Strength training (especially compound lifts like squats and deadlifts) is essential for maintaining muscle, increasing bone density, and boosting longevity as you age. But as the years add up, research shows that recovery becomes just as important as how much you train, and piling on more weight or volume isn’t always the smartest way to keep progressing.
Fortunately, that’s where occlusion walks come in. Also called blood flow restriction (BFR) walking, occlusion training is gaining in popularity among strength athletes looking for a way to build muscle, boost heart health, and recover faster without impacting their joints. Instead of taxing your joints and nervous system, BFR training enhances blood flow, stimulates muscle growth, and improves your body’s capacity to recover between workouts, even helping to prevent sarcopenia.
So if you’re an aging athlete who wants to train hard, move with ease, and feel strong between workouts, occlusion walking may be exactly what you need. In this article, we consulted fitness experts who share how occlusion walking works, who should (and shouldn’t) do it, and how to incorporate it into your routine. Here’s what you need to know.
What Are Occlusion Walks?
Occlusion walks involve walking on a treadmill or flat surface while wearing blood flow restriction cuffs around the upper portion of your thighs. These cuffs apply controlled pressure that limits venous blood return (blood flowing back to the heart) while still allowing arterial blood to enter the muscle.
“Occlusion walks are intended to restrict blood venous return while still allowing for some arterial flow,” explains Stephen Sheehan, a certified personal trainer with Garage Gym Reviews. “Essentially, you don’t want to cut off circulation entirely but restrict it enough to create a low-oxygen environment within the worked muscles.”
Depending on your goals and fitness level, occlusion walking can be applied in several low-impact ways:
- Steady treadmill walking: Performed at a slow to moderate pace, this is a common approach often used for recovery, hypertrophy support, or rehab-focused training.
- Incline walking: Walking up hill can increase muscle engagement without impacting your joints or having to walk faster.
- Outdoor flat-ground walking: This approach offers a simpler option for those without treadmill access while still delivering muscular and cardio health benefits.
- Post-workout occlusion walks:Studies show that going for an occlusion walk after a lower-body strength training session is an excellent way to support recovery.
Even though you’re moving at a slow, comfortable pace, research says that wearing cuffs creates a buildup of metabolic stress in the legs. This results from the physiological environment created by restricted blood flow, forcing your muscles to fatigue faster, your respiratory system to work harder, and your legs to adapt, all without the use of heavy weights.
How Occlusion Walks Work
While it may seem hard to believe that walking could have such an impact on strength or recovery, restricting your blood flow can be a game-changer for your fitness.
“Physiologically speaking, occlusion walks are designed to promote varying processes, such as fast-twitch fiber recruitment, metabolic stress accumulation, hormonal/cellular signaling, and cardiovascular responses,” explains Sheehan. “The end results from such facilitations can include anabolic signaling to muscles, greater engagement of muscle fibers (even when training at a light intensity), improved muscle repair and growth, and increased heart rate.”
According to a 2025 meta-analysis, occlusion walking can also boost heart health by improving circulation and aerobic capacity, particularly in those who struggle with high-intensity workouts or heavy strength training. Amanda Dvorak, a certified personal trainer with Garage Gym Reviews, tells us, “Restricting blood flow increases lactate and other metabolites in the working muscles, which can drive anabolic signaling even at low intensities.”
Related: How to Start Running: An Expert’s Guide for Beginners and Returning Runners
How to Incorporate Occlusion Walks
Occlusion walks are best treated as a finisher or recovery exercise, not a standalone workout meant to replace strength training. They tend to work best after lower-body workouts, on recovery days between hard sessions, and during deload weeks when your joint stress needs to stay low. Your walk should feel uncomfortable but not strenuous, and you expect to experience a deep muscle burn in your legs long before your breathing becomes challenging.
Sheehan says that while protocols vary, “studies do suggest keeping occlusion walks to a maximum of 20 minutes per session, with a total between two and four sessions weekly.”
To help get you started, Dvorak and Sheehan recommend the following:
- Cuff placement: Locate them higher on your thighs, just below the hip crease
- Speed: Aim for 2.0 to 3.5 mph
- Incline: Optional (0 to 5%)
- Duration: 10 to 20 minutes
Who Should (and Shouldn’t) Use Occlusion Walks?
“The people who benefit most [from occlusion walking] are those who need to take a step back from intense workouts for whatever reason, like injury, strain, or overtraining,” explains Rachel MacPherson, certified personal trainer and strength and conditioning specialist. “It’s also going to be a great option for anyone who struggles to recover from intense workouts, like those with autoimmune disease or high-stress lifestyles that leave them too tapped to push much more in the gym.”
Who Should Use Occlusion Training
- Lifters over 40 looking to build or maintain leg strength with less wear and tear on their joints
- Athletes in-season who need to prioritize recovery
- People rehabbing from lower-body injuries (with professional guidance)
- Anyone struggling to increase their leg training volume without overloading their joints
Who Should Be Cautious
- Those with cardiovascular conditions
- Anyone with a history of blood clots or vascular disorders
- People with uncontrolled high blood pressure
- Beginners who lack awareness of perceived effort and physical discomfort while training
It’s also important to use proper equipment. Using purpose-built BFR cuffs allows for consistent pressure on your legs. If you don’t have cuffs, avoid bootstrapping methods like knee wraps or bands, as Dvorak says these can increase injury risk.
As always, speak with a healthcare professional before you try any new training method or if you have underlying health conditions.
Related: This Walking Workout Boosts Heart Health Better Than Intense Workouts
The Bottom Line
For older athletes or anyone looking to support their joint health, occlusion walking offers a rare combination of low-impact yet highly effective muscular stimulus, better circulation, and faster recovery. However, using improper cuff pressure, walking for too long, or performing BFR when already fatigued can increase cardiovascular strain and risk of injury.
Those with cardiovascular conditions, uncontrolled high blood pressure, or a history of blood clotting issues should avoid BFR training unless cleared by a medical professional. Ultimately, when incorporated strategically into an existing strength training routine, occlusion walks can help you push yourself harder overall by allowing your legs to recover faster between sessions.
