Blood Flow Restriction Training
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This is an article providing information on BFR, if you’re looking to schedule an appointment at PhysioStrength Physical Therapy to train with us using BFR, click here.
What Do You Know About Blood Flow Restriction Training?
For those of you who don’t know anything about blood flow restriction training (BFR), it is becoming more and more popular in both clinical rehabilitation and athletic settings. BFR training involves using a special tourniquet system to reduce the arterial inflow to a muscle and completely occlude the venous outflow. A certain exercise regimen is then performed with the cuff on. BFR has been shown in the literature to have phenomenal effects on muscle strength and hypertrophy, which has the potential to benefit many different patients. The rehab implications are HUGE!
In order to achieve any significant strength and hypertrophy gains under normal circumstances, a person needs to be resistance training with heavy loads (at least 65% of his/her 1RM). However, heavy load training is not always an option for everyone. Using blood flow restriction training allows a person to get the same effects as heavy load training, while utilizing a significantly lower load (20-30% 1RM). This has huge implications in a rehab setting!
Who Can Benefit From Blood Flow Restriction Training?
- Elderly patients with compromised joints that may not tolerate heavy-load resistance training
- Post-surgical patients who are in need of strength gains but cannot yet perform heavy-load training
- Athletes in the middle of a competitive season
How Does Blood Flow Restriction Training Work?
The mechanisms behind BFR are not fully understood. However, it has been proposed that the hypoxic environment created by the cuff, allows for better recruitment of Type II (fast twitch) muscle fibers. This then leads to a higher accumulation of metabolic byproducts (lactate) within the muscle. The body then responds to this lactate accumulation by producing more Growth Hormone, which explains the hypertrophic effects of BFR. The “pump” effect from the cuff also causes the muscle cells to swell during the exercise. This cell swelling leads to protein synthesis; another explanation for the strength and hypertrophic gains seen after BFR training.
Instead of writing a detailed article about BFR, I’ve decided to link to a podcast I listened to the other day that I really wanted to share. This podcast highlights everything you need to know about BFR including what is is, how it’s used, who it’s for, potential risks, and the benefits. The podcast is featured on The Movement Fix Podcast, which is hosted by my friend and colleague, Dr. Ryan Debell. For those of you who don’t know him, I highly encourage you to check out his website, The Movement Fix.
In this podcast, Dr. Ryan Debell interviews Dr. Mario Novo about his research and work with BFR. Dr. Mario Novo is a well known researcher and clinician who is extremely knowledgeable about BFR and utilizes BFR in his practice. Last week, I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Mario Novo myself on the phone about blood flow restriction training. He is an expert on this topic and had some great insight for me about how to utilize BFR in my practice. You’re going to learn a lot from this one, enjoy!
Listen to the full podcast on blood flow restriction training here on The Movement Fix
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