Press Inquiries
KAATSU the Original BFR is used by individuals of all ages and from all walks of life. The oldest KAATSU user is 104 years with numerous users in their 80's and 90's. KAATSU was invented by Professor Sir Dr. Yoshiaki Sato, MD, PhD of Tokyo who is considered a Japanese combination of Jack LaLanne, Dave Asprey, and Joseph Pilates. KAATSU users range from Peter Lansbury, PhD (Brigham Women's & Children Hospital), Gary Strangman, PhD (Neural Systems Group and NASA) of the Harvard Medical School, cardiologists Toshiaki Nakajima, MD, PhD and Toshihiro Morita, MD, PhD at the University of Tokyo Hospital, medical professionals at the Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein in Sao Paulo in Brazil, China's Jilin University, Beijing University, Osaka University in Japan, University of Missouri, James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital in Florida, and Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. KAATSU users include many professional golfers and athletes in the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB and MLS as well as many Olympians and Olympic and Paralympic medalists in skiing, wrestling, ski jumping, swimming, water polo, volleyball, rugby, track and field, marathon running, marathon swimming, and boxing. Users in the United States include athletic departments at the NCAA Division I, II and III levels including the Air Force Academy, West Point, MIT and University of California San Diego. High school students and teams from football and baseball to swimming and water polo use KAATSU for athletic performance improvement, rehabilitation and recovery.
KAATSU users are numerous throughout the U.S. military in the Army, Navy and Air Force, especially among special operators (i.e., Navy SEALs, Army Rangers, Green Berets, and Air Force Special Operators). Extreme athletes include mountain climbers, professional motorcyclists, English Channel swimmers, and big-wave surfers.
The largest demographic of KAATSU users, by far, are aging Baby Boomers. Women over the age of 50 are the largest single demographic of KAATSU users both in Japan and the United States.
KAATSU is often called Blood Flow Restriction (or BFR) training. KAATSU pioneered the BFR market that is one of the fastest emerging modality in the exercise and physical rehabilitation space. However, with its patented equipment and proprietary protocols, KAATSU is much more than building muscle and rehabilitation. KAATSU - a Japanese word which means "additional pressure" in English - is accurately described as Blood Flow Modification because the arterial flow (from the torso to the limbs) is not occluded with KAATSU equipment and the venous flow (back from the limbs to the torso) is only slightly modified with precise, measured, and safe algorithms.
KAATSU equipment features elastic pneumatic bands that are controlled by proprietary wearable devices that were tested and researched by Japanese cardiologists between 2004 and 2014. The KAATSU Air Bands are placed around either the upper arms or upper legs for brief and repeated periods of time. This venous flow modification leads to a cascade of biochemical reactions in the body and brain.
KAATSU has different models for use by consumers of any age, military personnel, competitive athletes, or in clinical settings at hospitals, doctor's offices or physical therapy clinics.
KAATSU can be performed or applied anywhere including at hospitals or physical therapy clinics, at home or school, in work cubicles and offices, while traveling in hotels or on airplanes, and in pools or the ocean.
KAATSU Air Bands are made from neoprene and are used by swimmers, water polo players, surfers, kayakers, SUP paddlers, rowers, and people doing aquarobics and aqua therapy.
KAATSU can be done anytime from the time you wake up until shortly before going to bed.
KAATSU can be done while:
10 - 20 minutes a session is sufficient to gain benefits and see results. KAATSU can be done daily - even 2-3 times per day if time permits. This is especially useful when KAATSU is used for rehabilitation and as an augmentation to traditional physical therapy.
The array of KAATSU protocols can be used for:
The inflated bands lead to a temporary and repeated engorgement of blood in either the arms or legs. This engorgement is a natural catalyst for myriad safe and healthful biochemical reactions in both your vascular system and brain.
In particular, NO (nitric oxide), IGF-1 (insulin growth factor), endothelial cells (VEGF or vascular endothelial growth factor), HGH (human growth hormone), BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), testosterone, adrenaline, plasmalogens and ceramides are produced as a result of the different KAATSU protocols.
KAATSU is a non-invasive, revolutionary modality with easy-to-use equipment that will radically change your lifestyle and mindset of what is possible.
If a media representative wants to give KAATSU a try, email our CEO Steven Munatones.
If any military personnel wants to give KAATSU a try, email our CRO and retired Navy SEAL captain John Doolittle.
If any medical professional wants to give KAATSU a try, email our COO Richard Herstone.