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• What if I told you that you could get the same muscle growth from lifting less than half the weight you’re used to?
• What if I told you that it would take less than half the time as your normal sets?
• And what if I told you that you’d look badass while doing it and get the sickest pump of your life?

Well that’s exactly what Blood Flow Restriction Training (BFR) is about.

It’s a style of training that’s growing in popularity these days and has a lot of potential to offer your training – no matter what your goals are. Size, strength, recovery. It can handle it all.

In this article we’ll be talking everything you need to know about BFR in the Ultimate Guide to Blood Flow Restriction Training:

1. What it is
2. Why you should care
3. Who’s it for ( and not for)
4. How to do it
5. Ways to work it into your training

Let’s get going.

What is Blood Flow Restriction Training?

Blood flow restriction training – also referred to as BFR, occlusion, or KAATSU – is exactly what it sounds like: Working out with restricted blood flow.

This is done by putting on a wrap or adjustable bands to your arms and legs which restricts blood flow away from them. Blood can still flow in though, so this leads to a pooling of blood within the muscle and leads to a massive pump.

This traps metabolites (the pump/burn) in the muscle, increases muscle activation levels, and puts a lot of tension on the muscle fibers – which is the #1 reason why your muscles grow.

The best part? You’re only lifting at 20-30% of your max to do so:

Why Should I Care About Blood Flow Restriction Training?

Why should you care about blood flow restriction training?

Simple:

• Similar gains in size and strength as regular lifting despite using very light weight
• In half the time

And that is a great thing for a ton of people out there.

We know without a doubt now that you can make your muscles grow just as much with light weights and high reps as you can with heavy weights and low reps, but blood flow restriction training has been shown to lead to similar gains as heavier training even at weights of 20-30% 1RM (!)

That’s extremely light.

For context, if you can bench 300 pounds, that’d be less than 100 pounds for your BFR workouts.

In fact, blood flow restriction training has even been shown to lead to muscle growth in subjects simply walking.

And it has also been shown to slow down muscle shrinkage during periods of inactivity – such as post-surgery or during injury – even with NO exercise.

It doesn’t take a genius to see the value in that.

Blood Flow Restriction Training is a useful alternative to regular lifting. Share on X

Clearly, there’s something going on here that’s worth our attention – no matter if you’re a bodybuilder, powerlifter, trainer, or physical therapist.

Is Blood Flow Restriction Training Safe?

I know what you’re thinking.

Tying your arms and legs up and then lifting weights sounds like a terrible idea, but the fact of the matter is, that isn’t the case.

BLOOD FLOW RESTRICTION TRAINING IS SAFE

BFR has been heavily studied in thousands of people. When done correctly, it is a safe way of training.

The blood flow restriction is only for a few minutes – not for hours, and blood flow is not cut off entirely. Only the venous return of blood is slowed down, not the arterial in-flow.

In fact, you could argue that because of the light weights lifted, blood flow restriction training is safer than regular lifting with heavy weights.

Who is Blood Flow Restriction Training For?

Based on the benefits I’ve outlined, let’s look at who would benefit the most.

Blood flow restriction training is for:

• Working around injuries
• Maintenance or increase of size without the use of heavy weight
• The elderly
• Buffer between rehab and normal training
• Vacations, home workouts, or travel

Basically: all those situations where lifting heavy weights is not a good idea or available option but you still want to reap the benefits of lifting.

Because of the way it’s performed (more on that later), it’s also a very time efficient way to train so can come in handy when you need to get your workout in but are in a time crunch.

Personally, I got involved in blood flow restriction training when dealing with an injury, and it worked wonders for me while allowing myself the time to heal.

Is Blood Flow Restriction Training Better than Regular Training?

I mean, you’re already making gains, so why do BFR? Is it any better than regular training?

No – it depends on your use of it.

Blood flow restriction training won’t give you magical gains or any special effects compared to regular training, so don’t get carried away in the hype.

It looks badass and trying new things is fun and all, but if your goal is to maximize size and strength, I wouldn’t make it my first choice, so don’t look for excuses to do blood flow restriction training “just because”. It has its limitations and isn’t a magic bullet.

If you are healthy and have the work capacity to handle regular weights pushed for progression, stick to that and keep blood flow restriction training locked up until you need it. I’ll show you how to work it in your training later in the article.

In other words, use it where it’s useful and put it away when it’s not. 

Just like most things in training and nutrition. 

What You’ll Need to Perform Blood Flow Restriction Training

Blood flow Restriction training is actually very accessible and won’t cost you much to get the ball rolling. The only thing you’ll need besides your normal gym equipment are some sort of wrap or cuff to apply to the limb. 

There are several options here. You can use:

• Knee wraps
• Dedicated blood flow restriction bands (my recommendation)
• Tourniquets

In the lab, they use equipment that can sell for thousands of dollars (they have to standardize the pressure), but you can get what you need for around $20USD.

