Popular with hardcore bodybuilders, this method can also be used if you’re rehabbing. Here’s how.
Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) training has become popular with many hardcore bodybuilders. But since muscle form and function is essentially the same no matter what the intended use, BFR mechanisms of strength and muscle growth started to catch the eye of rehab practitioners with those same goals for their patients.
By occluding a muscular region with wraps, bands, or cuffs at approximately a 7/10 perceived level of tightness, resistance training can be carried out using fractions of external loads, as low as 20-40% of a predicted 1RM. Then higher set and rep ranges would create a highly metabolic environment perfect for increasing muscle growth and strength.
Blood Flow Restriction Training (BFR)
The most exciting aspect of BFR is the ability to build muscle tissue in lagging regions while minimizing the joint stress and shear forces that are most commonly involved with maximally loaded exercises. Doing work with less weight means joint stress is greatly decreased, while metabolic stress of the local environment is maximized.
It’s killing two birds with one big-ass stone, and it’s why I prioritize this method not only for the rehab of pain and dysfunction, but also for performance training and aesthetic programming i.e. working out to look good naked.
Make any workout work better. Fuel it.
