BFR training is a useful option to consider if you ever need to heal or strengthen after an injury. From personal experience, it definitely takes a while to get used to it because it's not every day that you do squats with partially cut off blood flow. The main reason many athletes use bfr training is to stimulate muscle growth. Research suggests that BFR can significantly increase muscle size compared to traditional resistance training.
So if you're looking to increase muscle size with light weights, BFR could be a big help. Studies have shown that athletes who used BFR at 30 percent of their one-rep maximum achieved more strength and muscle thickness gains compared to participants who traditionally trained at 80 percent of their one-rep maximum. Basically, arteries can still send oxygen-rich blood to muscles during BFR training, but oxygen-depleted and venous blood flow is restricted. Muscle size and arterial stiffness after low-intensity resistance training with blood flow restriction in older adults.
But if you're the type of person who hates having your blood pressure taken because the feeling or idea of the bracelet makes you feel dizzy, then BFR training probably isn't for you. Perceptual and neuromuscular responses are similarly adapted between resistance training at high loads and resistance training at low loads with restriction of blood flow. To train with blood flow restriction, you will wear a bracelet or tourniquet system specially designed for this type of training. Although the literature is not consistent, there is evidence to support that BFR training can reduce both HR and BP and increase HR variability in clinical populations.
During BFR training, the tight-fitting band or strap on the affected limb restricts blood flow in (which carries oxygen) and out (which carries lactic acid and other wastes from muscle activity) below the compression level. According to the above safety guidelines, BFR contraindications are focused on those with vascular insufficiency or cardiac implications. The findings emphasize that the magnitude of muscle damage seems to be attenuated after a first session of resistance training with BFR, demonstrating a protective loading effect through this type of exercise. Knowing this, when implementing blood flow restriction training, it is important to consider both the width of the cuff and the circumference of the limb.
Another way that BFR can help you gain muscle faster has to do with what happens when you push your muscles to the point of failure, where you simply can't get another rep. Blood flow restriction (BFR) training is a promising alternative to conventional therapy approaches during musculoskeletal rehabilitation because several studies support its beneficial effects on muscle mass, strength, aerobic capacity and pain perception.