Take a look here for some options you can get.

How wide should the cuffs be?

The width of the blood flow restriction bands is important for getting the most out of your blood flow restriction training. The here is to make sure that they’re not too wide or too narrow. 

The cuffs on your arms should be thinner than those of your legs simply due to the size differences in the limbs.

• For arms, go for 1-2 inches (2.5-5cm) of width.
• For legs, 2.5-5in (6-13cm) of width.

Based on these figures, if you are using just knee wraps alone, they can be too wide for the arm (not to mention a pain in the ass to wrap), so I recommend cutting them in half longways.

If you get actual bands like I recommend, they often come in a leg and arm version with size differences already, so you won’t have to worry about that.

How to Perform Blood Flow Restriction Training

Now that you’ve got the basics of BFR laid out, it’s time to dive into the details on how to actually perform blood flow restriction training.

Once we get that right, I’ll show you how to incorporate it into your overall training routine.

There are lots of ways you can use blood flow restriction training, but here I’ll show you a common protocol seen in the scientific literature to be effective:

1. Apply the cuff/wrap

Grab your blood flow restriction bands and apply them right at the top of your bare arm or legs underneath any clothing that could get in the way of applying the pressure you want (leggings or compression gear is fine).

Yes, even for calves. Nowhere else.

How tight should you wrap for blood flow restriction?

The pressure of the cuff on the limb when doing blood flow restriction depends on several factors, but as a practical guideline, it should be about a 7 on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the tightest you can go.

There should be NO pain or discomfort from this. That means they are too tight.

There does not appear to be any added benefit whatsoever from going tighter, so don’t put yourself through pain or at risk for no reason. That’s just stupid.

Over time, you’ll find the sweet spot for how tight to wrap and it’ll become second nature.

What about my chest or back?

There is no way for you to directly occlude these areas, so BFR is a better choice for the muscles of the arms and legs.

Even so, muscle growth is still seen from muscles that aren’t occluded directly when performing blood flow restriction training. For example, your chest will still grow from a bench press with your arms occluded.

This is because your triceps are worn out, so the chest has to work harder to continue moving the weight.

2. Grab 20-30% of your 1RM (1 Rep Max) for the exercise

Next, get your exercise set up with 20-30% of your 1 rep max.

For example, if your max on an exercise is 100lbs, you’d be doing 20-30lbs.

Given that most of your blood flow restriction training work is likely going to come from isolation movements, getting a true 1 rep max simply isn’t practical, so stick to an estimate instead.

This can take some trial and error, but you should be aiming for a weight with which you can do about 30 reps with on your first occluded set.

Which Exercises Are Best for Blood Flow Restriction Training?

There are a ton of exercises that you can do with blood flow restriction, but naturally it lends itself best to single-joint/isolation movements like bicep curls or leg extensions.

I don’t recommend using complex multi-joint exercises – especially if you’re very strong. Things would just get ridiculous or potentially dangerous.

For example, squats or deadlifts.

These are very technical exercises and involve a lot of large muscle groups that would make working out into a religious experience with the high reps, short rest, and massive pump that blood flow restriction dishes out.

Instead, use a leg press, leg extension, and leg curl.

The Best Exercises for Blood Flow Restriction Training

Based on that, here is a list of my most recommended exercises for Blood Flow Restriction Training – this is far from all of them but gives you a good idea:

• Calf Raises
• Leg Extensions
• Leg Curls
• Leg Press
• Bicep Curls
• Tricep Extensions

As is to be expected, single joint exercises dominate this area.

Like I said, you will still get benefit in other muscles if you choose to do compound exercises like a bench press, but that’s not ideal.

If someone is using blood flow restriction due to joint problems where heavy lifting is a bad idea but still wants to train their chest or back, I recommend sticking to regular sets of high reps.

3. Perform your first set with 25-30 repetitions

Now, crank out your first set with 25-30 reps.

Your first set is going to get that ‘pump’ in the muscle and build up the metabolites. Simply perform 25-30 reps in good form.

Note: This may feel ‘easy’ but that’s to be expected. You’ll feel it in your rest period and on the next sets. If it’s too easy, consider adding weight your next time doing blood flow restriction after going through an entire session. This can take some experimentation. 

4. Rest 30 seconds

After that first set, rest for 30 seconds.

Short rest times aren’t something I recommend for muscle growth, but with blood flow restriction training, they are necessary to keep the pump in the muscle.

Keep your wraps on the entire time until all of your sets are done.

Unless you are experiencing pain or severe discomfort, do not loosen them or take them off during your sets. We want to keep that buildup in the muscle.

5. Perform 3 more sets of 15-20 reps

After the first set, perform 3 more sets of 15-20 reps.

