When I’m working with the cuffs, I typically aim my first set at 30 reps, and then shoot for three more sets at 15 reps each. But each set gets harder and harder as the BFR cuffs restrict the outflow of lactic acid, too. That burning feeling you get at the end of a set just stays with you. While the app will suggest a pressure for your training, you can adjust the amount or restriction with a simple tap of a button. If you run through a set and feel that the restriction wasn’t enough, you can easily increase (or decrease) the pressure with just a few taps. I love how easy it is to throw the cuffs on either my legs or arms, inflate them within the minute, and get in 10 minutes of intense BFR training. For me, it offers a different way to hit the target muscle groups that’s not heavy, but still just as intense.

Once I hit week six of my squat program, my knees were starting to feel quite tender. So I didn’t want to add more stress by doing heavy quad extensions. By adding BFR cuffs, I can still get an excellent pump with a third of the weight. That’s where the magic of BFR cuffs comes in handy in my opinion. SAGA Fitness Review The Cuffs But if you’re a regular joe like me, I think these work best when you’re halfway through an 8-week heavy lifting program and your joints start to ache a bit.Do you know that feeling when you’re ready to hit the weights hard, and two weeks in your knees start screaming? So if it’s leg day, maybe you start with squats for the foundation. When you head over to the quad-extension machine, add on your BFR cuffs, lighten-up the weight, and aim for 15-30 reps.

My cuffs all paired within ten seconds. The first time I tried them on, I needed to do a calibration, which took a little while. I got mixed up because I tried to pair my leg cuffs and my arm cuffs at the same time. They’ve been particularly helpful as I’ve gotten further along in the strength and hypertrophy program I’m currently working on. If you’ve recently had a sports-related injury, BFR cuffs are a fantastic way to stay in shape without overloading the injured part of your body. And if you’re a personal trainer, having a set of these is like adding a tool to your business you can use across several clients. SAGA is a technically advanced option for occlusion training, and it requires a bit of an investment (at least when you compare it to a folded up resistance band). So it’s important to consider how often you’ll be using BFR training in your routine.

This sort of training has been a staple in sports medicine for recuperating athletes as studies show it’s an excellent training intensity technique to allow for continued muscle growth at much lighter weights than you’d normally use. Like I said, I’ll aim for 30 reps on the first set, which usually gets my arms (or legs) burning. After your set is finished, you can hit “Pause Workout,” which will momentarily deflate the cuffs. Launched in March 2023, this step-by-step system will teach you everything you need to know to ATTRACT the women you desire and KEEP them in your life . I'll share with you the exact strategies that I, and hundreds of my students have successfully applied to achieve true dating abundance as masculine men.

SAGA offers two sizes of cuffs: the medium, which will fit on your arms, and the large, which is designed for legs.In plain English? Basically, if you’ve torn a chest muscle, you’d normally be out of commission. You run the risk of reinjuring the muscle if you hit the gym and start doing bicep curls with your normal 30-pound weights. This is more helpful if you’re running a superset (one movement followed by a different movement as a single set). I’ve been using the cuffs for one movement only, and just aiming for single sets. The SAGA app is super simple and intuitive, which I’m grateful for—there’s enough to focus on in your workout without the need to fiddle around with your phone. My recommended pressure is 140mmHg on my arms, and that’s plenty to get a wild pump at very light weight. You have the option to rename your cuffs, though I didn’t find that necessary as it’s pretty clear which cuffs are fit for your legs and which are a fit for your arms.

SAGA Fitness is an Australian brand making blood flow restriction (BFR) cuffs for occlusion training. Over the last eight weeks, I’ve added an inch and a half of muscle to each of my thighs. Now, that’s not necessarily from occlusion training with SAGA, but I do feel that the lightened load on my accessory work has allowed me to push myself harder on the main compound lifts. You don’t have to be injured either—while there’s no replacing the heavier lifts like squats, deadlifts, and bench presses, BFR training can add another element of intensity to your machine-weight work. The app features a timer, too, so you can make sure you’re not leaving your muscles occluded for too long. According to the research, the upper limit of how long you should leave your muscles occluded is around 20 minutes.Running, basketball, weightlifting...we're not saying you need a boost, but if you want one, compression shorts are a good bet. These are our favorites. You’re only able to pair two cuffs at a time, which makes sense because you shouldn’t be occluding four body parts at once for safety reasons. In other words, in the time I’ve been training with the BFR cuffs, I’ve used them for bicep curls, tricep extensions, and leg extensions, which all focus on one particular muscle. Because I don’t superset bicep curls with pushups, bench, or any other exercise, there’s no need for me to deflate my cuffs in between sets. That said, five minutes is the general recommendation, and you can absolutely get your sets in around that time-frame.