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Chris Hemsworth was using blood-flow restriction training to build his arm muscles.
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He did this by tying an elastic band around his arm to build up lactic acid while lifting.
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But Hemsworth’s trainer says the actor is not doing this anymore, and that it was “quite painful.”
Chris Hemsworth has stopped using a muscle-building practice that he helped popularize earlier this year.
Back in September, Hemsworth posted a video on Instagram of him using a technique called blood flow restriction training to increase the muscle mass in his arms to play Thor.
The technique, also used by athletes in the Tokyo Olympics, involved wrapping rubber bands around his arms before a weight-lifting session – typically dumbbell curls. The device caused the veins in his arms to noticeably protrude. It’s well-known among trainers as a tactic to trap blood in the arm, causing lactic acid to build up, triggering the release of a growth hormone.
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“By restricting blood flow and oxygen the muscles are forced to work harder in a shorter period of time and a bunch of other ‘sports sciency’ stuff happens,” Hemsworth wrote in the caption. “Basically it’s one of the most uncomfortable training methods I’ve experienced but part of the puzzle in growing Thor’s arms to look like the legs of a racehorse.”
However, Centr trainer and Hemsworth’s trainer, Luke Zocchi, said the actor has stopped this technique in recent months as he prepares for his new role in the upcoming action film “Extraction 2.”
“He hasn’t been using the blood flow training for a little while now,” Zocchi told Insider. “The only side effect that I know of is that they can be quite painful at the time of having them done.”
So now they’re focusing on other techniques.
Blood flow restriction training comes with pain and possible bigger risks
Using blood-flow restriction to build that muscle and improve arm aesthetics can potentially, like in Hemsworth’s case, cause painful side effects, personal trainer Harry Smith previously told Insider’s Rachel Hosie.
“This ‘pumps’ up the muscle, really stretching it – this sensation is incredibly painful and may stimulate muscular hypertrophy because of this swelling effect,” Smith told Hosie.
The technique shouldn’t be used by people with high blood pressure, varicose veins, or deep-vein thrombosis.
Read the original article on Insider
