Beyond One-Size-Fits-All: Customising Exercise for Diverse Populations

Exercise physiologists play a pivotal role in designing personalised exercise plans tailored to the unique needs of various populations. Understanding that one-size-fits-all approaches are ineffective, they consider individual goals, physical abilities, and health conditions.

Here’s how they customise exercise plans for three distinct groups: older adults, athletes, and individuals with chronic conditions.

1. Older Adults

For older adults, the primary focus is on enhancing functional ability and promoting independence. Exercise physiologists begin with a thorough assessment, evaluating factors like strength, balance, flexibility, and cardiovascular health.

• Strength Training: Programs often incorporate resistance exercises to counteract age-related muscle loss and improve bone density. Bodyweight exercises, resistance bands, and moderate-heavy weights are effective tools.
• Balance and Stability: Activities such as tai chi or balance exercises help reduce the risk of falls, a significant concern for older adults.
• Aerobic Conditioning: Low-impact activities like walking, swimming, or cycling are recommended to maintain cardiovascular health. Guidelines suggest at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise each week.

By emphasising safety and gradual progression, exercise physiologists ensure that older adults remain engaged and motivated.

2. Athletes

For athletes, exercise plans are designed to enhance performance and minimize injury risk. Exercise physiologists conduct comprehensive assessments to identify strengths and weaknesses specific to the athlete’s sport.

• Sport-Specific Training: Tailored drills and exercises focus on developing skills necessary for the athlete’s discipline, such as speed, agility, and endurance.
• Strength and Conditioning: Resistance training is essential for building muscle power and endurance, customized to meet the athlete’s specific performance demands.
• Recovery Strategies: Implementing recovery techniques, such as stretching, foam rolling, and proper nutrition, helps optimize performance and reduce injury incidence.

Athletes are often encouraged to participate in the planning process, ensuring the program is both motivating and aligned with their personal goals.

3. Individuals with Chronic Conditions

Creating exercise plans for individuals with chronic conditions requires a careful, informed approach. Exercise physiologists prioritize safety and often work closely with healthcare providers to tailor programs that accommodate specific health concerns.

• Low-Impact Aerobic Exercise: Activities such as walking, cycling, or swimming are beneficial for improving cardiovascular health without putting undue stress on joints.
• Flexibility and Mobility: Gentle stretching exercises help maintain range of motion and reduce discomfort.
• Strength Training: Programs often utilise low resistance with high repetitions to promote muscle strength without exacerbating existing health issues.

Education is a key component, empowering individuals to understand the benefits of physical activity and encouraging adherence to their exercise plans.

To summarise:

Exercise physiologists are instrumental in developing customised exercise plans that address the diverse needs of various populations. By focusing on individual assessments and tailoring strategies, they help older adults maintain independence, athletes enhance performance, and individuals with chronic conditions improve their quality of life. Personalised exercise programming not only promotes physical health but also fosters a positive attitude toward fitness, ensuring long-term success and well-being.

Author: Paul Robinson

Unlocking Your Rehabilitation Potential with Dynamometry

One powerful tool in modern rehabilitation is dynamometry. This equipment measures strength and muscle performance, providing valuable insights into your progress.

Using dynamometry, your physiotherapist can assess your muscle strength quantitatively. This data-driven approach helps tailor your rehabilitation program to your specific needs and identifies muscle imbalances or weaknesses. This then ensures you’re working on the right areas at the right intensity and allows you to address any issues before they become problematic.

Persistent weaknesses can lead to compensatory movements, increasing the risk of further injuries and prolonging recovery. By tracking your strength over time, you and your physio can measure improvements and adjust your exercises accordingly.

Our physiotherapists and exercise physiologists at Physiologic utilise the VALD Dynamo for precision measurements. Don’t hesitate to ask about the benefits of strength testing. Your path to recovery can be clearer and more structured than ever.

Author: Jessica Norton

3 Steps to Healthy Shoulders: Stretching, Strength Training, Dynamic Mobility

Maintaining shoulder health is essential for overall upper body function and injury prevention. Whether it’s to hang clothes on the line pain free or bowl out the kids playing back yard cricket here are three key steps to achieve and sustain healthy shoulders:

1. Stretching

Incorporating regular stretching into your routine helps maintain flexibility and range of motion in the shoulder joint. Focus on stretches that target the muscles around the shoulders, chest, and upper back.

