Take 20% off our bluetooth-enabled, auto-calibrating BFR cuffs with the discount code "bfrpodcast" - Shop here.

Download The Comprehensive Guide to BFR Training for free here: BFR Ebook

Contact: steven@saga.fitness

Disclaimer: This episode and all information on SAGA’s podcast, website, and other platforms is for informational or educational purposes only, and does not substitute professional medical advice or consultations with healthcare professionals.

Take 20% off our bluetooth-enabled, auto-calibrating BFR cuffs with the discount code "bfrpodcast" - Shop here.

Download The Comprehensive Guide to BFR Training for free here: BFR Ebook

Contact: steven@saga.fitness

Disclaimer: This episode and all information on SAGA’s podcast, website, and other platforms is for informational or educational purposes only, and does not substitute professional medical advice or consultations with healthcare professionals.

Take 20% off our bluetooth-enabled, auto-calibrating BFR cuffs with the discount code "bfrpodcast" - Shop here.

Download The Comprehensive Guide to BFR Training for free here: BFR Ebook

References

Effects of Blood Flow Restriction Training on Muscular Strength and Hypertrophy in Older Individuals: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Contact: steven@saga.fitness

Disclaimer: This episode and all information on SAGA’s podcast, website, and other platforms is for informational or educational purposes only, and does not substitute professional medical advice or consultations with healthcare professionals.

Download The Comprehensive Guide to BFR Training for free here: BFR Ebook

Contact: steven@saga.fitness

Disclaimer: This episode and all information on SAGA’s podcast, website, and other platforms is for informational or educational purposes only, and does not substitute professional medical advice or consultations with healthcare professionals.

Download The Comprehensive Guide to BFR Training for free here: BFR Ebook

Contact: steven@saga.fitness

Disclaimer: This episode and all information on SAGA’s podcast, website, and other platforms is for informational or educational purposes only, and does not substitute professional medical advice or consultations with healthcare professionals.

Download The Comprehensive Guide to BFR Training for free here: BFR Ebook

References

The effects of upper body blood flow restriction training on muscles located proximal to the applied occlusive pressure: A systematic review with meta-analysis

Contact: steven@saga.fitness

Disclaimer: This episode and all information on SAGA’s podcast, website, and other platforms is for informational or educational purposes only, and does not substitute professional medical advice or consultations with healthcare professionals.

Download The Comprehensive Guide to BFR Training for free here: BFR Ebook

Joel Novak is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, Owner of My Performance Rehab, and BFR educator. His extensive experience not only teaching the science and application of BFR, but applying it with his patients in the field has given him a unique perspective. Thus, he has spent considerable time exploring some of the lesser discussed applications of BFR training - several of which we discussed in this episode.

SAGA has notoriously taken a broad position against implementing high velocity movements under BFR (when the purpose is to train and improve maximum velocity) which made for an interesting and fruitful conversation when the topic of BFR for improving sprint speed entered the discussion.

Beyond the above, we discussed perceived safety barriers to entry of BFR training, phase potentiation, and the pain-mitigating effects that BFR seems to elicit (including protocols Joel implements with his patients).

References

Low-Intensity Sprint Training With Blood Flow Restriction Improves 100-m Dash

Lunge exercises with blood-flow restriction induces post-activation potentiation and improves vertical jump performance

Comparison of Blood Flow Restriction Training versus Non-Occlusive Training in Patients with Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction or Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review

Contact: steven@saga.fitness

Disclaimer: This episode and all information on SAGA’s podcast, website, and other platforms is for informational or educational purposes only, and does not substitute professional medical advice or consultations with healthcare professionals.

Download The Comprehensive Guide to BFR Training for free here: BFR Ebook

Nathan Smith, PhD is an exercise science lecturer at The University of Notre Dame Australia and lead author on several papers exploring the benefits and applications of blood flow restriction training for endurance athletes. 

His review paper (linked below) offers a comprehensive analysis of the potential benefits and considerations of implementing BFR during aerobic training for endurance athletes. In this chat, we discuss:

• Markers of endurance
• The physiology of an aerobic session under BFR (versus a traditional aerobic session)
• The three primary mechanisms by which BFR could uniquely enhance endurance performance
• Protocols
• Pressure recommendations 
• The exciting direction BFR & endurance research is headed

All in, this episode serves as a master class for implementing the modality of BFR for improved endurance performance.

