Blood Flow Restriction Training: How to Achieve Muscle Growth Fast
Blood Flow Restriction Training: How to Achieve Muscle Growth Fast
The Team at Ultiself
Table of contents
Blood Flow Restriction Training: How to Achieve Muscle Growth Fast
Table of contents
You may have noticed more people wearing elastic bands around their limbs during workouts at the gym. These bands are part of a training technique called blood flow restriction (BFR) training. As the name implies, BFR training restricts blood flow to muscles during exercise using compressed wraps or bands placed at the top of arms or legs.
Though the concept of intentionally limiting blood flow sounds concerning, this innovative technique is gaining popularity across elite sports and fitness circles. BFR training has been adopted by bodybuilders, Olympic athletes, NBA players, and NFL stars to enhance performance, expedite injury recovery, and maximize training gains.
So, how does deliberately restricting blood flow create benefits instead of harm? The key is strategic restriction - enough to trap blood in muscles, which triggers key growth factors, but not enough to cut off circulation fully
This article will dive deep into the science of Blood Flow Restriction training and how to use it to enhance your training and improve your gains.
The Origins and Evolution of Blood Flow Restriction Training
While gaining recent popularity in gyms, the practice of deliberately restricting blood flow for training purposes originated over 30 years ago in Japanese medical settings. Doctors began experimenting with compressed air cuffs and bands to modulate blood flow to injured limbs.
The pioneering work emerged in the 1980s from Japanese orthopedic surgeon Dr. Yoshiaki Sato. He developed patented systems for blood flow moderation using air pressure cuffs inflated to partial occlusion levels. This allowed patients to strengthen muscles using restricted blood flow rather than heavy loads during rehab.
Dr. Sato helped establish “Kaatsu” training, later translated into English as “BFR training.” The techniques leveraged what we now know as metabolic stress mechanisms - where cells swell, hormones rush in, and growth pathways turn on in response to circulatory changes. The localized stress response triggers increases in muscle size and strength without reliance on muscle damage from heavy loads.
Over subsequent decades, researchers refined parameters for safe restrictive pressures. Portable BFR bands and cuffs were also invented as viable alternatives to large machines initially used.
The science of BFR
When muscles contract during resistance training, oxygen flow becomes restricted, causing metabolic waste buildup. This combination of mechanical tension and temporary oxygen depletion spurs adaptations that enhance muscle strength and size - but primarily when training with heavy loads.
Blood flow restriction (BFR) recreates these muscle-stimulating conditions without heavy lifting. Inflatable bands placed on limbs cut off some arterial blood flow into muscles and venous blood out. This trapped, stagnant blood creates a low-oxygen environment, elevating lactate, hydrogen ions, and metabolites.
Even with light loads, localized blood pooling mimics the muscle fatigue and metabolic stress of heavy training. Anabolic hormones and growth factors activate, kickstarting protein synthesis and muscle growth. Swelling may also mechanically stress muscle fibers beyond what light loads could normally achieve.
In this way, BFR training provides multifaceted muscle stimulation using joint-friendly resistance exercise. Strategically restricting circulation allows lighter weights to provide muscular adaptations similar to heavy lifting.
Standardized protocols are still lacking, given the technique’s novelty.
However, experts have outlined important safety and ideal muscle stimulation guidelines based on the latest evidence.
The primary parameter is restrictive pressure - how tightly the BFR cuff or band is inflated around the limb. Pressure should be high enough to trap blood in muscles below the cuff, but not so high that all circulation is cut off.
Recommended restrictiveness hovers around 40-80% of total arterial occlusion pressure.
A useful benchmark is perceived tightness on a scale of 1 to 10. Pressures equivalent to a 7 out of 10 tightness are optimal. This moderate level causes visible swelling and pooling in the limb while avoiding numbness, pain, and nerve damage from excessive inflation.
Once properly restricted, perform sets of low-load resistance training in the 15-30% 1 rep max range to fatigue muscles within 45-90 seconds per set. Remove bands between sets to allow reperfusion, but limit rest times to 30-60 seconds. Total training volumes are lighter with BFR due to amplified difficulty.
Benefits of BFR Training
Low impact, High gains
Blood Flow Restriction training is designed to be used with lighter weights, low-impact, or low-intensity exercises.
Typically, building significant muscle requires lifting heavy weights at high intensity. This can be taxing on the joints and increase injury risk. BFR training flips this script by creating a low-oxygen environment in the muscles, giving you greater stimulus to achieve more gains while making less effort.
Studies have shown that 4 to 6 weeks of training with BFR can lead to a 10 to 20% increase in muscle strength, which is almost the same as what you can achieve with much harder and higher-intensity exercises.
Promotes Muscle Growth
If you want your limbs to look more aesthetic and bigger, BFR training might be for you.
BFR allows more water to sip into the muscles and significantly increases the rate of muscle hypertrophy. Athletes who use BFR in their training with low to moderate loads in their workout are able to significantly increase their strength and muscle mass, which also translates to better athletic performance.
Improves athletic performance
Lifting weights with BFR bands triggers fast twitch type II muscle fibers, which are responsible for physically demanding explosive movements. This characteristic is a critical factor in elite-level sports and athletic activities.
Studies have shown that supplementing your traditional training with low-resistance BFR protocol can further boost and accelerate muscle gains and athletic performance. This is highly beneficial for athletes who have tight, competitive schedules and want to accelerate results in their training.
Enhances Recovery
Early and timely recovery is crucial for competitive athletes and can even make or break a professional career.
People recovering from injuries can use BFR to support their rehabilitation at a lower intensity while reaping the same benefits of a normal exercise routine without compromising recovery.
Convenient
By the time we reach the age of 25, our natural production of growth hormones slows down, leading to an accelerated rate of weight gain. In addition, it also becomes more challenging to build lean mass.
We usually combat this effect by training in the gym at high intensity and lifting heavier weights. Unfortunately, busy schedules and other commitments can get in the way of achieving fitness goals.
But with BFR training, you can effectively pack more muscles and improve your strength even at home.
How safe is BFR training?
BFR training is generally safe. But it is crucial to use proper occlusion to prevent cell death, and injuries. A perceived tightness of 7/10 is optimal for producing desired results without harming yourself.
If you have the following conditions, don't use BFR:
Blood clotting issues
Fractures
Infection
Pregnancy
Cancer
Bottomline
BFR training is a scientifically backed method that you can use to accelerate muscle and strength gain by using lighter weights for training. Furthermore, this technique facilitates better recovery from injuries.
Good habits are very important for success. The little things you do everyday eventually become your net worth, your health and your overall quality of life.
Legendary NBA athletic trainer, Mike Saunders joins the team at Ultiself to bring cutting edge health, fitness and injury prevention actionable content.
