Blood Flow Restriction Training Glendale AZ

Blood Flow Restriction Training (BFrt) is a form of strength training while using a band to reduce arterial inflow into the muscle distal to the site of the band. This science originally began by Mr. Yoshiaki Sato in Japan in the 1960’s and is now termed KAATSU training which is practiced all over the world.

BFrt is a method of training the muscles in an altered resting state, in this state the venous outflow is completely occluded, and the arterial inflow is partially occluded. To find the appropriate restriction with your BFrt bands we recommend a trained clinical professional to assist. At Wall 2 Wall Sports & Rehab we use the SmartCuff® technology system which is an FDA approved device. These bands have a significant amount of research and technology to guarantee the most safety and benefit.

First, we place a custom sized tourniquet band or cuff around the extremity that we are targeting. The bands are placed at the proximal portion of the limb. We then set out to find LOP (limb occlusion pressure) by having you rest in the position you will be exercising, and we increase the pressure of the compression garment which causes a mechanical compression of the underlying vasculature. We check your distal pulses and check your arterial outflow with a handheld Doppler Ultrasound periodically as we increase pressure. Once we have completely occluded the arterial outflow, we reduce the pressure to a specific percentage that has been clinically found to optimize muscle growth and strength gains.

At that point we remove the pump and leave the bands on the limb and take our clients through specific strengthening exercise protocols. We monitor pain levels and sensations through the exercise activity.

For more information please watch this short cartoon video:

Benefits of BFrt
1. It has been shown to create beneficial adaptations in skeletal muscle and bone in a variety of populations, from the athletic population to the elderly population.
2. Effective resistance training levels can be achieved in 1/3 of the time while using BFrt compared to traditional resistance training
3. BFrt training is safer as you do not need to excessively load the muscle tissue to get an effective response
4. BFrt can increase blood flow to the limbs improving profusion to individuals with vascular pathology.