This will get the extra volume in and cause more of those good things to happen. By the end of this, you will definitely be feeling a huge pump and some discomfort, but there should be no actual pain. You may not get all of the reps, but that’s okay – see next section.

Once you’re done with all your sets, take the cuff or wrap off and go about your day.

How to Progress with Blood Flow Restriction Training

As with all forms of lifting, progressive overload is the name of the game.

Therefore, when you hit 30 reps on your first set and the target number of reps for the following sets, increase the weight.

For example, let’s say your estimated 1RM for bicep curls with an bar is 100lbs and you’re using 20lbs.

Once you can complete your 4 sets, you would increase the weight by 5lbs total to make 25lbs  your new working weight.

Example of Blood Flow Restriction Progression

To help you out, here is how you would progress on the protocol I gave:

Session 1:

20lbs x 30

20lbs x 15

20lbs x 13

20lbs x 11

Once you get to :

20lbs x 30

20lbs x 15 x 3 sets

Increase the weight by 2.5-5lbs total depending on the exercise for your next session.

Extra Tips When Starting Blood Flow Restriction:

If you’ve never done blood flow restriction training before, don’t jump in headfirst and get nuts with it.

It can be uncomfortable if you’ve never done it before, and you need to test the waters and see how you respond. The pump can be very intense and you may feel uneasy or light-headed if you jump the gun too quickly.

Therefore, be conservative and pick lighter weights rather than heavier, less pressure rather than more, and so on.

Side note: I almost threw up my first time doing blood flow restriction training. Don’t let light weights fool you!

Competition Prep/Special Training Cycles

If you’re using BFR every now and then or considering adding it into a program for the first time, factor in an extra week or two to allow yourself a “transition phase” so that you can make any adjustments as needed to make it a staple in your program.

This will help you find your target weights and the right pressures to get the most out of it.

How to Work Blood Flow Restriction Training into your Workouts

Cool, so you’ve got how to do it.

Now let’s talk about how would you go about actually working that into your training.

There’s a lot of ways that weaving blood flow restriction into your training can be done, but here’s some fuel to get you up and going:

Stand Alone Blood Flow Restriction Training

The first and most obvious way you can use blood flow restriction training is by choosing it as a stand-alone resistance training protocol.

This is going to be the case for injuries, the elderly, or during travel/home workouts where you simply don’t have the tools, time, or mindset to go heavy.

After Main Work

A second option to incorporate some blood flow restriction training in your workouts is after you perform your heavier lifts.

Depending on your program and how you’re feeling, you might be too wrecked after doing your heavy compound exercises to really be in it mentally or physically to push some heavy weight for your second exercises. Blood flow restriction training can help you to get that extra volume in without the grind.

Despite this, let me make myself clear:

Factor in your total volume!

In other words, don’t just tack blood flow restriction onto the end of your workouts after already doing plenty of productive lifting.

That defeats the purpose.

There is a volume threshold past which you aren’t going to get any additional benefit but will dig yourself a hole recovery-wise, so don’t think more is better necessarily.

Periodized Approach

Third in line, we have taking a periodized approach.

There is value to doing it across weeks, but here we’re going to focus on within a workout week as that’s where I feel it really shines.

Most people looking to gain size should be hitting each muscle group at least 2x/week, and more advanced individuals may be looking at 3 or even 4x/week sessions depending on their total volume requirements.

By periodizing your training through heavy/light days, you can work across different rep ranges and add some variety to your training that also speaks well for recovery.

Therefore, blood flow restriction training can be used as a “light day” to still get some good training in without the heavier weights.

Blood flow restriction training shows low signs of muscle damage and recovery is quick, so it can be a good option for higher training frequencies to allow for muscle stimulation without a decrease in performance.

Reactive/Flexible Periodization

This doesn’t even have to be planned per se.

Some days you’re just not feeling up to going hard and heavy, but you can still get great results with a more flexible, “reactive” periodization approach.

This is still a very effective way to go and is a great benefit psychologically that can assist in several core areas within the context of a program.

I’ve not had enough of a chance to experiment with this as much as I would like to personally and in clients for whom it would be a good option just yet, but it is an area I’m looking to explore further.

Have you tried it?

Share your results.

Not at all

Lastly, guess what:

You don’t have to do it at all.

I’ve said it before in this article, but I’ll say it again:

Blood flow restriction training is not a must, and there aren’t benefits above and beyond regular resistance training. It all depends on you as an individual and how and why you want to use it. 

CONCLUSION

And there you have it.

If blood flow restriction training sounds like a nice addition to your routine, follow these tips and give it a shot. 

I’m sure it’s something you’re going to love.

For more on training, nutrition, and more, check out my latest book, Architect of Aesthetics.

Keep up with me on Instagram and Twitter for more tips and tricks.

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