078 - BFR Meets High Load: Muscle Activation on Overdrive
Blood flow restriction (BFR) training is often linked with light loads, but what happens when you combine it with heavy bench press? This study explores how continuous and intermittent BFR strategies affect muscle activation and fatigue during high-load upper-body work.
For tactical strength professionals, the findings provide a roadmap to squeezing more activation out of every rep, without maxing out fatigue.
What They Found:
Ten bodybuilders performed 3x8 bench press at 70% 1RM under three conditions:
C – No BFR (control)
T1 – Continuous low-pressure BFR (100 mmHg during sets and rest)
T2 – Intermittent high-pressure BFR (180 mmHg only during rest)
Surface EMG tracked activation in the pectoralis major, deltoid, and triceps.
Key results:
T2 showed the highest peak activation across most sets and muscles, especially in set 1.
T1 outperformed control (C) for all muscles but also showed greater perceived fatigue (RPE).
Triceps activation dropped sharply in later sets with both T1 and T2, likely due to cuff placement and cumulative fatigue.
T2 maintained performance with less perceived exertion than T1 by the third set.
What This Means:
High-load BFR isn’t just for leg press and rehab—it works for upper-body power too. Intermittent high-pressure BFR (pressurizing only during rest) boosts muscle activation while limiting the crushing fatigue that comes with sustained pressure.
For tactical lifters and rehab clients, this may offer a smart blend of stimulus and safety.
Tactical Implications:
Use pressure between sets, not during: Intermittent BFR (T2) outperformed continuous BFR in muscle activation while reducing perceived effort. That’s a win for programming.
Stimulate without failure: High EMG outputs mean more fiber recruitment without grinding sets to technical breakdown.
Triceps are the limiting link: Fatigue accumulation hits the triceps hard—be aware of cuff placement and volume when planning BFR for pressing work.
RPE still matters: Monitor subjective fatigue even with objective data, RPE in T1 escalated quickly.
Don't ditch heavy loads: BFR doesn’t have to mean light weights. When managed properly, it scales up with serious resistance training.
Questions To Consider:
Are you only using BFR with light loads or rehab clients?
How might intermittent BFR unlock gains in highly trained populations?
Are you monitoring triceps fatigue and cuff placement during pressing cycles?
Could alternating pressure timing reduce burnout in tactical strength programs?
How do you educate athletes on perceived fatigue vs. performance outcomes?
He K, Sun Y, Xiao S, Zhang X, Du Z, Zhang Y. Effects of High-Load Bench Press Training with Different Blood Flow Restriction Pressurization Strategies on the Degree of Muscle Activation in the Upper Limbs of Bodybuilders. Sensors (Basel). 2024;24(2):605. Published 2024 Jan 17. doi:10.3390/s24020605