August 20, 2026

Bodyset in Women’s Fitness: Exercises to Boost Sports Performance

We’re proud to be featured across six pages of the July issue of Women’s Fitness -including on the front cover. The article explores how physiotherapy is no longer just about injury rehabilitation. Increasingly, it’s being used to help people move better, train smarter and enhance their sporting performance.

For our Bodyset feature, we explored four key pillars of performance physiotherapy with the Bodyset team: Niamh Bunyan, Tereza Mateju, Inshrah Mirza, Miriam Ebonine and Chloe Webb.

Biomechanics, functional strength, mobility and range of motion, and neuromuscular control.

Here’s what our Bodyset experts had to say.

Biomechanics: start with how you move

When assessing a client, our physiotherapists look at posture, joint mobility, muscle length and strength, balance and the movement patterns most relevant to their sport. The aim is to identify where the body may be compensating.

For example, a volleyball player with reduced scapular control may struggle to efficiently stabilise the shoulder during serving or spiking. Addressing this can help improve power, consistency and control.

Move well before you move hard – a thorough warm-up, targeted strength work and proper recovery can all help your body prepare for the demands of your sport.

Functional strength: build strength you can use

Sport requires the body to produce and absorb force quickly, whether you’re sprinting, jumping or changing direction. Progressive resistance training builds the foundation, while plyometrics teach the body how to use that strength quickly.

Take running for example, every step places a demand on the body. To bring this to life, here are some of the exercises we regularly use with runners and what they’re doing for performance.

For force: split squats and calf raises

Build single-leg strength through the glutes and quads while strengthening the calves and Achilles tendon.

For speed: bounding and repeated hops

These exercises teach the legs to produce force faster and with more power.

For agility: zig-zag runs and figure-of-eight drills

Challenge your ability to react, change direction and remain controlled.

The goal isn’t simply to become stronger, it’s to make that strength useful when you need it.

Mobility and range of motion: create space to move

When mobility is restricted, the body will often compensate elsewhere. A runner with restricted hip mobility may rely more heavily on their lower back, while a swimmer with limited shoulder mobility may struggle to achieve an efficient stroke position. Targeted mobility work can help movement feel easier, more fluid and less restricted.

Mobility and strength work together.

Strength is most useful when it can be expressed through an appropriate range of motion. Improving mobility can help the strength you’ve built in the gym translate into how you move on the pitch, in the pool or on the track. And remember: don’t rush your stretching. Give your body time to adapt and gradually work into new ranges.

Neuromuscular control: teach your body to respond

Neuromuscular control is how effectively your nervous system and muscles communicate and work together. It helps your body recruit the right muscles at the right time, supporting balance, coordination, movement timing and stability.

A key part of this is proprioception – your body’s ability to sense where it is in space.

Key takeaway – Performance starts before injury

Our feature in Women’s Fitness highlights an important shift in the way we think about physiotherapy.

You don’t have to wait until something hurts to start looking after your body. Understanding how you move, building strength, improving mobility and developing control can all form part of a proactive approach to performance. Whether you’re chasing a PB, preparing for a race or simply want to feel stronger, performance physiotherapy can help you understand what your body needs to perform at its best.

We’re so pleased to be featured in Women’s Fitness and incredibly proud to have shared six pages of expert insight in the July issue of Women’s Fitness, including on the front cover.

A huge thank you to the Women’s Fitness team for giving us the opportunity to share our expertise and shine a light on the role physiotherapy can play in helping people move, train and perform better. Pick up the July issue of Women’s Fitness to read the full feature.

Want to take a more proactive approach to your body?

A BodyCheck MOT is a full-body screening of mobility, flexibility and strength, designed to identify imbalances and create a plan to keep your body performing at its best.

Don’t wait for an injury. Stay ahead.