A rehab programme will often focus on addressing different functional limitations associated with injury, health conditions, or simply aging. Increasing strength and muscle size is one of the most common features found on any programme. Strengthening muscles is typically achieved by a process called mechanical overload; meaning the target muscle is exposed to progressively more stress over time to ensure positive adaptations are made and we get stronger. This is commonly done by increasing the amount of load (eg, weight or resistance) that a muscle must overcome. However, this can prove to be problematic in a select group of individuals that cannot tolerate high loads due to a variety of reasons; such as: injured athletes, post-operative patients and elderly/deconditioned people.

Blood flow restriction is a training technique that can overcome this obstacle by using low load training to achieve large gains in muscle strength and size. It involves the use of a pneumatic cuff or band to reduce blood flow to targeted muscles during simple exercises. It achieves this by increasing growth hormone and lactate which regulate muscle growth, increasing vascularisation (more blood vessels) within the targeted tissue and increasing fast-twitch muscle fibre activation.

If the traditional method of increasing muscle strength of high load training is not suitable for you, blood flow restriction training can help you achieve your strength goals.