Progressive Overload in Blood Flow Restriction Training

What is progressive overload in BFR? Here’s a protocol that our very own Dr. Nick Rolnick designed that will be implemented in a future case study on an individual with cerebral palsy.

Here is the protocol: 

The participant will perform their regular resistance training program for 8 weeks, substituting two exercises (supine leg press and seated knee extension) for the same exercise with the addition of BFR. For the BFR exercises, the participant will use loads of 20%-30% of the participants 1-repetition maximum. The participant will perform 4 sets of 30-15-15-15 repetitions at 80% of the occlusion pressure. This set-up is in concordance with published guidelines, and has been used previously in populations similar to ours. To familiarize the participants with BFR, Week 1 will use an occlusion pressure of 60% and Week 2 will use an occlusion pressure of 70%, with 15-15-15-15 repetition scheme. Weeks 2-4 will use the 30-15-15-15 scheme at 80% occlusion pressure. In week 5 the participant will perform the last set to failure (i.e., as many repetitions as possible until a single repetition cannot be completed). In week 6, the last two sets will be to failure, in weeks 7, the last three sets, and in week 8, the all four sets. This ensures that the patient reaches necessary muscular fatigue in order to create adaptation.

Progression or regression of the exercise routine will occur based on the participants ability to perform the full repetition scheme twice in consecutive sessions. Load (i.e., amount of resistance) will be increased 5% in this case, and decreased 5% if the participant is unable to complete the non-failure exercise sets twice in a row.

Adapted from: https://www.instagram.com/p/CZSAnfVudqu/

****Remember, the decision to use BFR, or any treatment for that matter, should be based on the pillars of evidence-based practice.

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