How to Use Blood Flow Restriction with a Knee Injury

The following details my leg workout from Kirkland Gold’s Gym. I trained with Christina today. I’m still dealing with a knee issue from playing indoor soccer, so I was somewhat limited in what felt OK. Here is the workout:

Blood Flow Restriction Superset: Lying Leg Curls and Leg Extensions

I used a pair of wraps like the

elitefts Normal Knee Wrap for blood flow restriction.

• Lying Leg Curl x 15 reps
• Immediately followed by…
• Leg Extensions x 15 reps
• Immediately repeat…

Blood Flow Restriction is my go-to training technique, particularly when working around an injury that forces me to use lighter weight. The idea here is to wrap your upper thigh at about 70 percent of the tension used when wrapping your knees. Rather than do a single exercise and rest 30 seconds between sets, I elected to alternate between leg curls and extensions without resting for a total of five rounds. The pump was insane! Here is a video of my fourth round; I did five total:

Ground Base Squats

I used something similar to the

elitefts Core Blaster.

• Set 1 x 10 reps with two 25-pound plates
• Set 2 x 10 reps with four 25-pound plates
• Set 3 x 10 reps with six 25-pound plates
• Set 4 x 10 reps with seven 25-pound plates
• Set 5 x 10 reps with seven 25-pound plates
• Set 6 x 10 reps with seven 25-pound plates

The key here is to drive your hips forward at the top and flex your glutes. Take your time adding

plates until you get to a solid weight. Perform three sets with that weight. Here is a video showing the form:

Machine Leg Press

• Set 1 x 10 reps + 20-second eccentric with 270 pounds
• Set 2 x 10 reps + 20-second eccentric with 270 pounds
• Set 3 x 10 reps + 20-second eccentric with 270 pounds
• Set 4 x 10 reps (single leg) with 100 pounds
• Set 5 x 10 reps (single leg) with 100 pounds

I now wanted to place the emphasis back on the quads after the previous glute-focused exercise. Perform 10 controlled reps and then finish the set with a 20-second descent/eccentric. Finish off the exercise with two sets of single leg presses. Here is a video showing the technique on the first three sets:

Dead-Squat Bar Stiff-Legged Deadlift

Something like the elitefts

Two-Inch Trap Bar will work if you don’t have access to a Dead-Squat Bar.

• Set 1 x 8 reps with 160 pounds
• Set 2 x 8 reps with 160 pounds
• Set 3 x 8 reps with 160 pounds

The goal here was to stretch out my hamstrings. The key is to elevate your toes on a five-pound plate and drop your hips back to achieve a good stretch at the bottom. That concluded this leg Workout of the Day. Train hard!

— Mark

Disclaimer: Mark is not a doctor. Always consult a qualified medical professional before beginning any nutritional or exercise program, or using any equipment from elitefts.com.

Back and Biceps Workout of the Day with Kneeling Biceps Cable Curls