What effects do vasoconstrictors have on muscle growth?

[pux888]

After the discussion on eca's side effects today I started thinking about what effects if any a vasoconstrictor would have on our muscle building potential. Alot of us use these stims for their fat burning effect and for an energy boost during workouts. Whats everyones opinions?

 

[Wolf]

I would say little to no negative effect at all and small general positive effects.

Caffeine actually does an amazing set of things. It changes your perception of the actual workload, you will perceive a standard workload as easier, increases oxygen uptake, spares glycogen, increases your endurance and alertness and one study I remember it increases muscle fiber recruitment. Nifty thing is the stimulant side effects of the EC stack wear off after a few weeks, that means blood pressure spikes, but the positive effects continue on. There are studies on high level endurance athletes who get a very prominent improvement from the consumption of caffeine, in some studies a linear improvement of their workload and oxygen consumption as much as 5 percent.

In a way a good stimulant will mimic the effects of adding a conditioning program to someone who slacks on their cardio.

 

[PillarofBalance]

I'm not 100% sure if this is relevant so I won't post the whole article... I"ll just link and give an explanation.

Iron Man Magazine | www.ironmanmagazine.com

Its an article by Layne Norton in Iron Man Magazine on "Occlusion Training."

In a short-term study investigating the effects of blood-occlusion training on protein synthesis—a.k.a. muscle anabolism—six healthy male subjects, average age 32, performed two sessions of low-intensity leg extensions for four sets, working at 20 percent of 1RM and taking 30 seconds of rest between sets. They exercised with and without a blood pressure cuff wrapped around their thigh and inflated to 200 mm Hg. The cuff increased blood pressure and impeded blood flow. Protein synthesis increased by nearly 50 percent following occlusion training but was unchanged in the control condition.

Basically the premise is, deprive the muscle worked of oxygen and protein synthesis increases.

 

[pux888]

Very interesting study PoB!

 

[PillarofBalance]

Very interesting study PoB!

Thanks Puxx... A friend of mine has been trying it out. I did a few sets for calves and it was the freakiest feeling ever. And once I pulled the straps off and the blood flowed back in the pump was magical. Hours later and they are still hard as rocks.