What is Blood Flow Restriction Training? The Science of BFR

Have you seen people wearing bands around their biceps or legs in the gym?

They are called Blood Flow Restriction bands or BFR. As the name suggests, BFR uses elastic bands to block blood flow in your muscles and soft tissues during workouts.

While it could be daunting and carry a negative notion, bodybuilders, even Olympic athletes, and professional players in the NBA and football have been using this technique to maximize their training potential and improve their gains.

This article will dive deep into the science of Blood Flow Restriction training and how you can use them to enhance your training and improve your gains.

Although blocking blood flow to the muscles is fairly new to Western countries, BFR has been practiced for medical purposes for over 30 years.

This technique originated in Japan, where doctors use ropes and wires to restrict blood flow in the muscles to promote fast recovery from injuries that typically last for months.

This technique has been studied and spread to the West and become a hot research topic in recent years.

While exercising, your muscles perform a series of contractions to overcome a given load or resistance. These contractions produce by-products such as lactic acid as more repetitions and loads you give to your muscles.

This lactic acid build-up gives you the sensation of 'burn' or 'pump.' It plays a critical role in promoting metabolic stress and the release of growth hormones to stimulate the repair and growth of muscle tissues.

Placing a band to restrict the blood flow to the muscles creates a "hypoxic" environment or a low level of oxygen in the muscles since fewer blood cells can enter.

This process forces the muscles to work harder, resulting in a greater release of lactic acid at a much faster rate!

More lactic acid equals more metabolic stress equals more growth hormones equals greater muscle growth and better capacity for the muscles to rebuild themselves.

This results in shortened periods of exercise with a much lower load with the same or even greater effect than high-intensity workouts.

There are no standard guidelines for Blood Flow Restriction training.

However, experts recommend that pressure in restriction bands should be high enough to block blood flow back to the heart but low enough to still have some blood flowing to the muscles.

On a scale of perceived tightness of 1 to 10, 7/10 is the most optimal for exercise. It is essential to choose the proper pressure to ensure optimal muscle training without causing injury.

Here are some tips on how to use BFR training:

1. Wrap the BFR bands on your arms or legs. For the arms, wrap it between your shoulder and biceps. For the legs, wrap them on the top part of your thigh, close to the groin.
2. Tighten the bands so that you feel the pressure to be 7 / 10.
3. Choose weights that are 20-30% of your 1 Rep Max.
4. Pay attention to your form.
5. Do not use momentum. Each contraction should last for 1-2 seconds per rep.
6. Release the pressure after each exercise.
7. Rest for 1 to 2 minutes before tightening the bands again for the next exercise.

Sample training protocol:

1. 30 reps of bicep curls
2. 30-45 seconds rest
3. 15 reps of bicep curls
4. 30-45 seconds rest
5. 15 more reps to fatigue the muscle

Low impact, High gains

Blood Flow Restriction training is designed to be used together with lighter weights, low-impact, or low-intensity exercises. This training method can mimic the effects of high-intensity exercise by recreating a low-oxygen environment in the muscles, allowing you to achieve better gains while making less effort.

4 to 6 weeks of low-intensity BFR training can result in up to 10-20% increase in muscle strength, comparable to the gains you can achieve with high-intensity exercises.

Studies show this method can significantly increase muscle hypertrophy and water content, resulting in bigger muscle circumference and a better physique.

Recent studies have assessed the effectiveness of BFR in producing muscle growth or hypertrophy. In one study, athletes trained using Blood Flow Restriction with low-moderate load workouts still significantly increased their muscle mass, strength, and athletic performance.

Here’s a workout plan you should try:

BFR training also stimulates fast twitch II muscle fibers responsible for high-demand explosive movements, which is a critical factor in high-level athletic activities and exercise.

Studies have shown that traditional training in combination with low-resistance BFR protocol can further increase athletic performance and accelerate muscle gains. This is highly beneficial for athletes considering the competitive schedules and the rigorous training routines.

People who cannot tolerate high loads due to injury or medical conditions can still benefit and train safely using Blood Flow Restriction.

In case of injuries, BFR can facilitate training at a lower intensity while reaping the same benefits of regular exercise without compromising recovery. This results in a shorter time off and more time for physical activity resulting in an accelerated recovery rate.

This is crucial for competitive athletes. The early recovery from injury, without lasting problems, could make or break a professional career.

Around the age of 25, your body's production of growth hormones slows down. You'll also start gaining weight at that age, and it becomes harder to build more muscles.

Until now, the only option to increase our growth hormone is to undergo high-intensity exercises or go to the gym and lift heavy weights. Unfortunately, some will not achieve their fitness goals due to busy lifestyles and schedules.

But with this technique, you can increase muscle size and strength even in the comfort of your home. All you need is a BFR band and proper knowledge of how to perform an exercise.

BFR training is low risk, but improper use of occlusion bands can result in cell death and injuries. Therefore, it is vital to ensure you are not applying the bands too tightly. A perceived tightness of 7/10 is optimal for producing desired results without harming yourself.

A physiotherapist can safely facilitate BFR training and help you measure the pressure more accurately. It's essential to consult a medical professional before including Blood Flow Restriction in your training if you have medical conditions.

If you have the following conditions, don't use BFR:

• Blood clotting issues
• Fractures
• Infection
• Pregnancy
• Cancer

BFR training is a scientifically-backed method that you can use to improve your muscle strength and induce hypertrophy. This technique can enable everyone, from professional athletes to fitness, to accelerate their recovery and gains in the gym with the use of lighter weights or low-intensity workouts.