How Do Extreme (Marathon and Channel) Swimmers Use KAATSU?
Are you entered in a triathlon or want to pioneer a new crossing? Are you serving as an escort kayaker or be part of a channel swimming?
Do you plan to challenge yourself and go way out of your comfort zone? Will you try something extraordinarily difficult that you have never done before – but have always dreamed of accomplishing?
If so, then KAATSU is a modality that can help you reach your goals.
How do extreme athletes – of any age of any ability in any sport – use KAATSU in the preparations?
Three Ways
• For athletic performance
• For injury rehabilitation
• For workout recovery
However, the use of KAATSU in all these areas is non-intuitive.
That is, if you want to run faster, you can use KAATSU while you are walking or sitting. If you want to get stronger, you can use KAATSU for strength building with much lighter weights or lower resistance. If you want to get rid of metabolic waste after an intense workout, then just sit and relax with your KAATSU equipment.
The use of KAATSU equipment and protocol is the catalyst to complex internal physiological mechanisms. These mechanisms enable the increase in elasticity of your vascular tissue and serve as the catalyst for robust hormonal responses. Through these biochemical reactions in your body, athletic performances can be improved, injury rehabilitation can be quickened, and workout recovery can be enhanced.
For athletic performance, you can increase your stamina and speed by increasing the elasticity of your vascular tissue throughout your body, especially in your working muscles. The vascular tissue in your body is ubiquitous. If you took all the arteries, veins, and capillaries in your entire body and laid them end to end, you could circle the Earth two times. That is how much vascular tissue the human body is necessary to circulate approximately 5 liters (or 1.2 – 1.5 gallons) of blood in our bodies.
Athletes can accomplish this while at rest or during movement. At rest, you can simply by repeat Progressive KAATSU Cycle sets, starting at the Low Pressure setting and advancing to higher settings (i.e., Medium and High). During movement (training), you can use the KAATSU Constant mode and replicate the movement in your chosen sport or activity.
That is, extreme athletes can literally walk at a comfortable pace (or increase to a Power Walk) with the KAATSU Air Bands on their legs, either in the KAATSU Cycle mode or the KAATSU Constant mode. With the increase in vascular elasticity during movement, blood flows more efficiently in and out of your working muscles.
The same is true when you are at rest, perhaps relaxing at home before or after workouts, or doing the KAATSU Cycle mode while you are writing emails, reading, studying, or making plans for your event.
You can also do speed work with the KAATSU Air Bands on your arms or legs. This speed work can take less than 10 minutes. Then, in an ideal situation, you can remove the KAATSU Air Bands and repeat your drill or set without the bands. Athletes report they feel “lighter” and faster as a result.
Practical performance protocols include the following:
• You can do KAATSU before, during, or after each workout or training session.
• Each session can include use of the KAATSU Air Bands on your arms, and then subsequently on your legs.
• Always be well hydrated before and during your KAATSU sessions.
• Each session can include up to 6 KAATSU Cycle sets, performed both on your arms and legs.
• Each session, if you so choose, can also include up to 10 minutes of KAATSU Constant on either your arms or legs (but never both simultaneously together).
• Always start in the Low Pressure setting and then advance to the Medium (and High, if possible or desired) Pressure settings.
• If you are a leg-dominant athlete (e.g., a runner or cyclist), you can focus more on your legs.
• Conversely, if you are an arm-dominant athlete (e.g., a marathon swimmer), you can focus more on your arms.
• For increased core strength, you can use the KAATSU Air Bands on your legs, and then balance on one foot – or walk around with a book on your head with a straight spine and shoulders back.
Rehabilitation
For athletes who experience overuse injuries of their connective tissue (ligaments or tendons) or muscles, KAATSU can be critical part of your overall physical therapy.
