Prior to training with blood flow restriction, the amount of pressure that it takes to occlude (restrict blood flow to) the limb is measured using a Doppler ultrasound device and a cuff that restricts blood flow – similar to what is used to measure blood pressure during a medical exam. HOW BLOOD FLOW RESTRICTION TRAINING WORKS: This type of training should not, however, entirely replace typical, high-load resistance training. 5 BFR can be a great tool to be used when bridging the gap between injury and normal function. 4 Additionally, a study published in 2022 suggests that BFR exercises not only were superior to traditional exercises for the purposes of increased strength, but also had benefits for participants’ dynamic balance, short-term memory, and cognitive abilities. 2 Does this sound too good to be true? Is it possible that lifting light weights can lead to the same muscle size building benefits as lifting heavy weights? The reality is that BFR training makes a light exercise very difficult.īlood flow restriction training can be used when the goal of exercise is to increase muscle hypertrophy and strength for an individual that is load compromised. Blood-flow restriction training can help patients to make greater strength training gains while lifting lighter loads, thereby reducing the overall stress placed on the muscle being worked. Using blood flow restriction training, you could achieve similar muscular gains by lifting only 20-30% of the 200 pound one-rep max, or 40-60 pounds. 3įor example, if you could press 200 pounds with your legs only one time, the 65-70% level you would need to work at to generate increased muscle size would be 130-140 pounds. By manipulating the processes that stimulate muscle fiber recruitment, BFR training provides a way to increase muscle size and strength at much lower training volumes than during traditional strength training - with effects seen with loads as low as 20-30% of one’s one-rep-max, as opposed to the traditional 65-70% needed to result in muscle size increases. When you challenge your body to perform at new levels, various adaptations occur to help you meet said challenges. Overload is the underlying principle of all fitness training, which states that if you want to improve your fitness level you must continually increase the demands placed on that specific body system. The body thinks that it is in “overload” while training via BFR. 1 This process basically “tricks” the body into thinking that it is working harder than it is, and the greater perceived level of fatigue triggers processes that then build muscle. A technique to build muscle size while also avoiding the heavy loads and extensive time required to build large amounts of muscle is to utilize blood flow restriction training (BFR).īlood flow restriction training involves exercising while partially restricting arterial inflow and fully restricting venous outflow in working musculature during exercise. In particular, during the beginning stages of rehabilitation after an injury, an individual often should not participate in heavy weight training exercises with large volumes of repetitions, due to risk of damaging healing tissue. Working out in this manner is an admirable goal for fit individuals with plenty of time on their hands, but for people recovering from an injury, this is an unsustainable approach. For avid gym goers and bodybuilders, this translates to long sessions at the gym, because lifting weights this heavy necessitates long recovery breaks between activities, causing a gym trip to take up a significant amount of time during the day. It is widely accepted that when weight training, accomplishing muscle hypertrophy (the increase in size of your muscles) requires doing exercise repetitions with a resistance of 65-70% of your one repetition maximum (the heaviest weight you can lift just once). This post was written by Seth Blankenship, SPT – Texas State University, Doctorate of Physical Therapy, Class of 2023 – who recently finished a clinical rotation at Symmetry.
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