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Blood Flow Resistance Training

preacherbob50

preacherbob50

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Okay guys and gals, I need to know everything ya'll have about BFR training.
I bumped into some information while trying to get some better workouts for my left leg. Bad knee thing. My left leg is falling behind so you can understand my stress.

The gym I go to is connected with one of our local hospitals but yet our on duty trainers didn't know anything about it although 2 of them have duel masters degrees in sports meds and PT. Even one of the BB pros that I workout with sometimes is in the dark about the new technique.

I didn't have a tournequet large enough for my thigh but I did have some ace bandages that I used yesterday for my upper arms. WOW! What a pump!!
That said, I do not like to go into anything half cocked so if ya'll have some do's and do nots please let me have them.

How tight?
Number of Reps. (I tried a recommended 30/15/15) Painful but good.
Number of days for BFR (I workout 7 days a week)
Absolute no-no's.

Thanks in advance !!!
 
preacherbob50

preacherbob50

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Okay, either the 39 folks who saw this thread do not know anything about it either or are not really interested. The reason I posted the query was that I like the one on one I can have on this forum as opposed to a YouTube thing whereby I might have some questions.
That said, here is what I found out and what I did after the fact.

Although there is a lot of research out there to be had, none of it is absolutely stamped in stone since BFR training is in it's infancy so to speak.

In a nutshell the best explanation I can give is this. By applying pressure (a tournequet) to 4 basic quandrants of the body, blood flow is allowed to come into an area such as the biceps, triceps, leg and hams but not allowed to flow out as readily as it would normally.
A good example would be placing a tournequet around the arm just above the bicep. Using only 30% or less weight while doing a typical curl the builder would typically do a single set of 30 then 15 then 15 again with a minute or so recovery in between sets. After the sets are finished the tournequet comes off.


What does it do? In short it helps build strength and hypertrophy within the muscle. There is apparently a buildup of metabolites by anaerobic metabolism, a systemic anabolic response and cellular swelling. Yeah, it burns....burns a lot. All that lactic acid and stuff sitting around in one place.

I ordered some quick release tourniquets from Amazon which cost me about 16 beans and went for it today. I did everything according to Hoyl. I tied off just above the biceps when I worked my arms and then just above the legs in the upper groin for my hams and legs. For my arms I used 20# Dumbbells and for the legs I squatted with 30# on a bar. (total weight). Remember, my left knee is bad but using this excercise routine I was able to give both my legs an equal workout with less weight and actually had more visible results which are still apparent now after 5 or 6 hours after the fact.

I found out a couple of no-no's from the research if anyone wants to try this technique. If you can't finish the sets then either the weight is too much or the tournequet is too tight. Probably a little bit of both.
Number 2. Just because the weight is much less than normal, go about the set as you would normally do it. Steady and watching your form. Believe me, if you just start pumping quick curls because it's light you will not make it through all three sets and it will probably hurt like Hades to boot. I found that out the other day when I tried doing curls using an ace bandage just to see how things might go if I got real with it.
3. Only perform this technique one time a week. Dunno why, but that's what everyone says so far.

Fact is, I am totally impressed. 6 hours later my biceps and tri's are still pumped and my legs are feeling better than they have for a long, long while.
 
ArnoldS

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I never heard of this but I'm willing to try it. Thanks for posting Bob!
 
preacherbob50

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Okay, it's about 3 weeks after I started using BFR training so I guess it's time for a review.
The same things happen as it did when I first started. The target muscles get beet red and I get a lot of burn in a relatively short period of time. The pump is absolutely CRAZY and lasts for major hours afterward!!
One definite advantage to the technique is that it's a great way to break up arm and leg routines hence no noticeable plateau effects. One thing though is that I did make a mistake and worked my biceps using BFR and my arms were shot for anything else. Kinda hard to work on the deltoids or upper back if your arms won't cooperate so now, I make BFR the last thing on my list.
Note: I do not replace my normal training with BFR, but do the extra about 3 days after my normal training day as an add on but still keep my workout periods within about 45 minutes after warm-ups.

Now I am wondering. Because of the short period it takes to get major results, would it not be a good technique to use back stage before competing? One pro told me that it could mess up some chemistry for the rest of the body just before going on stage but he wasn't really sure because he is just now reading up about it after I told him about the technique.
 