Similarly, for athletes whose limbs must be temporarily immobilized in a cast or sling due to a broken bone (foot, finger, hand, foot, arm, or leg, or even broken ribs or clavicle, repeated KAATSU Cycle sets are an essential modality that can help you avoid muscle atrophy and significant strength or stamina loss. This is also true if you must temporarily use a wheelchair, leg brace, or foot boot.
Practical rehabilitation protocols include the following:
• Do 2-3 sessions of KAATSU daily (e.g., morning, afternoon, and evening within an hour of going to bed).
• Each session can include use of the KAATSU Air Bands on your arms, and then subsequently on your legs.
• Always be well hydrated before and during your KAATSU sessions.
• Each session can include 3-6 KAATSU Cycle sets, performed both on your arms and legs.
• There is no need to do KAATSU Constant.
• Always start in the Low Pressure setting and then advance to the Medium (and High, if possible or desired) Pressure settings.
• If you wish, you can also do “single-limb KAATSU” where you place the band on only the injured arm or leg. This single-limb KAATSU helps focus the utilization of healing hormones on the injured side.
For athletes who are training hard daily or twice daily, or competing in athletic events, Progressive KAATSU Cycle sets can be performed immediately after intense workouts or after bouts of competition to effectively and efficiently remove metabolic waste that have built up in your muscles. Blood engorges your vascular tissue for 30 seconds during the inflation phase. Then, the KAATSU Air Bands alternatively deflate (decompress) and the metabolic waste efficiently flushes out of the muscle during the repeated cycles.
These repeated KAATSU Cycle sets are a highly effective modality to help avoid or minimize muscle soreness and sustained fatigue.
Practical Recovery Protocols
Practical recovery protocols include the following:
• Do sessions of KAATSU immediately (or as soon as possible) after each workout or bout of competition. It can be done after training, games, and between preliminary heats, semifinal heats, and the finals.
• Each session can include use of the KAATSU Air Bands on your arms and/or your legs.
• Always be well hydrated during your KAATSU sessions.
• Each session can include up to 6 KAATSU Cycle sets, performed both on your arms and legs.
• Always start in the Low Pressure setting and then advance to the Medium (and High, if desired) Pressure settings.
• If you are a leg-dominant athlete (e.g., a runner or cyclist), you can focus more on the recovery of your legs.
• Conversely, if you are an arm-dominant athlete (e.g., a marathon swimmer), you can focus more on the recovery of your arms.
• You can start at whatever Pressure setting that you are comfortable with. Athletes often have different preferences given different scenarios and conditions.
• If you are a leg-dominant athlete (e.g., you use a six-beat kick), you can focus more on the recovery of your legs.
• Conversely, if you are an arm-dominant athlete (e.g., a marathon swimmer), you can focus more on the recovery of your arms.
• You can also use the KAATSU Cycle sets during travel across multiple time zones to help moderate your interrupted circadian rhythm.
Southern California native, born 1962, is the creator of the WOWSA Awards, Oceans Seven, Openwaterpedia, Citrus Corps, World Open Water Swimming Association, Daily News of Open Water Swimming, Global Open Water Swimming Conference. He is Chief Executive Officer of KAATSU Global and Editor of the KAATSU Magazine. Inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Swimmer, Class of 2001) and Ice Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Contributor - Media, Class of 2019), recipient of the International Swimming Hall of Fame's Poseidon Award (2016), International Swimming Hall of Fame's Irving Davids-Captain Roger Wheeler Memorial Award (2010), Dale Petranech Award for Services to the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (2022), USA Swimming's Glen S. Hummer Award (2007 and 2010), and Harvard University's John B. Imrie Award (1984, awarded to the senior whose interests are not bounded by academic or institutional structures. A joyous, deeply-rooted affirmation of life, disdain for the purely conventional; a love of adventure, and desire to learn by experiencing; the ability to respond creatively to difficult situations). Served on the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee (until 2011) and as Technical Delegate with the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games, a 9-time USA Swimming coaching staff including 4 FINA World Championships, and 2008 NBC Olympic 10K Marathon Swim commentator.
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