Energize Therapy

Energize Therapy Rehabilitation, Recovery and Performance specialists. Evidence based practice achieving real results.

Physiotherapy
Initial assessment: £65
Follow-up: £45

Sports Massage 60/40 minutes
£55/£40

Personal Training/Sports Coaching/Conditioning
1 x session: £35.

07/09/2026

Strong hamstrings = stronger running 🏃‍♂️🔥

These 3 exercises help build single-leg strength, hip stability, and hamstring control — all important for better running mechanics and staying strong through each stride.

• SL Hamstring Bridge
• Hamstring Bridge with Alternating Legs
• Single-Leg Squat

Keep the reps slow and controlled, and focus on stability from side to side.

Save this for your next strength session 💪

19/08/2026

What’s actually the best way to recover after training? 🤔💪

We’ve all heard the usual advice: stretch, ice bath, compression boots, massage… but what does the research actually say? 🧠📚

A systematic review and meta-analysis looked at 99 studies comparing different post-exercise recovery techniques.

And one method stood out 👀👇

🥇 Massage — appeared to be the most effective technique for reducing both delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and perceived fatigue.

Other methods also showed benefits:

🧊 Cold/water immersion — can help reduce soreness and fatigue
🦵 Compression garments — can help with DOMS and perceived fatigue
🏃 Active recovery — showed benefits for reducing DOMS
❄️ Cold exposure — alongside massage, appeared particularly useful for markers of inflammation

But there’s an important caveat…

Recovery isn’t one-size-fits-all. The effectiveness of a technique can depend on the type and intensity of exercise, timing, and the individual.

So before spending hours (or hundreds of pounds 💷) on every recovery gadget going… it’s worth asking:

What does the evidence actually support? 🔬

📚 Based on: Dupuy et al. (2018), Frontiers in Physiology.

Save this for your next training session 🔖 and send it to someone who needs to rethink their recovery routine!

18/08/2026

💥 We spend a lot of time training our bodies to PRODUCE force.

But what about ABSORBING it? 👇

Think about something as simple as running 🏃‍♂️

Every time your foot hits the ground, your body has to manage the forces coming back up from the floor.

Your ankle, knee, hip and trunk all work together to control, absorb and redistribute load.

And in sport, the forces can be much higher:

🥋 Being thrown or taken down
🏀 Landing from a jump
⚽ Changing direction
🏃‍♂️ Decelerating quickly
💥 Or simply… hitting the ground

That’s why being strong isn’t just about how much force you can produce.

It’s also about how well you can control and manage force when it comes at you.

So for my latest JJ challenge, I’m progressively increasing the height of the box before rolling into a breakfall.

The goal isn’t just to go higher…

👉 It’s to maintain control while absorbing the landing.

Because your ability to produce force matters.

But your ability to absorb and control it matters too. 💪

29/07/2026

🏃‍♂️ Why test hamstring strength at 90° and 120°? 💪

Running demands hamstring strength at different muscle lengths. Testing at 90° assesses force in a shorter position, while 120° measures strength when the muscle is lengthened, similar to the late swing phase of running, where hamstring injuries most commonly occur. 📈

Using a Dynamo gives objective data to:
✅ Identify imbalances
📊 Track rehab progress
🏃‍♂️ Guide safe return-to-running decisions

Test. Measure. Perform. 🚀

21/07/2026

🏃‍♂️ Why runners should be doing side planks...

Did you know that every running stride is essentially a single-leg balance?

Your gluteus medius (the muscle on the side of your hip) plays a key role in keeping your pelvis level and your knee aligned when your foot hits the ground. If it’s weak, your body may compensate, placing extra stress on the hips, knees and lower legs.

💪 One simple exercise to target this muscle? The side plank.

Side planks don’t just strengthen your core, they also challenge the gluteus medius, helping to improve pelvic stability and control during running.

✅ Benefits for runners:
• Improves hip and pelvic stability
• Supports efficient running mechanics
• Enhances single-leg control
• May help reduce the risk of common running-related overuse injuries when included as part of a well-rounded strength programme

Try adding 2–3 sets of 20–45 seconds per side, 2–3 times per week, alongside your running and strength training.

Strong glutes = a stronger foundation for every stride. 👟

20/07/2026

💥 MYTH MONDAY 💥

🚫 Myth: Recovery is optional if you’re training hard.

✅ Truth: Your muscles don’t grow while you’re lifting, they grow when you recover.

Recovery isn’t just about taking a rest day. Sleep plays a vital role in muscle repair and growth. 💤💪

🔬 Research has shown that just one night of total sleep deprivation reduced muscle protein synthesis by 18%, while increasing cortisol (the body’s stress hormone). In men, testosterone levels also decreased, creating a less favourable environment for building muscle.