Fortachon

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Those are some good looking exercices, I will try those even when I've not done them before, thank you for sharing them!
 
preacherbob50

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No problem @Fortachon! One thing I didn't emphasize is that BFR doesn't replace good old hard work but it does help out especially when your elbows or knees are giving you trouble. As an example, if the elbows are making it hard to do crushes then lighten the load, tie off once a week and go for it. Like I previously wrote, my knees make it hard to work on my quads but along with lighter regular training I throw the straps on once a week and I get what I really want which is a little show for my work.
Just as a caveat, the technique doesn't help out with being able to lift more weight but it does do one heckova job with show and tell. Now, if someone could tell me how to apply BFR to my lats, I'd be in 7th Heaven..........
 
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texashulk

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I tried this once. Guess i restricted the blood flow to much. Everything went numb. I was scared as hell. Never ever again lol
 
preacherbob50

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Yeah, me thinks that the straps were a tad too tight my friend! There's a pretty big line between blood flow occlusion and restriction. One is Stop, and other is Slow Down. If it's too tight then we're talking arterial occlusion and that's something we do NOT want to do unless of course you're doing it on purpose because of a wound or snake bite. Hopefully, there are no snakes or shooters in the gym so occlusion is out.
It's like putting a restrictor on your shower head versus turning the water off. You're still allowing water to go through but just not as much at one time.
There are actually some clinical / commercial restrictors made that look like like a blood pressure cuff and pump up with a bulb and also show the amount of pressure the user is putting on the veins in order to give the user better control.

If there is any tingling or numbness in the toes or fingers then the tournequet is too tight. Before I even start lifting I give the tourniquets a minute or so in order to make any necessary adjustments then go from there. Too tight is occlusion and like you said, scary as Hades and could be a little harmful. Too loose and you're just doing a lot of reps, which isn't all bad but it doesn't accomplish what the technique is supposed to do.
 
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Clair02

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This is the first time I'm hearing about this, but thanks for sharing. Goes to show, one never really stops learning. I want to find out more about this process, sounds interesting but I'm concerned it might be a bit dangerous if not done correctly, am I right?
 
preacherbob50

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If done incorrectly it isn't as dangerous as it is counterproductive and/or unnecessarily painful. If the tourniquets are too tight then it's both because if there is no blood flow coming in the muscle isn't being fed and hurt like hades.

As I posted before, if you give it a minute before you start lifting and your fingers or toes start tingling or going numb then it's a sure sign that it's too tight. It takes a little experimentation but you'll know it when everything is good to go.
One pro bodybuilder at my gym is in to it now and he told me the other day that he's getting some results that he's been trying for for a couple of years and couldn't get for some reason.

Since my last post I've branched out a little just to see some other possibilities and here's what I have found thus far.
I tried some slower 30 sec. count intensive type training on my tri's using the straps and couldn't believe how little time and weight it took to get great results. I did 10-5-5 instead of the 30-15-15 because there just wasn't any way to do the specified workout unless I maybe used 10 pound dums.

The other thing I tried was instead of strapping to do leg workouts I tried doing some calf work. Again, great results especially when I gave it a slower count. The tie off is the same as the leg workout which is right up there at the groin.

One thing I do not believe I mentioned is that BFR is all over youtube and there's some great documentation on line. To simply post a link wouldn't do the proper justice that this new technique deserves.
Look at it, study it and go for it. And again, BFR Does NOT replace work! Just looking good doesn't do a bit of good if ya can't lift over 50 lbs. Lifting for mass, endurance, and weight are all different catagories and need to approached differently.
 

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zonemik

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Thanks for the infromation. This is the first time I actually heared about it. It sounds quite interesting and I think I should try it. I have never done this ever. I would definitely take part in it.
 
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Like everyone before me mentioned it's the first time I've heard about this technique but I've been seen this being done before in the past by a well known wrestler by the name of James Brian Hellwig, I'm sure you heard the name. But then, do you think it's better to start this under a supervision of a professional? I'm scared as this might cause some thrombosis because you're restricting the blood flow and increasing the pressure.
 
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biege

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How do I delete duplicate posts? Sorry, I can only edit this one.
 
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gospel

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Cardio is some of the best stuff you can do in line with all of this. Any type of movement, especially rapid helps. It's important to keep that blood flowing to the brain. If you so, you may prevent all sorts of heart failures, such as heart attacks and strokes...
 
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