YIELDING vs OVERCOMING ISOMETRICS 💪

Isometric training isn’t just about holding a position.

There are two different ways we can use isometrics in rehab — and both have an important place.

1️⃣ YIELDING ISOMETRICS

You’re holding a position and resisting the load trying to move you.

Think:
• Spanish squat hold
• Calf raise hold
• Copenhagen hold
• Hamstring bridge hold

These are great for building load tolerance, positional strength and confidence, particularly when dynamic movement is still uncomfortable.

2️⃣ OVERCOMING ISOMETRICS

Now the intent changes.

Instead of holding a load, you’re trying to produce as much force as possible against something that cannot move.

Think:
• Max knee extension into an immovable resistance
• Hamstring pull against fixed straps
•Max Split Squat into BB
• Pushing or pulling maximally against a fixed bar

This allows us to target high force production at specific joint angles without needing movement.

And that can be incredibly useful in rehab.

So how might we progress rehab?

Restore ROM
⬇️
Yielding Isometrics
Tolerate & maintain force
⬇️
Overcoming Isometrics
Produce high force
⬇️
Isotonic Strength
Produce force through range
⬇️
Eccentric Loading
Absorb & control higher forces
⬇️
Supramaximal Eccentrics — where appropriate
Develop greater eccentric force capacity
⬇️
Plyometrics / Reactive Strength
Produce, absorb & redirect force quickly
⬇️
Return to Sport / Performance

These stages don’t always happen in isolation — good rehab will often overlap them as capacity improves.

It’s not simply about making an exercise harder.

It’s about changing what we’re asking the muscle, tendon and nervous system to do.

Can you move through the range you need?
➡️ Can you tolerate force?
➡️ Can you produce force?
➡️ Can you produce it through range?
➡️ Can you absorb higher forces?
➡️ Can you produce, absorb and redirect force quickly?

Rehab shouldn’t just get you out of pain.

The goal is to rebuild the capacity you need for whatever you want to get back to.

#sportstherapy #injuryrehab #isometrics #strengthtraining #londonmassageandmove

Going away this summer? Pack a band. 👇

With bank holidays and summer trips coming up, training doesn’t have to completely stop just because you’re away.

Here are 3 exercises using one resistance band that I regularly use to work on glute medius strength, hip control and single-leg stability:

1️⃣ B-Stance RDL + Cross-Body Row + Contralateral Hip IR
Challenges posterior chain strength while controlling rotation through the hip and pelvis.

2️⃣ Rear-Foot Elevated Clam / Split Squat Position
Loads the glute med while challenging frontal-plane hip and pelvic control.

3️⃣ Side Plank Hip Thrust
Glute med + lateral hip + trunk stability working together.

Why does this matter?

Your glute medius plays a big role in controlling the pelvis and femur when you’re on one leg — something we need every time we walk, run, climb stairs or change direction.

You don’t always need a fully equipped gym.

Sometimes one band and 15 minutes is plenty to keep working while you’re away.

Save these for your next trip. ✈️

#glutestrength #hipstability #singlelegstrength #sportsrehab #sportstherapy

JUST 10 mL OF FLUID ON THE KNEE? 💧

It doesn’t sound like much.

But one of the key points from the Bodymaster Method Knee course with the awesome John Gibbons was how even a small knee joint effusion can begin to affect VMO / quadriceps activation.

The VMO forms part of the quadriceps and contributes to:

• Knee extension and terminal extension control
• Dynamic knee stability
• Patellar control
• Controlling the knee as we accept load

So if swelling begins to inhibit quadriceps function:

KNEE EFFUSION
↓
REDUCED VMO / QUADRICEPS ACTIVATION
↓
REDUCED KNEE EXTENSION CONTROL
↓
ALTERED STABILITY & LOAD ACCEPTANCE
↓
CHANGES TO FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENT

But the knee doesn’t work in isolation.

The foot, ankle, knee, hip, pelvis and trunk all contribute to how we move.

Hip strength and control influence the position of the femur and knee. The knee needs to effectively accept and control load. The ankle needs sufficient movement. The pelvis and trunk need to provide stability.

So when we’re assessing or rehabbing a knee, we need to look beyond simply:

“Does your knee hurt?”

Everything has to work together to produce, transfer and absorb force.

#kneerehab #kneehealth #sportstherapy #strengthandconditioning #rehabilitation

Being pain-free doesn’t necessarily mean you’re ready.

One of the biggest things I try to get across during rehab is that removing pain is only one part of the process.

If someone comes into the clinic with an injury, I don’t want the end goal to simply be:

“It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

I want to gradually rebuild what their body needs to tolerate AND MORE!!!

Restore movement → build control → develop strength → integrate it into movement → return to better performance.

And each stage should have a reason for progressing.

Can you access the range?
Can you control it?
Can you tolerate load?
Can you produce and absorb force?
Can you repeat it under fatigue?
Can you meet the demands of your sport or training?

Because time is a useful guide — but it shouldn’t be the only thing deciding your rehab progression.

Whether I’m working with someone trying to get back to everyday training or a professional athlete returning to competition, the principle is the same:

Don’t just get them pain-free. Prepare them for what comes next.

#sportsrehab #injuryrehab #strengthandconditioning #sportstherapy #LondonMassageAndMovement