References

Aerobic Training With Blood Flow Restriction for Endurance Athletes: Potential Benefits and Considerations of Implementation

Contact: steven@saga.fitness

Disclaimer: This episode and all information on SAGA’s podcast, website, and other platforms is for informational or educational purposes only, and does not substitute professional medical advice or consultations with healthcare professionals.

Download The Comprehensive Guide to BFR Training for free here: BFR Ebook

This episode serves as part 3 of an in-depth 4-part series on the potential cognitive benefits to BFR training. Much of the information discussed in this series is pulled from a 2021 hypothesis paper by Yamada et al. (Acute exercise and cognition: A review with testable questions for future research into cognitive enhancement with blood flow restriction).

In this episode, we review 3 of the potential mechanisms by which BFR could favorably impact cognition.

Take 20% off our bluetooth-enabled, auto-calibrating BFR cuffs with the discount code "bfrpodcast" - Shop here.

References

Maintained exercise-enhanced brain executive function related to cerebral lactate metabolism in men

Increased FXYD1 and PGC-1α mRNA after blood flow-restricted running is related to fibre type-specific AMPK signaling and oxidative stress in human muscle

A novel gravity-induced blood flow restriction model augments ACC phosphorylation and PGC-1α mRNA in human skeletal muscle following aerobic exercise: a randomized crossover study

The acute angiogenic signaling response to low-load resistance exercise with blood flow restriction

Developing the catecholamines hypothesis for the acute exercise-cognition interaction in humans: Lessons from animal studies

Experimental Effects of Acute Exercise on Episodic Memory Function: Considerations for the Timing of Exercise

Contact: steven@saga.fitness

Disclaimer: This episode and all information on SAGA’s podcast, website, and other platforms is for informational or educational purposes only, and does not substitute professional medical advice or consultations with healthcare professionals.

This episode serves as part 2 of an in-depth 4-part series on the potential cognitive benefits to BFR training. Much of the information discussed in this series is pulled from a 2021 hypothesis paper by Yamada et al. (Acute exercise and cognition: A review with testable questions for future research into cognitive enhancement with blood flow restriction).

After reviewing the literature on general exercise and cognition in part 1, this episode dives directly into BFR training & cognition. We review the two studies to date that have directly investigated BFR's impact on cognition and describe the findings.

Take 20% off our bluetooth-enabled, auto-calibrating BFR cuffs with the discount code "bfrpodcast" - Shop here.

References

Low-Load Resistance Exercise Improves Cognitive Function In Older Adults

Blood Flow Restriction Improves Executive Function after Walking

Lactate Transport and Signaling in the Brain: Potential Therapeutic Targets and Roles in Body—Brain Interaction

Acute physiological responses to low-intensity blood flow restriction cycling

Contact: steven@saga.fitness

Disclaimer: This episode and all information on SAGA’s podcast, website, and other platforms is for informational or educational purposes only, and does not substitute professional medical advice or consultations with healthcare professionals.

Download The Comprehensive Guide to BFR Training for free here: BFR Ebook

This episode serves as part 1 of an in-depth 4-part series on the potential cognitive benefits to BFR training. Much of the information discussed in this series is pulled from a 2021 hypothesis paper by Yamada et al. (Acute exercise and cognition: A review with testable questions for future research into cognitive enhancement with blood flow restriction).

The focus of this episode is primarily on general exercise and its known impacts on cognition, reviewing the available literature on both aerobic and resistance training. It lays the groundwork for parts 2-4, where the focus hones in on BFR training specifically.

Buckle up, this will be quite the series!

Take 20% off our bluetooth-enabled, auto-calibrating BFR cuffs with the discount code "bfrpodcast" - Shop here.

References

The effects of acute exercise on cognitive performance: A meta-analysis

The effect of exercise-induced arousal on cognitive task performance: A meta-regression analysis

Acute Effects of Resistance Exercise on Cognitive Function in Healthy Adults: A Systematic Review with Multilevel Meta-Analysis

Contact: steven@saga.fitness

Disclaimer: This episode and all information on SAGA’s podcast, website, and other platforms is for informational or educational purposes only, and does not substitute professional medical advice or consultations with healthcare professionals.

