Current envelope of function — what the tissue can tolerate
Exercise Type
Movement and load selection appropriate to the phase
Cue Intent
Language shapes force profile — the variable you control
📈
Impulse vs Peak Force
🎚️
Cue Continuum
⚡
Isometric Apps
🎯
Plyometric Apps
Interactive Demo
Force-Time Curve Visualiser
High Impulse, Low Peak Force
Ground Contact Time: ~500ms
Absorb
"Land soft and slow"
Long contact time
Low peak force
High total impulse
Early rehab focus
Feel
"Feel the ground, then push"
Moderate contact time
Moderate peak force
Balanced profile
Mid-stage focus
Attack
"Attack and explode"
Short contact time
High peak force
Low total impulse
Performance focus
Intensity Scale
Cue Intensity Continuum
0
Absorb
50
Feel
100
Attack
Same Exercise, Different Cues — Calf Raise
ENDURANCE GOAL
"Gently press up and hold"
→ High time under tension, metabolic stress
HYPERTROPHY GOAL
"Gradually crush upward"
→ Controlled force development, mechanical tension
POWER GOAL
"Explode up through ceiling"
→ Rapid force production, rate of force development
Key Takeaway
The same exercise prescribes entirely different adaptations depending on the cue intent. Cue intent is a programmable variable — not just motivational language.
Clinical Application
Isometric Applications: PIMA vs HIMA
Yielding / Resisting
HIMA — Hold Isometric
Resisting an external force that is trying to move you
🧍 ⬅️ "Hold against the force"
Characteristics
Longer time under tension
Lower peak forces
Greater endurance focus
Cue Strategy
"Gently resist" / "Hold steady"
Overcoming / Pushing
PIMA — Push Isometric
Pushing against an immovable object with maximal intent
🧍 ➡️ "Push against immovable"
Characteristics
Higher peak forces possible
Variable intent (gradual → ballistic)
Greater strength / power focus
Cue Strategy
"Gradually crush" / "Explode against"
Clinical Implication
HIMA suits early-stage rehab where tissue tolerance is limited — longer TUT, lower peak forces. PIMA allows progressive cueing from gradual to ballistic intent, enabling strength and power development within the same exercise.