Without enough recovery, you may experience:
❌ Slower muscle recovery
❌ Reduced muscle growth
❌ Fatigue
❌ Increased risk of injury
❌ Burnout

The best results come from balancing:
🏋️ Smart training
🥗 Good nutrition
😴 Quality sleep
📈 Consistency

Remember: You don’t get stronger from training alone,you get stronger from recovering well.

💬 Have you noticed a difference in your workouts after a good night’s sleep? Let us know in the comments!

📚 Reference: Lamon, S., et al. (2021). The effect of acute sleep deprivation on skeletal muscle protein synthesis and the hormonal environment in healthy young adults. Physiological Reports, 9(1), e14660. https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.14660

19/07/2026

🏋️‍♂️ Floor vs Step Calf Raises: Is one actually better? 🤔🦵

Despite what many people believe, there is currently no direct hypertrophy study showing that single-leg calf raises performed on a step build more muscle than those performed on the floor. 📚

✅ A recent study comparing floor, incline, and step calf raises found that participants could perform more repetitions and more total work from the floor, but it did not measure muscle growth—only performance. So it doesn’t prove one method builds bigger calves than the other.

💪 The current evidence suggests that both can be effective for calf growth when you:
• Train close to failure 🔥
• Use progressive overload 📈
• Accumulate enough training volume 🏆

While newer research suggests that training at longer muscle lengths may be beneficial, no study has directly shown that step calf raises produce greater calf hypertrophy than floor calf raises.

📖 References:
• Costa et al. (2024). Journal of Biomechanics.
• de Oliveira et al. (2025). Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports.
• de Oliveira et al. (2025). European Journal of Sport Science.

⚖️ Bottom line: Based on the current evidence, both floor and step calf raises are effective choices. Train hard, stay consistent, and progressively overload. 🚀

🏃‍♂️ History made. But what can we actually learn from it?Josh Kerr has broken the men’s mile world record with an aston...
18/07/2026

🏃‍♂️ History made. But what can we actually learn from it?

Josh Kerr has broken the men’s mile world record with an astonishing 3:42.66, averaging around 26 km/h (16.2 mph) for the entire four laps.

It’s easy to look at performances like this and assume they’re all about talent, but they’re really a demonstration of what happens when every piece of the performance puzzle is optimised.

Some key takeaways:

🔹 Running economy matters. At this level, it’s not just about having a huge engine—it’s about using as little energy as possible at race pace. Small improvements in technique, stiffness through the lower limb, and efficiency can make a significant difference.

🔹 Strength underpins speed. Elite middle-distance runners spend a lot of time in the gym developing force production, tendon stiffness and resilience. Strength training isn’t just for sprinters.

🔹 Recovery is part of training. Adaptation happens between sessions, not during them. Sleep, nutrition and appropriate recovery strategies allow athletes to absorb the workload needed to improve.

🔹 Consistency beats perfection. World records aren’t built from one exceptional training session. They’re the result of thousands of quality sessions completed over many years.

Whether you’re training for your first parkrun, a marathon PB or simply trying to stay injury-free, the same principles apply. The difference is the pace—not the process.

Congratulations to Josh Kerr on an incredible achievement and a reminder of what’s possible when science, coaching and years of dedication come together.

18/07/2026

🦵 Can you guess which is BEST for calf growth? 👀

I had a comment on TikTok asking this question, so let’s settle it…

Which do you think is better for building bigger calves?

A️⃣ Standing calf raises on the floor
B️⃣ Standing calf raises off a step

Think you know the answer? 🤔

Drop your guess in the comments before you swipe or watch the next post. Let’s see who gets it right! 👇🔥

17/07/2026

🍫💪 Can simply smelling dark chocolate improve your workout?

A recent study found that participants who inhaled the aroma of 90% dark chocolate before and between leg extension sets completed around 18 more reps without feeling like the workout was any harder. They also reported feeling less hungry during exercise.

Researchers suggest the aroma may activate brain pathways linked to reward, motivation, and appetite. However, this was a small study involving just 23 healthy young men, so while the findings are promising, more research is needed before recommending chocolate aroma as a performance aid.

🍫 So, is dark chocolate the next pre-workout? Not quite—but it’s an interesting area of sports nutrition research to watch.

📚 Reference:
Uto Y, et al. The effect of dark chocolate aroma inhalation on resistance exercise performance and appetite in healthy men. Frontiers in Physiology. 2026.
Medscape. Can Sniffing Chocolate Boost Leg Workout Performance? 2026.

Address

Unit 1A Rushock Trading Estate, Kidderminster Road
Droitwich
WR9 0NR

Opening Hours

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Saturday 9am - 1:30pm
Sunday 9am - 12pm

Telephone

+447970414389

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