Download The Comprehensive Guide to BFR Training for free here: BFR Ebook

This episode discusses blood flow restriction and exercise selection - how do you know which exercises to perform under BFR? Rather than simply provide a list of exercises, the goal of this episode is to provide a framework for how you can self-determine which movements may be most effective under BFR.

Most importantly, the first section of this discussion is centered around proper exercise selection in general (regardless of whether or not BFR is involved). Much of the value in this section is in large part thanks to Dr. Mike Israetel and the folks at Renaissance Periodization who've done a fantastic job building out the stimulus to fatigue ratio indices. The flow of this episode can be found below:

• The fundamental prerequisite to what makes an exercise effective for hypertrophy
• Stimulus to fatigue ratio explained
• The SFR Indices - how to quantitatively identify the best exercises for you
• The 3 pillars of selecting BFR exercises
• A list of example exercises by body part that fit the 3 pillar model

If you have any thoughts, questions, or concerns, please feel free to reach out to the email listed below.

Contact: steven@saga.fitness

Disclaimer: This episode and all information on SAGA’s podcast, website, and other platforms is for informational or educational purposes only, and does not substitute professional medical advice or consultations with healthcare professionals.

Download The Comprehensive Guide to BFR Training for free here: BFR Ebook

In today's episode we discuss four common myths and misconceptions of BFR training. We talk about the origins of each myth (and the grains of truth to them) and ultimately realign them with reality.

If you have any thoughts, questions, or concerns, please feel free to reach out to the email listed below.

Contact: steven@saga.fitness

Disclaimer: This episode and all information on SAGA’s podcast, website, and other platforms is for informational or educational purposes only, and does not substitute professional medical advice or consultations with healthcare professionals.

Download The Comprehensive Guide to BFR Training for free here: BFR Ebook

This episode discusses the safety and effectiveness of different weekly BFR training frequencies based on individual goals. Structure for this episode below:

• A review of common recommendations around BFR training frequencies (with a discussion on why those recommendations lack context)
• Brief literature review on the safety of once per week all the way through to daily BFR training
• A systems-based approach on how to identify your ideal BFR frequency

Lastly, it's worth mentioning that for the purposes of time, the level of depth we typically include on each study was not necessarily included here. For instance, I did not always specify what type of training was implemented during each study. That said, the assertions made around broad safety for most people remain.

If you have any thoughts, questions, or concerns, please feel free to reach out to the email listed below.

References:



Contact: steven@saga.fitness

Disclaimer: This episode and all information on SAGA’s podcast, website, and other platforms is for informational or educational purposes only, and does not substitute professional medical advice or consultations with healthcare professionals.

Download The Comprehensive Guide to BFR Training for free here: BFR Ebook

On today’s episode, we welcome Dr. Lee Winchester (PhD, Physiology and Biophysics). Lee is a professor in the exercise physiology department at the University of Alabama - his lab has particular interest in the alterations to immune cell function and vascular/muscular adaptations to resistance training.

He's spent the past several years exploring the potential merit to training at high loads under blood flow restriction. In this episode, we discuss the theoretical mechanisms behind favorable adaptations from high load BFR training, what Lee has observed from his lab, and where he sees research headed in this space.

Some of the specific topics of this discussion include:

• Hypertrophy stimuli: how heavy load BFR training may (big caveat) offer a unique stimulus by capturing the upper end range of each stimuli's benefit (mechanical tension and metabolic stress)
• Mechanotransduction: the cellular and molecular responses to resistance training (and where BFR fits into the picture)
• Cellular swelling from blood flow restriction
• Results from two separate high-load BFR studies

References

Blood Flow Restriction at High Resistance Loads Increases the Rate of Muscular Fatigue, but Does Not Increase Plasma Markers of Myotrauma or Inflammation

Acute Responses to High-Intensity Back Squats with Bilateral Blood Flow Restriction

Contact: steven@saga.fitness

Disclaimer: This episode and all information on SAGA’s podcast, website, and other platforms is for informational or educational purposes only, and does not substitute professional medical advice or consultations with healthcare professionals.

Download The Comprehensive Guide to BFR Training for free here: BFR Ebook

On today’s episode we welcome Joshua Settlage. Josh is a strength coach with a directed focus in the combat sport arena (and more specifically, with jiu jitsu athletes).

He’s a jiu jitsu competitor himself and someone who has years of experience building stronger, more capable athletes on the mat.

