Rethinking rehabilitation, tendon health and the rise in popularity of blood flow restriction training with Luke Vella (Lead S&C Coach at Melbourne Rebels)

Luke Vella is Rob’s guest on this week’s Pacey Performance Podcast. Luke has recently returned to Australia following his time with Edinburgh Rugby, the University of Bath, and Olympic track cycling in Malaysia. While in Bath, he coached multiple sports, showing that in addition to his roles in Rugby and Aussie Rules, he certainly has several strings to his strength and conditioning bow.

With a background in rehab, Luke lets us know how to manage tendon health by looking out for the tell-tale symptoms that lead to tendon injuries, and how blood flow restriction training can help relieve pain.

For anyone looking for a deep-dive into rehab techniques involving blood flow restriction and improving muscle hypertrophy, speed and strength, then this week’s podcast is for you. He’ll also tell you how to plan your rehab programme. Hit play now to learn Luke’s rehab tips of the trade!

On the podcast this week:

• Why switching between Australia and the UK was a good learning experience
• Whether to stick to one sport or become a multi-sport coach
• Tendon health and rehabilitation
• The symptoms to look out for in athletes with tendon issues
• How to test for tendon issues
• How blood flow restriction training can relieve pain
• The techniques coaches can use with blood flow restriction
• When not to use blood flow restriction
• Isometric loading protocols
• Planning a rehab programme