FITNESS AUTHOR
Aja Webber
BIG MUSCLES, LITTLE STRAIN n Everything you need to know about blood flow restriction therapy.
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et’s face it — aging can be no fun. Aching joints and longer injury recovery time are just two symptoms of aging that can make it harder to stay physically active. The gym can seem like a scary place when you are more prone to injury, but you shouldn’t ditch working out all together. Would you believe it if you heard that you could build muscle without lifting a single weight? Well, it’s true. It’s not as easy as it sounds, but there is an unconventional way for you to get your pump in. Everyone has been to the doctor and had their blood pressure taken. They wrap a band around your arm and pump it up until your arm feels like it might fall off. Well, these blood pressure bands have another use. Blood flow restriction therapy, or BFR, is a physical therapy
AUGUST 2021
method in which blood flow is restricted to the muscle. The aim of this is to use the pressure to prevent blood from leaving the muscle, while allowing more blood to go into the muscle.
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This type of restriction creates a hypoxic environment, which occurs when the tissue lacks oxygen. The sensation that follows when you move your restricted body part can feel like a strenuous