During his time in academia, he spent considerable time diving into the physiological demands of Jiu Jitsu - a topic we touch on in this episode.

Some additional highlights from our discussion include:

• The role size and strength play in dominating opponents in jiu jitsu  
• How to manage resistance training without compromising performance on the mat
• The specific benefits of BFR in the sport of jiu jitsu
• How Josh applies BFR with his athletes

To connect with Joshua, you can find him on Instagram here.

Contact: steven@saga.fitness

Disclaimer: This episode and all information on SAGA’s podcast, website, and other platforms is for informational or educational purposes only, and does not substitute professional medical advice or consultations with healthcare professionals.

Download The Comprehensive Guide to BFR Training for free here: BFR Ebook

Size matters! In this episode, we address the primary questions and concerns around BFR cuff width, including:

• Cuff width's impact on recommended pressure
• Cuff width and muscle growth - is there an ideal width?
• The effect of cuff width on blood pressure, heart rate, and overall comfortability

Most importantly, we finish with application, providing a quick framework for how to determine a good cuff width for you personally.

References:

Wide tourniquet cuffs more effective at lower inflation pressures

Effects of cuff width on arterial occlusion: implications for blood flow restricted exercise

The Effect of Cuff Width on Muscle Adaptations after Blood Flow Restriction Training

Frequent low-load ischemic resistance exercise to failure enhances muscle oxygen delivery and endurance capacity

Blood flow restriction: an evidence based progressive model (Review)

Contact: steven@saga.fitness

Disclaimer: This episode and all information on SAGA’s podcast, website, and other platforms is for informational or educational purposes only, and does not substitute professional medical advice or consultations with healthcare professionals.

Download The Comprehensive Guide to BFR Training for free here: BFR Ebook

Is BFR training safe for youth athletes? Today’s episode features an in depth discussion on the topic with Professor Mike Rosenthal.

Mike is a board certified specialist in sports physical therapy and a professor in the Division of Physical Therapy Education at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

He’s a frequent educator on a variety of topics under the BFR umbrella and we’re fortunate to have the opportunity to leverage his expertise on this topic.

References:

Quadriceps strengthening with and without blood flow restriction in the treatment of patellofemoral pain: a double-blind randomised trial

Side Effects and Patient Tolerance with the Use of Blood Flow Restriction Training after ACL Reconstruction in Adolescents: A Pilot Study

The Effects of Blood Flow Restriction Training on Strength and Function During Early Rehabilitation After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in Adolescents

Contact: steven@saga.fitness

Disclaimer: This episode and all information on SAGA’s podcast, website, and other platforms is for informational or educational purposes only, and does not substitute professional medical advice or consultations with healthcare professionals.

Download The Comprehensive Guide to BFR Training for free here: BFR Ebook

The 30-15-15-15 protocol is commonly utilized in BFR training - in this episode, we discuss what it is, what the logic behind it is (in other words, why that rep scheme?) and most importantly, how you can apply it to your training.

Disclaimer: This episode and all information on SAGA’s podcast, website, and other platforms is for informational or educational purposes only, and does not substitute professional medical advice or consultations with healthcare professionals.

Contact: steven@saga.fitness

Download The Comprehensive Guide to BFR Training for free here: BFR Ebook

BFR can be a powerful tool, but like any modality, it has specific use cases. In this episode, we discuss the 4 primary situations where you can extract maximum value out of BFR training.

References:

Blood flow restriction training in clinical musculoskeletal rehabilitation: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Contact: steven@saga.fitness

Disclaimer: This episode and all information on SAGA’s podcast, website, and other platforms is for informational or educational purposes only, and does not substitute professional medical advice or consultations with healthcare professionals.

Download The Comprehensive Guide to BFR Training for free here: BFR Ebook

Does BFR training increase blood pressure relative to traditional resistance or endurance training?

In this episode, we discuss the potential mechanisms by which BFR training could elicit transient rises in blood pressure, what the research says on the topic, and where the practice of BFR sits in terms of safety from our current understanding of the literature on blood pressure.

References:

Blood pressure response between resistance exercise with and without blood flow restriction: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Unraveling the mysteries of the exercise pressor reflex at the cellular level

The Systemic Effects of Blood Flow Restriction Training: A Systematic Review

Effects of high-intensity and blood flow-restricted low-intensity resistance training on carotid arterial compliance: role of blood pressure during training sessions

Disclaimer: This episode and all information on SAGA’s podcast, website, and other platforms is for informational or educational purposes only, and does not substitute professional medical advice or consultations with healthcare professionals.

