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What is KAATSU?
KAATSU also called BFR (blood flow restriction) is a form of physical training
that uses arterial blood flow restriction in conjunction with light exercise to cause
a series of positive physiological effects.
The father of the concept is Yoshiaki Sato who began research as far back as
1966. Since then the method has been used in rehabilitation, physiotherapy for
the elderly and athletic performance.
Lactate training has long been a staple of freediving, this can be done dry or in
the water - on breath hold or not. It requires exercising at a close to maximum
intensity for long enough to cause a burning in the muscles or muscular failure.
Training at this intensity is taxing on both the athletes mind, body and the CNS
(central nervous system).
KAATSU allows a build up Lactate in the muscles without the athlete needing to
perform at high intensity, as little as 20% of a 1RM (1 rep maximum) is needed
to create a disproportionate build up of acidity in the muscles.
This means you can train your bodies ability to buffer lactate without long breath
holds, heavy weights or super strenuous exercise - reducing the chance of over
training.
Not only this but the build up of acidity in the muscles is insane! I have trained
my whole life in various sports, and nothing compares to this burn. The muscles
continue to burn even during the rest period, standing submerged up to my neck
in the pool is strenuous! If training Lactate is a priority for you, this is a amazing
way to do just that.
Training at a high intensity is a tax on the mind, body and CNS (central nervous
system).
Long/tough breath holds, Strength training, Lactate training, HIIT and of course
deep diving all have a heavy toll.
The speed we can recover from this toll dictates how much we can train and
whether or not we will become over trained. Essentially the more we do, the
more time we need to recover, and conversely, the quicker we recover, the more
we can do and the more adaptations will occur.
For this reason, if there is a way to train any aspect of freediving with less stress
to the body and mind, we have potential to train more/recover faster.
KAATSU allows us to do just that!
Light work load means less (almost no) damage to the muscles and tendons, this
means the body becomes stronger without first having to repair itself (previously
not thought possible) saving recovery time.
The workouts usually last under 10 minutes, this means if strength/lactic is not a
priority, it is possible to maintain/build these sides of freediving very quickly
allowing more time and energy to be focused on other training.
Lactic training and strength training in the pool can be done on apnea without
challenging breath holds, making the training less mentally stressful and less
likely to lead to over training.
As previously mentioned, the low damage done to the muscles allows for quicker
recovery. But there are several responses to KAATSU that will also aid with
recovery...
Raised HGH (human growth hormone) - HGH is responsible for triggering the
muscles to become bigger and stronger, levels have been see to rise 290%
following KAATSU.
Improved protein synthesis - Raised HGH and IGF-1. We can think of protein
as the building blocks of the body, KAATSU triggers elevated levels of HGH
and IGF-1 which in turn signal the body to utilize protein to build and repair.
Increase in strength
Studies have show without a doubt that KAATSU increases maximal strength
while still performing at low intensity (20-30% of 1RM). As much as an 8%
increase in maximal strength have been seen in trained American football players
after just 4 weeks of KAATSU, a 3% higher increase than the control group.
This is possible because KAATSU quickly depletes type 1 (slow twitch) muscle
fibres, to continue to perform - type 2 (fast twitch) muscle fibres are recruited.
These muscle fibres are responsible for strength and explosive power, they are
usually difficult to train and require a very high intensity causing muscle break
down.
Since KAATSU is able to train these fibers, they are stimulated to grow and you
become stronger.
Studies have shown that the increase in strength and ability to buffer lactate
gained from KAATSU swimming drills have lead to increased speed and stamina
in swimming sprints and repetitions in experienced swimmers.
Myoglobin increase
Rehab
The light loads, and other beneficial effects of KAATSU, means that we can train
strength and build muscles even with an existing injury. KAATSU was originally
developed to aid in rehabilitation and only later to develop sporting performance.
It is important that the restriction is only on the venous blood leaving the limb,
not the arterial blood entering the limb (eventually arterial blood will be
restricted due to the "backup" of blood from the veins). This is done by
regulating the pressure of the band creating the restriction. Venus flow is closer
to the skin and requires less pressure to be restricted than Arterial flow.
Band's
Most studies have been done using bands that can be adjusted to a specific
pressure (kind of like a small blood pressure band). This is ideal of course, but
there is a catch - it will cost upwards of $2000 to get a basic set-up.
Fortunately there have been scientific and empirical results seen from far less
expensive methods.
Blood flow restriction can be created by using weight lifting sleeves or wraps, I
have been using bicycle inner tubes as they can be used in and out of the water.
To get the right tightness, imagine a scale of 1-10, 10 being as tight as possible.
You should wrap your limbs at 7 out of 10 on that scale.
Finding what is your "7" may take some fine tuning, if you aren't feeling enough
lactate build up, it needs to be tighter, if you cannot finish the routine or you are
loosing colour, you need to loosen up the straps.
The wraps sould be about 5cm wide and at the upper most of the limb (arms or
legs).
How long?
The bands should not be on for more than 15 minutes, fortunately all we need is
7-10 minutes to get the desired results.
How to train?
Dry - Gym training should be done at 20% of your 1RM, 4 sets of the desired
exercise will be done. I recommend back squats, front squats or leg extensions
for the lower body and tricep pull downs or biceps curl for the upper body.
Set 1 - 30 repetitions - This depletes the slow twitch muscle and activates the
anaerobic energy system and fast twitch muscle.
30 second rest
30 second rest - The lactate will not leave the muscles so the burn will remain
30 second rest - It won't feel like rest, just standing will be hard
3 x per week has been seen to cause increases in size and strength, but it is safe to
use this training daily or even multiple times per day. I would recommend
building up slowly. Currently I will use BFR during each gym and pool session
that I do, so about 5 x per week.
Precautions
If you have any health issues or concerns it would be wise to see a doctor and
seek advice before undergoing any BFR.
KAATSU increases vascularity in the same way steady state cardio does. This
may not be ideal for the dynamic disciplines. It is my belief that the benefits
outweigh this one issue though. In the depth disciplines the stronger and faster
peripheral vasoconstriction will Annul the issue of greater vascularisation.
Conclusion