Blood Flow Restriction Training
Blood flow restriction training (BFR) is an add-on to strength and cardio training that can be powerful to help you reach your physical fitness and performance goals. BFR is a way to strengthen your muscles that leads to improvements that are similar to what you would see with a heavy lifting program, but it is accomplished with relatively light weights. This allows you to strengthen your muscles while protecting your joints, ligaments, and tendons.
BFR is gaining popularity and for good reason! BFR is completed by using a specially designed cuff that is similar to a blood pressure cuff. This cuff is inflated to a pressure that limits a certain percentage blood flow to the limb. Exercising in these conditions is similar to altitude training for endurance athletes. Competing strength training with limited blood flow to your muscles stimulates significant improvement in muscle strength while keeping the stress on your tendons and joints low. This makes BFR an excellent option for recovering from tendon injuries, post operative conditions, and to improve cardiovascular fitness.
I’ve often used BFR to help runners recover from patellar tendinitis (jumper’s knee). Inflammation of the tendon just below your knee can happen with a lot of running downhill, or increasing your training distances or speed too quickly. BFR is useful to help rehabilitate this tendon in a way that decreases pain and restores your ability to get back to running.
BFR is also useful in post operative rehab. Often after a surgery there are limitations in the amount of weight you’re allowed to use for strength training. Unfortunately, some types of post-op pain can happen because of weakness surrounding the joint that had surgery. This difficult cycle can be broken by the use of BFR; we can keep weights low for resistance training, while still achieving significant progress in strength to get you out of pain and back to your favorite hobbies as quickly as possible.
Another application for BFR is to use it while completing cardio exercises such as bicycling or walking. The increased challenge added by the BFR cuffs causes adaptations that will improve your VO2 max.
BFR is a great fit for you if:
You are dealing with an injury that keeps you from doing strength training or your favorite hobbies,
You’re out of the immediately post op phase of rehab and feeling frustrated with your progress on getting back your strength,
You’re wanting to improve your VO2 max, and need help getting there.
If any of these sound like you, email or call me today to set up your free 20 minute phone consultation to discuss if BFR is right for you.