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Joel Novak

@joelnovakpt

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▫️Doctor of Physical Therapy
Strength & Conditioning Specialist
▫️Owner of My Performance Rehab
Love human movement & function
▫️Educate. Empower.

POSTS STORIES REELS

Does using arterial occlusion pressure (AOP) matter in the prescription of #bloodflowrestriction training? Does use of AOP lead to better outcomes? Is it safer? Is it increasing barriers to #bfrtraining? In the most current episode of the #BFR Better for Results Podcast, I sat down with @joelnovakpt and discussed our recent publication where for the first time, we debated the importance of pressure assessment in the prescription, safety, and outcomes of #bloodflowrestrictiontraining. This one is a CAN’T MISS if you are using BFR in your practice. Check out the link in bio.

Comment AOP and I’ll send you the paper link via DM or POD if you want the podcast link. by @joelnovakpt

Blood flow restriction (BFR) pressure prescription and arterial occlusion pressure (AOP) are often reduced to one question:

What percentage of AOP should I use?

My new review, now published in Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, examines why the answer needs to be broader.

AOP can be a useful and defensible reference, particularly for methodological standardization. But a resting occlusion measure cannot, by itself, fully represent the dynamic physiological conditions created during exercise or determine the BFR dose in isolation.

This review considers how applied pressure interacts with:

• cuff and device characteristics
• limb and vascular factors
• exercise programming
• safety elements
• individual response and tolerance
• downstream physiology

The point is not to dismiss AOP. It is to avoid treating a single metric as the entire prescription.

The full open-access review is now live. Link in bio.

What part of BFR pressure prescription do you think deserves more attention in research or practice?

#BloodFlowRestriction #BFR #BFRTraining #ArterialOcclusionPressure #SportsMedicine #PhysicalTherapy #Rehabilitation #ExercisePhysiology #StrengthAndConditioning #ClinicalReasoning by @joelnovakpt

Grateful to share that my manuscript, Pressure Prescription in Blood Flow Restriction Training: Evaluating the Role of Arterial Occlusion Pressure, has been accepted for publication!

This project explored one of the most debated topics in BFR practice: How restrictive pressure should be determined, interpreted, and applied across research and clinical settings.

I want to thank the reviewers and editors for their thoughtful feedback throughout the process. I’m looking forward to sharing the final published version once available.

#BloodFlowRestriction #BFR #PhysicalTherapy #Rehab #Research by @joelnovakpt

💪🏻𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲.

That’s not how hypertrophy actually works.

➡️If your goal is muscle size, especially rebuilding lost muscle as you age, training to fatigue matters more than chasing max weight.

That’s why bodybuilders train differently than explosive athletes.

🤓𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝘀, 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗽𝘂𝘁. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗺𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵.

And this is where BFR changes the game.

📈Because by limiting oxygen availability, BFR can create that same fatigue response with much lighter loads. That means people can still stimulate muscle growth without constantly crushing their joints with heavy weight.

For longevity, this matters.

Muscle is one of the strongest predictors of healthy aging, metabolic health, and resilience later in life.

The controversial question:
Have we over-glorified “lifting heavy” while underestimating smarter ways to build muscle?

📌Follow @lexiyoonp for more education.

#Longevity #MuscleHealth #Biohacking #bloodflowrestriction #lexiyoonp by @joelnovakpt

💬 “𝗜 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗯𝗿𝗼 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲…”

That’s exactly how today’s guest, Dr. Joel Novak PT, first reacted to Blood Flow Restriction training 😅

📚Fast forward nearly 10 years later… and now he’s teaching it across the country after jumping into the research and learning from some of the top sports science experts in the world. 💡

On today’s episode of The Better Yoo Project, we break down:

🔥 What Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) actually is
🔥 Why elite athletes are using it
🔥 How it helps with recovery, muscle growth, rehab & performance
🔥 Why you can get results with lighter training loads
🔥 The science that changed Dr. Novak’s mind completely

🎤One of my favorite parts was hearing how a professional athlete literally handed him the phone during a PT session and connected him with the physician leading sports science for the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team.

And instead of “just trust me,” he was handed 300 research articles. That’s when everything changed.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗦𝗨𝗖𝗛 𝗮 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘇𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁.

🎧 Catch today’s episode on:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube

🔗 COMMENT 𝗙𝗟𝗢𝗪 and I’ll send you the direct link to the full episode.
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#bloodflowrestriction #BFR #biohackingrecovery #Thebetteryooproject #lexiyoonp by @joelnovakpt

Train smarter 🧠 by @joelnovakpt

Blood Flow Restriction as a finisher 💯 by @joelnovakpt

Blood Flow Restriction 101 💪

Come see how our technologies can help you reach your health goals more efficiently! by @joelnovakpt

The research behind BFR 💪

Come see us at Grace In Motion on how we can help you train more effectively. by @joelnovakpt

We’re excited to announce our partnership with @joelnovakpt.

Joel brings decades of experience as a Physical Therapist and will elevate our personal training program for clients, athletes, and people looking to get healthy.

If you’re looking to level up your game or make a change in your health, come see us at Grace in Motion. by @joelnovakpt

Grace in Motion offers personal training, helping you accomplish your goals more efficiently.

Send us a message if you’re ready to finally get results. by @joelnovakpt

EVERYBODY wants to be better faster!
But, sometimes the body has its own time table. Sometimes, effort and determination aren’t enough.
It flat out just takes time. And rehab is humbling. What makes it great, truly, is the journey to be better! 💪🏼

HUGE thank you to @ian.gilmour for his footage and commitment to craft: videography and story-telling through capturing footage and investing in people. 🙌🏼Great work, Ian and Thank you for allowing me to share your content! 👊🏼

#athlete #athletictraining #injury #injuryrecovery #physiotherapy #physicaltherapy #Rehab #Rehabilitation #RehabScience #RehabExercise #ExerciseAdvice #strengthandconditioning #returntosport #returntoplay by @joelnovakpt