Download The Comprehensive Guide to BFR Training for free here: BFR Ebook

It is often suggested that training to failure under BFR is necessary in order to build muscle and strength - but is this necessary? In this episode, we discuss the logical underpinning behind this assertion and how it may be misguided. More importantly, we review a recent study by Bjørnsen and colleagues that investigated the strength and muscle adaptations from both failure and non-failure protocols.

References:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33735465/

Disclaimer: This episode and all information on SAGA’s podcast, website, and other platforms is for informational or educational purposes only, and does not substitute professional medical advice or consultations with healthcare professionals.

Download The Comprehensive Guide to BFR Training for free here: BFR Ebook

Understanding limb occlusion pressure is a prerequisite to fully understanding the physiology of blood flow restriction. In this episode, we discuss:

• What limb occlusion pressure is
• Why it's important for BFR training (how too low or high of pressures can be problematic)
• Factors that determine your LOP
• How to measure LOP

Disclaimer: This episode and all information on SAGA’s podcast, website, and other platforms is for informational or educational purposes only, and does not substitute professional medical advice or consultations with healthcare professionals.

References:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31346900/ - Comparison between two mathematical methods to estimate arterial occlusion pressure and tourniquet effectiveness in lower limb surgery: a prospective, randomized, double blind, comparative study (Kasem et al, 2019)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16717321/ - A new method for estimating arterial occlusion pressure in optimizing pneumatic tourniquet inflation pressure (Tuncali et al, 2006)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22143843/ - Effects of cuff width on arterial occlusion: implications for blood flow restricted exercise (JP Loenneke, 2012)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3421083/ - Wide tourniquet cuffs more effective at lower inflation pressures (Crenshaw et al, 1988)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34515589/ - The Effect of Body Position and the Reliability of Upper Limb Arterial Occlusion Pressure Using a Handheld Doppler Ultrasound for Blood Flow Restriction Training (Karanasios, 2022)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29196847/ - Body position influences arterial occlusion pressure: implications for the standardization of pressure during blood flow restricted exercise (Sieljacks, 2018)

Download The Comprehensive Guide to BFR Training for free here: BFR Ebook

This episode will introduce you to the fundamentals of blood flow restriction training. We'll cover:

• What blood flow restriction training is specifically
• Why you may want to implement it (what the benefits and use cases are)
• The mechanisms behind its benefits

If you're curious about the origins of BFR, refer to our previous episode for a brief "fast-forward" historical timeline of the methodology.

For any inquiries please reach out to steven@saga.fitness.

Download The Comprehensive Guide to BFR Training for free here: BFR Ebook

Where did blood flow restriction training come from? Who thought of the idea, and why?

When did research begin to emerge?

We address all of the above and more in this brief episode on the origins of blood flow restriction training.

For any inquiries please reach out to steven@saga.fitness.

As a company we (not surprisingly) are in the blood flow restriction space. We produced the world’s first fully wireless, bluetooth-controlled BFR cuffs.

Since we delivered this innovation to the market about two years ago, we’ve received a flood of questions from our customers about BFR globally - everything from the basics of BFR physiology, to protocols, safety implications, research, and more.

This prompted us to build a one-stop-shop educational hub for all things blood flow restriction - hence The Blood Flow Restriction Podcast!

To effectively deliver this educational experience, we've segmented our episodes into four distinct categories:

• Physiology - Basic to advanced level physiology of blood flow restriction, its mechanisms, and their impacts
• Applied Practitioner - Specific protocols and actionable guidance on maximizing performance through BFR
• BFR Research Breakdowns - Succinct and sophisticated reviews of emerging literature as well as breakdowns of important meta-analyses and systematic reviews on a variety of sub-topics under the BFR umbrella
• Specializations - Narrowly-focused BFR topics (I.E. BFR for the combat sport athlete)

This will be made possible with the help of some of the brightest minds in BFR research, physiotherapy, and sports science - we're excited to deliver the ultimate educational hub for all things BFR!

For any inquiries please reach out to steven@saga.fitness.

Download The Comprehensive Guide to BFR Training for free here: BFR Ebook