"There isn't one single population where I'm like, it's only if you've reached the semifinal CrossFit level that you've earned BFR. It's just another tool like a barbell or a leg extension machine." BFR lets people build strength and muscle at lighter loads and lower volumes, which is what most of the exercising population is missing. I use it with everyone from 60+ masters athletes to Games athletes, once they've been screened. The rest of it: - the cuff placement mistake I keep seeing from people who teach BFR - why I keep the cuffs inflated through the rest, and what my endurance athletes said after resting in cuffs between heavy sets - the study where world-class rowers took seconds off their 2k with four weeks of mostly easy rowing - why classic hypertrophy work can make a CrossFitter's triceps fail sooner - IPC, and Ryne's pushback on whether cutting muscle damage blunts adaptation - the six-week on-ramp I use before any BFR strength work - manual vs Bluetooth cuffs (stick shift or automatic) Full episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7yVeNI98DJmGZcpGsN47lk Written recap with every study linked: https://kyleruthcoaching.com/fieldnotes/bfr-training-not-just-for-elite-athletes Two corrections from the episode: - I ranked "cuffs inflated during the sets, deflated during the rest" as the worst option. The research doesn't back that ranking: inflating only during the sets, only during the rest, or the whole time all produced similar strength gains in the lab. - The IPC training study I mentioned used knee extensions, not squats. Questions and pushback in the comments. If there is a topic you want us to cover, put it here.

Coaching Field Notes No. 7 is live. On a recent Ruth Performance Collective call, we started with one question: how can two reps performed with the same load create different training effects? Full note: https://kyleruthcoaching.com/fieldnotes/not-all-reps-are-made-equal New note every week. It goes out by email first: https://kyleruthcoaching.com/fieldnotes

Hello Everyone! Just wanted to ask how would you go about increasing someone (with small hands) grip capacity, specifically towards barbells and dumbbells. What are some of your favorite protocols/methods? Do you focus on maximal grip strength as well? Thanks in advance!

I wrote a blog post on the differences in running on the road and the air runner and why each favors a different profile of runner. Would love to hear anyone's thoughts or experiences with this nuance of running https://coachrynesullivan.blogspot.com/2026/10/the-air-runner-and-road-reward-two.html