Strength training can be done in a traditional way or with some new method that is emerging from time to time. Some of these methods leave just as they arrive, but there are other interesting ones that remain. Strength training with blood flow restriction is one of those newer options that It is gaining strength as the scientific literature is giving it as valid. What is blood flow restriction and why is it very interesting to use it?
What is blood flow restriction training?
Blood flow restriction (BFR) blood flow restriction) is a relatively recent training technique that uses a system of cuffs or tourniquets around the arms or legs. Arterial flow is maintained while venous return is restricted.
It is vital that specific material is used for this, since not doing so may mean that in addition to restricting venous return, arterial flow will also be restricted. Thus, we should never use materials such as elastic bands or similar to perform the tourniquet.
This technique is believed to have originated in the 1970s by Dr. Yoshiaki Soto, but it was not until 1998 that the first article on blood flow restriction was published. By occluding the venous flow of the arms or legs, some Physiological mechanisms that promote muscle hypertrophy.
These mechanisms are what occur when we run a traditional program to increase muscle mass. What is interesting about this novel method is that the loads with which we achieve these mechanisms are much lower.
Why is this training method interesting?
The scientific literature appears to support very low-load strength training using blood flow restriction. This type of training leads to improvements in muscle strength and size similar to those obtained with high loads without using such blood restriction.
While without the use of the sleeves or tourniquets we need relatively high loads, with blood flow restriction we can achieve the same with loads of 20%.
What is the explanation?
Restriction of blood flow produces adaptations similar to traditional muscle hypertrophy training: high metabolic stress; high recruitment of muscle fibers; growth hormone production; accumulation of metabolites and cellular inflammation.
This scenario is what makes our muscles grow, being useful for it low loads with blood flow restriction or higher loads without using it.
You may be wondering that, if similar benefits are obtained, why are we going to use this method that requires specific material and special care? We can check the answer in the next section.
Important note: caution in certain populations
Blood flow restriction is safe in patients without any type of health alteration, but there are some contraindications for it. people at risk of blood clotting such as those with vascular disease, obesity, diabetes, severe hypertension, and a history of deep vein thrombosis.
Interesting scenarios to use blood flow restriction training
Injury and after an operation
Imagine that you have an injury such as a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the knee or the typical pain of tennis elbow. In those cases We cannot, nor should we, train with very high loads, so the only a priori option would be to move away from force work.
The restriction of blood flow will help us in these cases of injury or to recover after an operation on the arms or legs. Loads as low as 20% of the maximum we could lift are feasible in these cases.
With this method we avoid the atrophy that occurs after a period of inactivity and we favor a faster improvement of the lesion or postoperative.
Older adults
Healthy older adults can safely do traditional strength training, as long as they don’t have a condition that prevents it. However, the elderly people may not be able to perform high-load exercises.
Advanced osteoporosis is one of the situations where We must be careful with the loads used since it can lead to fracture. In these cases, and any others like them, strength training with blood flow restriction is highly recommended. Less than a month ago, a systematic review was published that supports the use of this method in older adults.
20% of the total strength of this type of population can be simply walking or pedaling a bicycle. What if we add this training method to those walks? We will be reducing sarcopenia or loss of muscle mass that occurs with age. Of course, we must be very careful in this population due to the risk of clots mentioned above.
elite athletes
For athletes it can be a novel stimulus that fits perfectly with training traditional strength and increased muscle mass. Blood flow restriction has the potential to increase strength and performance when incorporated as part of strength training regimens for healthy athletes.
In times of high competitive load or high stress due to high volume, we can also introduce this work technique. we will work strength with low loads giving our joints a breakbut internally those low charges will produce the same effects as high charges.
How do I train with blood flow restriction?
Rolnick and Schoenfeld produced a research-based practical guide a couple of years ago for maximize muscle mass gains with blood flow restriction training. The following guidelines are extracted from it, although it is a line of research that is still subject to change.
Type of sleeves
The hoses must be pneumatic, that is, they can be inflated and deflated knowing the pressure exerted at all times. Non-pneumatic hoses are those over which we have no control, other than perceived pressure. Therefore, they must choose the pneumatic sleeves for your safety, compared to non-pneumatic ones.
Cuff pressure can vary greatly depending on the length of the person’s arms and legs and how wide or narrow the cuff is. The pressure used has a range between 110 to 240 mm HG, but to avoid risks and work efficiently we will take into account the manufacturer’s recommendations.
Cuff Placement
The sleeves are located in the distal end of the arms and legs, that is, near the armpits and groin. Placing them on the elbows and knees will cause us to lose half of the limb, so even if we are going to train forearms and calves, it is interesting to always place them on these ends.
training frequency
The target muscles are arms and legs, so we will follow the traditional strength training recommendations in these cases. stimulate of two to three times each muscle group is the most interesting for muscle hypertrophyTherefore, we will follow these guidelines with blood flow restriction cuffs.
load or current
Loads greater than 50% of 1RM do not appear to increase the benefits of blood flow restricted exercise. The ideal range is between 20% and 50% of 1RM. It is important not to overdo it since they are very low loads and it is easy to do so.
Number of repetitions
The most widely used rep scheme for blood flow restricted strength training is 30 – 15 – 15 – 15. These are series with high repetitions since the load is low.
execution speed
The lifting rate should be one second for the concentric phase (when we overcome the force) and two seconds for the eccentric phase (when the load overcomes us. Most studies have used these numbers, so today they are recommended.
rest between sets
The objective of this training is to increase metabolic stress, for which we need relatively short break times. Rest 30-60 seconds between sets of blood flow restriction.
Maximum time of use
not recommended exceed the range of 10 – 20 minutes of use cuffs to reduce the risk of adverse events. Every exercise or every two, deflate the cuffs, wait at least a minute, and return the pressure to continue up to the maximum recommended time of use per session.
It is advisable don’t go flat between sets and wait at least one or two exercises before taking the pressure off. When the restriction is removed, oxygen levels in the tissues recover, limiting metabolic stress.
Order of exercises in the session and type of exercises used
The strength session should start with multi-joint exercises like squats without blood flow restriction. A posteriori we put on the sleeves and we use monoarticular exercises such as machine leg extension to maximize muscle hypertrophy.
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Pictures | Gunsmith, The occlusion cuff