Is Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) Training the Future for Muscle Growth?

If you’re having a hard time building muscle despite going to the gym frequently, then you may want to look into the newest fad in fitness BFR training. BFR, or Blood Flow Restriction training, is a training style where blood flow is restricted to specific muscles while training, allowing you to train with lighter weights and see phenomenal gains. Maybe better than that, BFR training will allow for faster muscle growth while placing less impact/demand on the joints, making it a perfect fit for athletes and fitness enthusiasts (and even rehab patients).

Let’s take a look at why BFR training is gaining steam in the fitness industry and how it could revolutionize your training!

Think about doing bicep curls with half your normal weight but feeling just as much or more burn. That’s the beauty of BFR training. By using specially created bands or cuffs to restrict venous blood flow to and from the muscle, you create an environment for your body that promotes faster fatigue in the muscles. 

This “tricks” your body into thinking it’s lifting heavy and stimulates the process for muscle growth, strength, and endurance, usually with reduced risk of injury. The benefits of BFR training are:

• Enhanced muscle size without overloading the joints
• Boosted release of growth hormone
• Accelerated recovery rates after intense training sessions

Useful for all training levels including beginners, athletes, and injury recovery.

BFR training is not a trend, it is evidence based and used by elite fitness professionals and physical therapists around the world. Elite athletes use it as a way of increasing strength while avoiding heavy loads on the joints. 

I’m sure that at some point you have injured a shoulder or knee and lost muscle mass during the recovery process. BFR training will help you retain, and possibly build, muscle mass without the load of heavy training. BFR training also boosts stamina and endurance, making it highly useful for runners, cyclists, and CrossFit athletes.

Here’s a simple full-body workout plan that you can do under supervision:

• Upper Body: Bicep curls, triceps pushdown, shoulder presses
• Lower Body: squats, lunges, leg extensions
• Emphasis: plank variations, crunches, mountain climbers

Keep the weight light (20-30 of your maximum) and do only 15-30 reps on a set. Enter a 30 sec between sets. Check with a trained professional first to make sure of proper usage.

BFR training shows potential to be the next big thing in building muscle. It is safe, efficient and surprisingly effective particularly when you have reached a plateau with whatever workouts you are doing. The benefits of BFR training are hard to ignore quick muscle gains, pain-free strength, and faster recovery.

If it’s time to intensify your fitness routine, this innovative practice could be your game changer. The key is that technique counts so be sure to learn it first.