Have you been working through post-injury rehabilitation and found that your muscle mass has decreased? You may know that lifting high weights at low repetitions can increase size–but if you’re recovering from injury, you probably can’t exercise at that intensity. Fortunately, blood flow restriction training is a great tool for increasing your muscle growth potential without risking reinjury.
Blood flow restriction (BFR) training is a muscle-building technique beloved by strength athletes around the world. But at Balance Rehabilitation & Health Science, we’ve adapted it into our clinical practice to help injured athletes or people in the later stages of recovering from orthopedic surgeries restore muscle mass as part of their rehabilitation.
On paper, the technique is simple: by restricting blood flow into a muscle area during a lower-intensity strength training session, you trick your body into building muscle without a high-impact workout.
If you live in Goffstown and want to know if blood flow restriction training might be the right choice for you, schedule an appointment with us today!
How Blood Flow Restriction Training Affects Muscle Growth Potential
Muscle growth is a biological process known as hypertrophy. Hypertrophy involves purposefully breaking down the muscles through high-intensity exercise. As your muscles recover from the mico-damage, they become bigger and stronger.
That high-impact exercise also reduces oxygen delivery to the impacted muscle, which leads to the production of lactic acid–another factor in building bigger, stronger muscles. It also promotes blood circulation into the area, further improving muscle growth potential.
The standard way of jumpstarting these three biological processes is through resistance training with heavy weights. Unfortunately, heavy weightlifting is likely out of the question if you’re rehabilitating after an injury. It simply puts too much stress on the body.
Blood flow restriction training offers another solution. Rather than lifting heavy weights, you lift lighter ones (albeit at higher repetitions). The crucial difference is that you perform these low-impact exercises while wearing a specialized cuff that allows blood to flow into the affected area but restricts it from flowing out.
Doing so jumpstarts the same processes as more traditional high-weight resistance training. It damages muscle fibers and creates the same low-oxygen environment that facilitates the production of lactic acid. As a result, someone undergoing BFR training will see similar muscle gains as someone utilizing heavy weightlifting.
The Benefits of BFR Training for Muscle Growth Potential
BFR training offers a wealth of benefits, especially for people in the later stages of rehabilitation after an injury or surgery. At this point, you need to focus on restoring strength and functionality–but you aren’t yet at a place where you can safely pick up a heavy-weight training program.
Here are a few of the benefits of blood flow restriction training:
- Improved Gains: A BFR program lasting 4-6 weeks can generate a 10%- 20% increase in muscle mass–about what you would expect from a high-impact weight training program of similar length.
- No Joint Pressure: High-impact strength training can put a lot of stress on your joints. The low-weight exercises used in BFR training will not. This is a big part of why BFR training is so effective for people in rehabilitation.
- No Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness: Have you ever felt sore a day or two after an intense weightlifting session? You likely won’t have that experience with BFR training, as the lighter load doesn’t trigger the biological processes that lead to post-workout soreness.
- Proven Safe for Most People: Purposefully restricting blood flow might sound intimidating, but the process is extremely safe. While some groups should not use BFR training–such as pregnant women or people with cardiac health issues–for most people, it’s as safe as standard strength training.
What To Expect During BFR Training at Balance Rehabilitation & Health Science
Our physical therapists can let you know if you’re a good candidate for blood flow resistance training. Generally speaking, we use it for people who need to restore muscle size and strength during rehabilitation. However, it’s also an effective complement to more standard workout programs.
During your training session, your physical therapist will oversee the process of restricting your blood flow. This is not a matter of simply strapping on a homemade tourniquet! Instead, we’ll use a specialized cuff that allows us to adjust its pressure, ensuring blood flows in but can not flow out.
We’ll also correctly place your cuff. For upper body work, we’ll put it around the upper arm; for lower body work, we’ll put it around your thigh. Remember to wear clothes that allow easy access to the area!
We’ll also help you determine the proper weight load for your exercises. You want to aim for a weight that’s 20%-40% of your 1RM (one-rep maximum–basically, how much weight can you safely lift for just one rep). We’ll also let you know how many reps you need to perform. The standard is usually 75 reps across 4 sets, with breaks between each set.
Finally, we’ll let you know which exercises you need to perform. We can show you the movements and ensure you’re performing them correctly if needed. We’ll also monitor your progress and make adjustments–including increasing your weight level as you get stronger.
Experience the Benefits of Blood Flow Restriction Training for Yourself!
When it comes to muscle growth potential, BFR training is a great tool for anyone who can’t safely undertake a heavy-weight training program. If you’re ready to see all that BFR training offers, schedule an appointment at Balance Rehabilitation & Health Science today. Our physical therapists can’t wait to help you get started!
