Learn more about this revolutionary training method and discover exactly why and how it can make your workouts more effective.
KAATSU training utilizes specialized KAATSU pressure belts, which are placed around the arms or legs to restrict blood flow to the muscles.
Belts on Arms or Legs: Special KAATSU belts are positioned around the arms or legs and tightened with a precise, individually adjusted pressure. Pressure adjustment is achieved through connection to a KAATSU Airmate machine, which delivers accurate pressure and “warms up” the vessels through a KAATSU Cycle.
Restricted Blood Flow: The belts reduce, but do not completely stop, blood flow to the muscles. This creates a state where the oxygen supply to the muscles is limited.
Light Exercise Feels Challenging: Due to the reduced oxygen supply, even light exercises quickly become very challenging. The muscles fatigue faster, forcing them to work harder.
Effective Training: This rapid fatigue stimulates the muscles to grow and become stronger, even with low resistance. The body also releases more growth hormones and increases the production of other substances that promote muscle growth and healing.
Results: Regular KAATSU training leads to increased muscle mass, strength, flexibility, and endurance. It can also improve metabolism, strengthen bones, and have a positive impact on the cardiovascular system.
Overall, KAATSU training allows for significant training benefits in a short period with minimal stress on the body, making it particularly advantageous for those looking to train effectively without overloading the body.
KAATSU is 100% safe when training is performed correctly under the guidance of a certified KAATSU instructor or an individual trained in the proper use of the equipment and techniques.
It is crucial to follow the recommended guidelines and precautions to minimize the risk of issues and maximize the potential benefits of the training.
When you start at KAATSU Fitness, you will learn exactly how to use the equipment properly.
As with any form of exercise, it’s also important to listen to your body’s signals and use common sense to decide if you should:
Det er vigtigt at følge de anbefalede retningslinjer og forholdsregler for at minimere risikoen for problemer og maksimere de potentielle fordele ved træningen.
Når du begynder i KAATSU Fitness lærer du nøjagtig hvordan udstyret skal bruges.
Som med enhver form for træning er det også vigtigt at lytte til kroppens signaler og bruge sin sunde fornuft til at beslutte, om man skal fortsætte med en session.
Try KAATSU and feel the difference
Local and Systemic Mechanisms of KAATSU Training
When Kaatsu belts are used correctly (with the correct position and pressure), arterial inflow is restricted, deep venous outflow is hindered, and the capillary-venous space becomes engorged and overloaded in the muscle distal to the Kaatsu belts.
When muscle contractions occur under these conditions—restricted blood flow and overloaded vascular spaces—the intracellular phosphate energy stores and oxygen are depleted faster than the normal circulation can replenish them.
Metabolic waste products accumulate, and homeostasis in the active muscle is lost. As a result, as the tissue becomes more hypoxic and energy stores are depleted, anaerobic glycolysis attempts to compensate by increasing its rate, which produces some ATP but simultaneously creates a significant disruption in muscle homeostasis, ultimately raising both intracellular and interstitial lactate concentrations in the blood.
Hypoxia, acidosis, lactate ions per se, inorganic phosphate, AMP, and many other local factors have been shown to activate metabolism, thereby stimulating protein synthesis in muscle cells. This is the so-called “local effect” of Kaatsu, which results in the stimulation of muscle, tendon, and vascular growth.
Growth Hormone
The marked disruption of muscle homeostasis and overload of vascular vessels is communicated to the central nervous system (CNS) via Group III and IV afferent nerves.
These afferent nerves convey this “distress” to the CNS. It is perceived cortically (consciously) as a type of pain (i.e., what one feels when performing KAATSU), and at the same time, there are many unconscious synapses that stimulate efferent output in various centers.
For example, connections to and within cardiovascular control centers stimulate an increase in respiration, blood pressure, and heart rate. Another example is the hypothalamus’s release of growth hormone-releasing factor (GHRH signal) to the anterior pituitary gland, which releases growth hormone (GH). This, in turn, stimulates insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) release from the liver, which is part of a “systemic response” to repair and grow skeletal muscle as well as to repair damage.
Additionally, various substances are released into the venous blood of the active muscles, which alter and amplify the changes occurring from both local and systemic mechanisms as the blood is redistributed to
other vascular vessels
KAATSU training, also known as Occlusion Training or Blood Flow Restriction (BFR), originates from Japan. The term “Kaatsu” is derived from two Japanese words: “Ka” meaning “added pressure” and “Atsu” meaning “pressure.”
The connection between KAATSU (Blood Flow Restriction) and its many positive effects was discovered in 1966 by Professor Yoshiaki Sato.
Yoshiaki Sato’s inspiration for KAATSU came during a Buddhist ceremony in 1966. While sitting in the traditional Japanese seiza position (kneeling with an upright back), his legs began to fall asleep. To stimulate blood circulation, he massaged his calves and noticed that the swelling and discomfort he experienced were similar to what he felt after an intense and exhausting calf workout.
He hypothesized that this experience was due to reduced blood flow to the muscles and theorized that the swelling and sensation in his calves were related to the restricted blood supply. This insight led to the development of what is now known as KAATSU training.
Modern KAATSU Training
Professor Yoshiaki Sato developed the KAATSU method throughout the 1970s and into the 2000s, refining it through numerous experiments and the creation of the most effective protocols and equipment for KAATSU training.
The method has since become, and continues to be, the subject of extensive research both in the West and Asia, with hundreds of evidence-based studies published in scientific journals worldwide. These studies document the positive effects of KAATSU training on the body.
Today, Professor Yoshiaki Sato oversees KAATSU Japan and serves as the President of KAATSU International University (KIU).
KAATSU FITNESS in Denmark maintains a close collaboration with KIU and KAATSU-Denmark.
All KAATSU FITNESS instructors are certified by KAATSU-Denmark.
A membership with KAATSU FITNESS ensures that you have access to the highest level of expertise in KAATSU training.
“Skønhed kommer indefra.” KAATSU træning stimulerer produktionen af væksthormon, der hjælper med at regulere metabolisme, fremme kollagen-produktion, muskel og stærkere knogler. At udføre lavintensiv træning med KAATSU giver dig mulighed for at opnå maksimal effekt uden at slide på kroppen. Forbliv stærk og selvsikker med forbedret fitness og wellness og oprethold en sund og høj livskvalitet.
