Great podcast, Kyle! Really enjoyed this one. My main takeaway was that simplicity is normally the best approach to programming, ensuring you are treating relaxation as much as part of your programming than the actual training (i.e Box Breathing after conditioning) and protecting it as much as possible, start doing “white-belt” activity / finding new hobbies outside of CrossFit / fitness, and our expectations can drive results as much as the training modalities. The Expectation Effect really was a great book and hope others read it!

I am happy to also look through it.

Hi Rikki, I can actually answer this question. All BFR cuffs are not created equally. The first thing you should know is there are 2 types of cuffs: Pneumatic and non-pneumatic. For the sake of this comment, I will only focus on pneumatic cuffs. Pneumatic cuffs use air to inflate the cuffs. It allows for the potential for more consistent application of applied pressure due to the capacity to monitor vis a sphygmomanometer or other means. It is further divided into multi-chambered and single-chambered cuffs. 1. Multi-chambered cuffs Multi-chambered cuffs are sequential air bladders that allow for some limb expansion underneath the cuff, thus reducing the magnitude of pressure that can be applied. It is less fatiguing compared to single-chambered devices. By using a multi-chambered cuff, one cannot personalise pressures. For example, this study found 350 mmHg was the first pressure noted in one study to reduce resting arterial blood flow, whereas it was around 81 mmHg in a single-chambered cuff when both cuffs had the same cuff width. These are often marketed for comfort and safety, but alas, BFR is only as good as the pressure applied. 2. Single-chambered cuffs Single-chambered cuffs are the most widely used in research and have one continuous bladder for uniform pressure application. They can fully restrict both arterial and venous blood flow. These cuffs can either be autoregulated, non-autoregulated, or manual. --> Autoregulated BFR cuffs Autoregulated BFR cuffs just means the pressure is adjusted intra-exercise. It attempts to compensate for limb swelling and movement. The speed of autoregulation is likely a significant factor in the effectiveness of the stimulus and is frequently used in physical therapy, clinical, and high-risk populations. These are typically exceptionally more costly than non-autoregulated BFR cuffs. Devices include: - Delfi Personalized Tourniquet Device - this is the most researched autoregulated device on the market. And as such, it is priced as the most researched autoregulators on the market. (Price normally goes >$5,000) - MadUp - This is a bilateral design with moderate cuff width. From what I know, it is used in one study so far. It is also priced >$7,000 - KAATSU - these are narrow (3-5cm wide) cuffs. There are a lot of research published using a variety of KAATSU models as well. They run b/t $1259-1299. Dr. Rolnick (previous mentor and leader in BFR) uses these quite often when chilling at home.

Most of my clients tend to prefer to fend for themselves, but if i were to help them: 1. Ensure training volume and intensity is lower, as it can make recovery worse with more volume and training. Auto-regulate training as needed. 2. Consider supplementing with L. fermentum (PCC®), L. casei Shirota, B. animalis BI-04 (varied CFUs) as these are associated with decreased URTI severity and duration 3. Drink water 4. Sleep - Rest should be a non-negotiable 5. Sauna