[Image Credit run.vince.run]
The title is a little "click baity", but trust me, its a good storey either way and hopefully you'll get something out of it.
Maybe you could say I am a little obsessed, and maybe I am. I'm not trying to find a short cut or a hack but I am trying to just find a way to get the most out of my body with the time that I have. I've been running for about 25 years now and I've known for a long time, you simply can't keep increasing speed, intensity, volume and your race results will simply improve in a linear fashion. If there's a way to make a small change to your posture, or a specific weighted jump, or a change to your running stride to then get a breakthrough or improve your race times, I would like to find it.
This is what originally got me interested in Blood Flow Restriction training. I mentioned in my last post about listening to a Ben Greenfields podcast on Kaatsu, got me interested in using BFR, but the following research from Korea that got me salivating and hoping for an amazing jump in performance.
This is a link to the research paper:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20544348/
Here is also a podcast which discusses it:
https://bfrradio.podbean.com/e/enhancing-cardiovascular-fitness-with-2-weeks-of-bfr-walking-in-athletes/
The research took 11 college level basketball players and had 7 use BFR cuffs on there legs with 5 that did the same training without BFR cuffs. They had them perform 5 sets of 3 minute incline walk(5%) repeats with a 1 minute rest. Which was 20 minutes in total, and had them perform the training twice a day for 2 weeks. At the end of the training, they saw the players using BFR cuffs had increased there VO2 Max, some by 11%, from just this two weeks of training. They concluded that the 2-week BFR-walk significantly increases VO2 Max.
The results kinda shocked me and made me really take a closer look at the training. I'd been using some very basic muscle wraps with my stationary bike, but invested in some proper inflatable cuffs. Still very basic and the cheapest I could get from AliExpress. I tried to replicate the research but from the outset the amount of pressure the research were inflating the cuffs to, seemed really high and it was painful on my legs. So, I started with the pressure being a little lower and gradually increased it, with a lot more success.
Disclaimer: This article is for general information only and does not constitute medical advice. Exercise involves risk, and what’s appropriate varies by individual health, fitness level, and medical history. Before starting any new exercise programme or training regime, especially if you are pregnant, have a medical condition, are recovering from injury/illness, take medication, or have any concerns, seek approval/advice from a qualified healthcare professional. Stop exercising immediately if you feel unwell or experience pain, dizziness, chest pain, or shortness of breath, and seek medical help where appropriate. Use your judgement, train within your limits, and follow safe technique.
Looking Back At The Results
Before I validated my own testing I looked a little closer at the research, and found a bit of information that I missed the first time around. Even though the athletes who performed the walking exercises were college basketballers, I simply assumed they were "American" college basketballers who are practically professional athletes. Unfortunately, they were Korean college basketballers, and even though they were fit and healthy, there VO2 Max only rose from 49 to 55. For there age, this is only moving from average to good. And could this mean that someone who is highly trained or have a high VO2 Max, would they respond in the same way?
What Do The Results Actually Mean Then?
If your doing a two or three hours of training a day, then an extra couple of 20 minute training sessions may actually be a little difficult for even a professional athlete that doesn't have much else to do, but it looks like some people are able to validate this research so it may have a few extra benefits. Of course, the first is rehabilitation from injury, or for sedentary people to try an increase there fitness before embarking on a more vigorous training. Athletes could also use this type of training in the off season or while tapering for a big event or race. This could also be added to a warm up to help with an athletes training.
So How Am I Using BFR Now
From the research, I have deviated a little from the training I mentioned above. As I said, when the inflatable bands are too tight, they cause a lot of pain, and it turns training sessions into torture. One of the main benefits of BFR is the fact that you get a serge of nitric oxide into the body, and I found some information stating that this nitric oxide isn't released if the BFR bands are causing you pain. So I switched back to an easy to use velcro band, and I will have a lot more information on the increase in nitric oxide in the coming weeks.
I will usually have three training sessions a week where I use the BFR bands on my legs. Most of the time, it is for one indoor bike session and two of my runs. I am also trying to keep it as simple as possibly to show that you don't need a complicated training protocol to get some improvements. I am also doing daily breath hold sessions where I do use the BFR bands on my arms as I am doing push ups, but more on this at a later date.
Summing Up
In the 2017 movie Icarus we saw the journalist take performance enhancing drugs, which in the long run did not give him super human powers or turn him into the worlds greatest cyclist. It did provide him with some benefits that allowed him to increase his performance but also exposed weaknesses, leading him to injury. I am not saying that BFR is comparable to taking performance enhancing drugs, but I am saying it can lead to benefits, but only after long, sustained use, over a long period of time, combined with your normal training.