Anybody use blood flow restriction training?

Layne Norton is a big advocate for it

It does sound counterintuitive when you first hear about it.

https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ask-the-muscle-prof-occlusion-training.html

Occlusion training involves wrapping a device like a pressure cuff or knee wraps around the top of a limb at a pressure sufficient to occlude, or obstruct, blood flow to the veins, but not the arteries.2,3 This way, the arteries continue to deliver blood to the limb, and the blood pools in the limb as the veins struggle to take it back to the heart.

There are at least three ways that BFR works.3, 5-7 You may have used the phrase "get my swole on" before—it's OK, we all have—but you'll really learn what it means once you apply a wrap. During BFR, muscle cells reach a point where they are so full of fluid that they have to either burst or grow.6

The second way BFR works is that the low oxygen level in a muscle during the accumulation of blood forces your body to recruit larger fast-twitch fibers, resulting in extreme growth.

Finally, when oxygen is low, lactic acid rapidly accumulates. This may sound bad, but studies show lactic acid by itself can increase protein synthesis!


As for weight, all the research indicates that there's no benefit to be gained from going heavy. Select a weight that is 20-40 percent of your 1RM—seriously! Trust me, it will feel much heavier by the end.

Our recommendation for the ideal BFR workout to optimizing growth is 4 sets with reps of 30, 15, 15, and 15, with only 30 seconds rest between sets. Perform this workout 2-3 times per week.

Comments on that thread are interesting.

Response to proportion questions about chests and back (core) muscles:

You don't need to, you wrap the top of your arm and in turn it will limit the supply of circulation to the shoulder.

Similar to if someone asked "how do you wrap your calf? By wrapping your quad your still limiting the blood swell and causing stretching and swelling of the muscle.

Another comment

As stated above, everytime you train past 40-60 % of your 1-RM you MECHANICALLY SHUT DOWN your blood flow. I feel that it is important for people to understand the actual processes that truly occur with "Old Fashion Ways" The research has been clear for decades, if you lift the old fashion ways you will mechanically occlude blood vessels. Which is one of the reasons why you hypertrophy with the old fashion ways! In fact, I used to work with two M.D. PhDs in my old laboratory, and they induced vascular occlusion with static contractions as low as 40- 50 % 1RM with NO WRAP. What do you think occurs when you are lifting heavy weights? Why do you think your blood pressure skyrockets to 480 / 350 when you train legs? Its because you have mechanically shut down your blood vessels. It is a lack of understanding of normal physiological responses to training which freaks people out about low intensity blood flow restriction exercise.

Another comment:

The basic performance enhancements behind the idea shouldn't be surprising - low oxygenated environments have been shown to support a more anabolic training response and part of pumping up has always been about forcing blood into the muscle - an isometric hold or an isotension flex (Arnold's thing) is essentially just a 'manual' way to trap blood in the muscle. I'd imagine it's not terribly difficult to 'over-do' it though.