Blood Flow Restriction Training Week #1

[Image credit run.vince.run]

It's the fourth of January and myself and my wife are doing an easy 4km run around our neighbourhood on a warm Sunday evening. This run is a little different even though it's the same run I've done about 200 times. On this run I'm also wearing Blood Flow Restriction cuffs around my thighs to get an added benefits from the easy run we were doing, without needing to push a higher intensity.

This is one the main benefits of Blood Flow Restriction training that drew my interest from the first time I heard of it. By using a blood restriction cuff during training, you can use lighter weights to get the same benefits as you would from using heavier weights. Sometimes referred to as Kaatsu Training, Occlusion training or BFR training, it comes with about 30 years of research.

A lot of the good research revolves around injury rehabilitation and improving muscle strength but recently the research has started move towards unlocking the benefits of BFR as supplemental training for athletes of all types and sports. Professional sports teams are starting to take notice and money is being invested into new products and research. BFR is slowly making it's way into the mainstream but there is still a lot that needs to be sorted out first.

To kick off 2026, I'm looking to put together a series of posts around BFR to help bring some awareness to athletes and coaches as I am seeing an increase in the number of questions around, like the one below, with a lot of the guidance, not being very good:
Screenshot 2026-01-05 at 11.48.02 am.png
[Screenshot from HIITScience Skool Account]

I'm looking at making these posts weekly, so if your keen to get started quickly, take a look at the following post to give you a better idea on where to start:
https://hytro.com/blogs/journal/what-is-bfr-training?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21678785007&gclid=CjwKCAiAmePKBhAfEiwAU3Ko3Dy4gXnDrh0zKmc0kshLZdxvshaI9StYdj56JuSiaeNCKsGz5TvqBhoCCDEQAvD_BwE

Disclaimer: This article is for general information only and does not constitute medical advice. Exercise involves risk, and what’s appropriate varies by individual health, fitness level, and medical history. Before starting any new exercise programme or training regime, especially if you are pregnant, have a medical condition, are recovering from injury/illness, take medication, or have any concerns, seek approval/advice from a qualified healthcare professional. Stop exercising immediately if you feel unwell or experience pain, dizziness, chest pain, or shortness of breath, and seek medical help where appropriate. Use your judgement, train within your limits, and follow safe technique.

I've been using BFR for a few years now and in my opinion have gotten some interesting results including increase in muscle size as well as an increase blood flow and clearer breathing. It just feels like the research just isn't clear on how to really improve performance and prescribe to athletes, especially in endurance sports. I wanted to start up a blog series for a few different reasons:

I really wanted to do a deep dive this year into BFR and finally get my head around the proper way to implement it in coaching. This deep dive kicked off a massive pile of information that seemed only right to present so, other people might be able to benefit from it.
There is a lot of good research but I think there are a lot of gaps in how to apply BFR in the real world. Different practitioners promote contradicting advise, so it'll be good to get some consistent information.
Bring the idea of BFR to a wider audience to make it more common practice. It seems like BFR is really on the fringe and most only assume body builders use it.
A lot of what is being sold and discussed is very expensive and at times painful. In my opinion it doesn't need to be. Let's provide a way to give an open formula to implement BFR in your own training

A Quick History Of BFR and BFR Research

BFR dates back to the 1960’s in Japan, where Dr. Yoshiaki Sato developed what he called the Kaatsu method of training to help in physiotherapy for rehabilitation, by athletes for training, and by older adults to fight sarcopenia. Kaatsu or BFR uses a cuff around either the arm of upper leg to allow blood to flow freely in the muscle but the cuffs restrict the venous return of blood from the muscles. The restriction creates a hypoxic environment, and subsequent increase in metabolic stress, which allows people to train with BFR using low load see an increase in both size and strength of the muscle compared to training with low loads and no BFR cuffs at all. Research has shown no decrements in muscle function, no prolonged muscle swelling, no elevation in blood biomarkers of muscle damage or deep-vein thrombosis. It's recommended that anyone with deep-vein thrombosis, varicose veins of the legs, prolonged immobility, heart failure, as well as pregnancy, it's a good idea to consult your doctor before proceeding with BFR.

Before you get excited, BFR is no magic bullet. From what I've found though, it's a great way to get a larger benefit from training sessions, especially for injured athletes.

Getting back to my Sunday evening run, there was not much to it. Four kilometres of easy running, with no HIIT, no soreness and no expensive cuffs to cut my blood flow. I started using BFR cuffs in a very basic form almost 4 years ago and through a lot of trial and error, I have finally been able to implement it as part of my weekly training where it is helping me improve, while reducing the amount of time I am spending training. I need to be 100% clear, there was a lot of trial and error, some expensive purchases of automatic calibrating cuffs, burst blood vessels, rashes and at sometimes pain. So hopefully I'll be able to get all the details down and presented to you all, so you can learn from the issues I had.

If your interested in some free courses, check out the following: