Does no-relaxation training at 50% 1RM match heavy lifting?

Vinogradova and twelve co-authors from the Institute of Biomedical Problems (IBMP, Moscow) summarise their programme on strength training under restricted blood supply.

They note that with occlusion a training effect can come from loads as low as 20% of 1RM, and then compare 8 weeks of high-intensity training (80-85% 1RM) with low-intensity training at 50% 1RM without relaxation. High-intensity training gave larger gains in strength and size of the trained muscles.

At the muscle cross-section, the increase in the area occupied by type II fibres predominated after high-intensity training, while the increase in the area occupied by type I fibres predominated after training without relaxation.

A single no-relaxation session raised growth hormone, IGF-1 and cortisol more than a heavy session, and the expression of the myogenesis gene myostatin changed in different ways after the two kinds of session.

The authors conclude that 50% 1RM training without relaxation is an efficient way to increase strength and muscle size and can be used in rehabilitation, sport and fitness.

How this relates to the Russian static-dynamic method: this lab's "training without relaxation" at 50% 1RM is the closest peer-reviewed form of the static-dynamic method, and the paper's reference list on the publisher page includes Seluyanov's 2001 book on middle-distance runner training, so the authors connect the work to his ideas; the abstract does not name him.

The abstract gives no tempo, range of motion, set duration, sets, rest or proximity to failure. The type I finding is fibre area (size and share of the cross-section), not mitochondria or capillaries; no oxidative measure appears in the abstract.