Here is a firsthand example of how BFR training can be used in conjunction with a proper recovery program to help improve quality of life and allow patients to accelerate their performance & recovery back to the activities they love. This patient was a 44 y/o female physique competitor with 8 years of training experience. She had a history of chronic over training: 6x/week, beyond failure on each exercise, chasing soreness as a sign of

The Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the key ligaments within the knee joint. It connects the femur (thigh bone) to the tibia (shin bone), and it is responsible for maintaining stability in the knee with lateral movements and/or sudden changes in direction. ACL tears are often regarded as one of the more severe types of knee injuries due to their lengthy recovery time. An ACL reconstruction (ACL-R) surgery typically takes 6 to 9

In The BFR Pros workshop, we discuss how metabolite-induced fatigue and cellular swelling are most likely the primary mechanisms associated with why we see hypertrophy in low-load BFR exercise. However, there are other proposed mechanisms that have been mentioned in the literature that researchers have ascribed to BFR training itself. These other proposed mechanisms – increased hormone release (growth hormone, GH; Insulin-like growth factor-1, IGF-1), systemic/cross-transfer effects and satellite cell proliferation- can largely be explained

Centner et al. (2019) published what could be considered a landmark study that calls into question our current understanding of how tendons adapt to stress. This study supports the idea that blood flow restriction at low-load protocols could be used to increase the physical properties of the Achilles tendon similar to traditional high-load protocols. Let’s look at what this study entailed.. Centner et al. investigated the effects of low-load BFR (20-35% 1RM) on Achilles tendon

Symptomatic knee osteoarthritis is a condition that nearly everyone reading this article can relate to – either on a personal or professional level. Functionally, knee osteoarthritis is characterized by a loss of knee range of motion, pain during exercise and decreased ability to perform activities of daily living such as walking, climbing up/down stairs and getting up out of a chair.  A lack of quadriceps strength has been linked to not only a risk factor