Instructions for Forge Cuff

How to apply the cuff:

1. Complete a pre-participation health screening with your medical practitioner to ensure that you are cleared to perform blood flow restriction therapy.
2. Determine the pressure that you would like to use (see guidelines for more information).
3. Make sure that the Forge Cuffs are completely deflated before applying them to the intended limb/s.
4. Wrap the cuff firmly around the limb with the valve located on the outside to avoid unnecessary discomfort.
5. Fold the DLS (Dual Lock Strap) system over the Forge Cuff.
6. Connect the hand pump to the valve and relax the limb before inflating the cuff to the pre-determined pressure in step 2. (Inaccurate pressure readings will result if the limb is not completely relaxed).
7. Once you have reached the correct pressure, lock the valve and disconnect the hand pump.
8. Forge ahead with your exercises as advised by trained professionals.
9. To deflate, simply open the valve to release the pressure.
10. Do not perform exercises while the pump is attached, this may damage the cuff.

 

Guidelines:

The following recommendations are based on the latest research.

It is important to note that these recommendations are based on healthy individuals with no underlying conditions. Please consult your physician first before engaging in Blood Flow Restriction training.

Resistance training:

General guidelines
Frequency	2-3 times per week (for more than 3 weeks) or 1-2 times per day (for up to 3 weeks)
Load (weight to be used)	20-40% of 1-RM (1-RM = Max amount of weight you can successfully complete in 1 repetition)
Type of muscle groups	Both big and small muscle groups. In isolation fashion (i.e. leg extension) or functional fashion (i.e. squat).
Restriction time	5-10 min per exercise (deflate between exercises)
Sets	2-4 (depending on needs of individual)
Rest	30-60 seconds between sets
Rep execution speed	1-2 seconds (concentric and eccentric)
Cuff placement	Only limbs Upper limb: just underneath the deltoid (shoulder muscle) where it meets with the bicep. Lower limb: just underneath the gluteus maximus (buttocks). Forge Cuffs can be used either bilaterally or unilaterally.

 

Aerobic exercise training:

General guidelines
Frequency	2-3 times per week (for more than 3 weeks) or 1-2 times per day (for up to 3 weeks).
Intensity of exercise	Less than 50% of VO2 Max or HRR (Heart rate reserve).
Type of muscle groups	Both big and small muscle groups depending on sport. For example, use Forge Cuffs on the legs when performing walking exercises to increase bone density.
Restriction time	5-20 min per exercise (deflate between exercises).
Sets	Depending on type of exercise, sets can be time, distance or caloric based.
Repetitions Pressure	Generally speaking, the bigger the limb, the higher the pressure needs to be in order to reach the specified occlusion pressure. If using a Doppler to determine AOP (Arterial Occlusion Pressure) = 40-80% AOP. If using VAS (Visual analog scale), a score ranging from 1 to 10 (1 being no discomfort and 10 being extreme discomfort) = 6-7/10 discomfort. Relative Systolic blood pressure (SBP) method (Brandner et al., 2015) = 80-130% SBP
Cuff placement	Only limbs Upper limb: just underneath the deltoid (shoulder muscle) where it meets with the bicep. Lower limb: just underneath the gluteus maximus (buttocks). Forge Cuffs can be used either bilaterally or unilaterally.