[Effectiveness of blood flow restriction training in competitive sports]

Training under conditions of blood flow restriction (BFR) has recently been advocated as an option for alternative training in athletes.

Does BFR make sense in athlete training?

An overview of the currently available literature is given.

The use of BFR appears to be a possibility to achieve muscle hypertrophy and an increase in muscular strength and can also improve parameters of cardiocirculatory function.

Various approaches for implementation of BFR in athletes can be found in the literature. These approaches differ in the frequency, force used, duration and finally type of implementation of BFR itself. Clear recommendations for training cannot be given to date and the individual weighing up of possibilities and supervised implementation of BFR in athlete training by the trainer are still necessary.