In the UK, around 130,000 people a year suffer a stroke of whom a third end up with severe disability because of weakness in arms and legs. There is emerging evidence that additional early exercise training may be beneficial but this has not been investigated thoroughly. New and easy exercises, which can be done independently between therapy sessions, could directly strengthen arms and legs, and may help people recover more quickly. Patients who have suffered a stroke often feel they would like to start therapy as soon as they can, and the ultimate aim of this work is to improve stroke rehabilitation.