Dr Luke Hughes (Blood Flow Restriction Expert & Post-doc’ research fellow at St Marys University)

Episode 5: I chat with Dr Luke Hughes a post-doctoral research fellow in applied physiology at St Marys university. Luke is an expert in Blood Flow Restriction training (BFR) and in this episode Luke provides a highly educational master class in all things BFR. Get your pen and paper ready!

In this episode with Luke we discuss:

• Lukes Background
• How he got interested or involved with using BFR
• The origins of BFR
• What is BFR & how does it work
• Can you combine mechanical stress and BFR related stress in the same session.
• What features should people look for when selecting a BFR system
  • • • Why Dopplers are vital for regulating occlusion in real time
• What are the safety concerns to be considered prior to implementing BFR
  • • • Screening for risk factors
• Can any clinician or coach with adequate reading apply BFR without specialist training or certifications?
• What is the guideline dosage prescribed (Pressure, Load, Reps and Sets)
• Can you transition from low load and high pressure to higher loads with lower loads
• How frequently can you apply BFR in a program
• Mixing BFR and Mechanical Load training within the same training microcycle
• Injury example of when BFR is particularly a must use tool – ACL
  • • Applying BFR in a passive cyclic manner surging acute recovery
    • Combining BFR with Electrical Stimulation to achieve muscle strength and hypertrophy . 
    • Utilising BFR during bike based conditioning  to achieve muscle hypertrophy and strength via aerobic exercise. 
• How can BFR best be uses in a performance (non injured athletes)  environment by strength coaches
  • • BFR as a training tool in sports with high volume and frequency of competition.
    • Iscahemic Pre-Conditioning
    • BFR for post competition recovery
• Where are the gaps in the BFR Literature
  • • Pain
    • Bone Metabolism