LeWinter, M.M. Normal physi-
contract and decrease flow. On could magnify NO release. It could ology of the cardiovascular
the other hand, if flow becomes in- also contribute to enhanced mus- system. In: The Heart. V.
adequate, the capillary walls relax cle membrane damage during the Fuster, R.W. Alexander, and R.
and increase flow rate. This ap- eccentric component of the lift. A. ORouke, eds. New York:
pears to be a protective response The anaerobic nature of the work- McGraw-Hill, 2001. pp. 6394.
to pressure. The combination of out would decrease the muscles 4. Strauss, H.M., and P.B. Pers-
these control mechanisms can ad- dependence on oxygen but would son. Role of nitric oxide in
just muscle blood flow during ex- increase carbon dioxide and lactic buffering short-term blood
ercise, and these control mecha- acid release. However, the rest pe- pressure fluctuations. News
nisms are well-suited to match the riod would flush these waste prod- Physiol. Sci. 15:229232.
muscles need during aerobic ex- ucts out of the muscle, making the 2000.

14 Strength and Conditioning Journal April 2002

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