Making Gains With Blood Flow Restriction Training
If you have been following this site or facebook.com/AllNaturalMuscle
then you have probably at least heard of blood flow restriction (BFR)
training. But you might not know exactly how to go about integrating it
into your training program. Or maybe you don't know why you should be
considering BFR training (and you should). Don't worry! All of your
answers are below: what BFR training is, how it can help you make gains
and how you can integrate it into your training program.
BFR
training (sometimes referred to as occlusion training) is next level
stuff. If drop sets were the king of 20th century, then BFR training
snatched its crown, turned it sideways and shoved it you know where. Put
quite simply, you want to know about BFR training and you probably want
to be working it into you training program too.
This is How You Do It
BFR training is all about restricting blood flow out of the muscle.
This is done through the use of occlusion straps (or in my case, inexpensive elastic wraps) placed at the top of the joint through a
series of sets called a cluster. The straps should be at about 70%
tightness.[1] You know when you've got it right when your veins start
sticking out and after the first set in the cluster, your muscles feel
like they are going to rip through the skin from the insane pump you
just got.
The interesting thing about BFR training is
that it can (and should) be executed with much lower weight than a
normal working set. Traditional working sets generally require 65% of
your max or above to achieve positive results.[2] However, with BFR,
training with 20-50% of your max is optimal.[3]
Let's
say you want to do BFR training with machine flys. Set your weight
between 20-50% of your estimated one rep max (1RM). For the sake of
argument, say you set your weights at 40% of your 1RM.
Next,
put you occlusion straps on tight at the top of the arms (above the
triceps) and begin your cluster. The first set in your cluster is going
to fill the muscle with blood and should be higher reps than the next
set. Since you are using 40% of your max, let's make the first set
around 30reps.
The
next few sets (3 to 4) in the cluster should be lower reps. Generally,
they work out to be about half of what the first set was. So, in this
example, you're looking at about 15reps. Why don't you just do 30reps in
the first set in the cluster and then 15reps for the remaining 3-4sets
in the cluster? Because it all depends on what you can do. If you are at
or near failure with 15reps at each set left in the cluster, then do
15reps. If you don't poop out until 16reps, then do 16reps. If you die
at 12reps, then do 12reps. It's all about pushing as hard as you can
reasonably go and getting an insane pump from all that blood pooling in
the muscle.
Between
each set in the cluster, leave the straps on. Rest for 30-60seconds
between each rep in the cluster before beginning the next set. And then
blast it again. When you're done with a cluster, take the straps off and
get that amazing feeling of blood finally being released from the
muscle. It feels like someone poured ice water into your veins (but in a
good way).
What Does BFR Training Do?
BFR training stimulates muscle growth at a much lower load than traditonal weight training.[4]
This can be beneficial for a number of reasons. People who have
injuries can still achieve growth while reducing the strain on the
injured body part (e.g. joint, bone or back injuries). Elderly people,
people with bone, tendon or ligament strains or weakness can get results
with less load using BFR. And your average healthy fitness enthusiast
(or bodybuilder, as the case may be) can use BFR training at the end of a
workout as a way to further stimulate muscle growth/retention.
I
personally use BFR for multiple reasons. I use it as a way to increase
growth in all body parts. I use it multiple times per week for lagging
body parts (since BFR training is lighter weight, you can do it multiple
times per week without central nervous system overload/fatigue). And I
do leg extensions exclusively with BFR since my knees have been getting
really sore with the heavy weight I use in 'normal sets'.
How Can You Integrate BFR Training?
You can use BFR in lieu of
normal sets for some exercises (like I do for leg extensions). Or you
can do BFR in addition to normal working sets (like I do for everything
else). However, you should always perform BFR clusters at the end of
training a muscle group. In other words, make BFR clusters the last
things you do when working any particular muscle group. Why? Because BFR
training will turn whatever muscle you are working into mush. So, good
luck being productive with your normal working sets after a BFR cluster
or two. Also, it's a good idea to get some blood flowing in the muscle
you are going to work before you do a BFR cluster with it.
References
- Wiliams, Robin. "Blood Flow Restriction Training: The Next Generation of Anabolic Exercise." Blood (2012).
- Kraemer, William J., et al. "American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults." Medicine and science in sports and exercise 34.2 (2002): 364-380.
- Madarame, Haruhiko, et al. "Cross-transfer effects of resistance training with blood flow restriction." Medicine+ Science in Sports+ Exercise 40.2 (2008): 258.
- Loenneke, Jeremy Paul, and Thomas Joseph Pujol. "The use of occlusion training to produce muscle hypertrophy." Strength & Conditioning Journal 31.3 (2009): 77-84.
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