Welcome to the Get Fit Guys quick and dirty tips to get moving and shape up.

My name is Brock Armstrong and I am the Get Fit Guy.

A protocol that's called occlusion training, also known as blood flow restriction or BFR training,

is one of the most interesting and effective trends in strength and conditioning.

In studies, it has been shown to result in skeletal muscle hypertrophy, increased strength, and

increased endurance. So how can we fit folks use it safely and effectively? Well, that's what we're going to get into today.

So occlusion training is simply a way of restricting blood flow in the veins of a working

muscle in hopes to kickstart some larger gains in muscle size and strength.

Now for example, you could wrap an elastic band around the top of your

leg before doing a squat workout. And I know it sounds a little crazy and perhaps a little bit scary,

but there's definitely something to this training. An article in the military times reported

that one form of occlusion training that's called Katsu is a revolutionary

new training system from Japan that is blowing fitness researchers' minds. Does that sound a little

too good to be true? A little, right? Well, let's take a closer look. What exactly is occlusion or BFR training?

During this workout, a specific type of tourniquy that's similar to what a phlebotomist uses on your arm when you're giving blood,

slows down the movement of the blood that is flowing back to your heart.

This allows the limbs that are doing the workout to become,

well, engorged with blood. Now this specific type of venous occlusion significantly increases

the concentration of lactate in your blood at lower workout intensities or lower weights.

This, in essence, simulates the feeling of a much harder work blood at lower workout intensities or lower weights.

This, in essence, simulates the feeling of a much harder workout in the muscles, while also tricking the brain into thinking that the body is performing a very difficult workout.

Now, as a result, your pituitary gland, which is a tiny organ found at the base of your brain, releases more

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