Does KAATSU Training improve muscle mass and strength in healthy volunteers and patients with cardiovascular and orthopedic conditions?
KAATSU training is a blood flow restriction technique that has been shown over 10 years of research to improve muscle mass and strength in both healthy individuals and those with cardiovascular or orthopedic conditions.
KAATSU training involves the restriction of blood flow to exercising muscle and is the culmination of nearly 40 years of experimentation with the singular purpose of increasing muscle mass. KAATSU Training consists of performing low-intensity resistance training while a relatively light and flexible cuff is placed on the proximal part of one's lower or upper limbs, which provides appropriate superficial pressure. KAATSU Training should not be confused with training under ischemic conditions which has previously been reported (Sundberg, 1994). KAATSU Training does not induce ischemia within skeletal muscle, but rather promotes a state of blood pooling in the capillaries within the limb musculature. Applied basic and clinical research conducted over the past 10 years has demonstrated that KAATSU Training not only improves muscle mass and strength in healthy volunteers, but also benefits patients with cardiovascular and orthopedic conditions.
Yoshiaki Sato (Sat,) studied this question.