Examples:

• Cross-Body Shoulder Stretch: Bring one arm across your body and gently pull it closer with the opposite arm, holding for 15-30 seconds.
• Doorway Stretch: Stand in a doorway with your arms at a 90-degree angle, placing your forearms against the doorframe. Lean forward gently to stretch your chest and shoulders.
• Child’s Pose: Kneel on the floor and sit back on your heels. Reach your arms forward, lowering your chest to the ground to stretch the shoulders and back.

2. Strength Training

Building strength in the muscles surrounding the shoulder joint is crucial for stability and support. Focus on exercises that engage the deltoids, rotator cuff muscles, and upper back.

Examples:

• Shoulder Press: Use dumbbells or a resistance band to press weights overhead, keeping your core engaged.
• External Rotation: With a resistance band, keep your elbow at a 90-degree angle and rotate your forearm outward, engaging the rotator cuff muscles.
• Rows: Perform bent-over rows with dumbbells or a resistance band to strengthen the upper back and improve posture.

Aim for 2-3 strength training sessions per week, with a focus on proper form and gradual progression.

3. Dynamic Mobility

Dynamic mobility exercises improve the functional range of motion and prepare the shoulder for movement. These exercises can be integrated into warm-ups or workouts.

Examples:

• Arm Circles: Stand with your arms extended to the sides and make small circles, gradually increasing the size. Switch directions after 15-30 seconds.
• Shoulder Swimmers: Mimic a swimming motion by alternating arm movements in a circular fashion, engaging both the front and back of the shoulders.
• Wall Angels: Stand with your back against a wall, feet slightly away from the base. Keep your lower back, shoulders, and head against the wall while raising your arms to form a “W” shape. Slide your arms up the wall to form a “Y,” then return to the “W” position, keeping contact with the wall throughout.

By incorporating stretching, strength training, and dynamic mobility into your routine, you can promote healthy shoulders, enhance performance, and reduce the risk of injury. Consistency is key, so make these exercises a regular part of your fitness regimen for optimal shoulder health.

Author: Paul Robinson

Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) Training: A Patient Guide

Welcome to the forefront of rehabilitation and performance enhancement with Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) Training. BFR is a cutting-edge technique that can help you achieve remarkable results in your recovery journey.

Here’s what you need to know:

What is BFR Training?

BFR involves the application of specialised cuffs to partially restrict blood flow to specific muscles during exercise. By restricting blood flow, BFR creates a metabolic environment that promotes muscle hypertrophy and strength development, even when lifting loads of only 20% of your maximum. This makes it an effective tool for rehabilitation and performance enhancement.

Benefits of BFR Training:

• Accelerated Recovery: BFR can expedite recovery from injuries and surgeries by promoting faster muscle regeneration.
• Increased Strength: Despite using lighter weights, BFR can lead to significant gains in muscle strength.
• Improved Endurance: BFR has been shown to enhance cardiovascular endurance, making it beneficial for overall fitness.

Is BFR Training Safe?

When performed correctly under the guidance of a trained professional, BFR Training is considered safe for most individuals. We utilise AirBands by VALD which are a premium product that significantly reduces any risks of BFR.

Getting Started:

Contact us today on 5578 7155 to discuss how BFR training can assist you achieve your rehab and training goals.

Author: Adam Shaw

Powering Up Performance: Strength Training for Field Athletes

In the competitive world of field sports, a well-structured strength training program can assist athletes aiming to elevate their on-field performance. Kicking, cutting and sprinting require high levels of strength and power with research showing that strength training can improve these qualities while also reducing the risk of injury.

Here are some tips when looking to integrate strength training into your field training routine:

TIMING WITHIN YOUR SCHEDULE

The type and timing of your strength training is an important consideration to ensure you don’t show up to your field training fatigued. For example, a full body session may be best done in the middle of the week if you play on the weekend.  In season, one strength session per week can be enough to maintain gains developed during the off and pre-season.

CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

Strength training can be safe and effective for youth athletes and is an important part of long-term athlete development. Programs for these athletes will firstly focus on the fundamentals of movement, technique and efficiency before progressing volume and intensity.

INDIVIDUALISED PROGRAMS

Your strength program should be tailored to your individual goals, sport-specific demands, training schedule, position and level of fitness. Ideally your program should be developed in collaboration with a sports medicine professional with knowledge in this area (exercise physiologist, sport physiotherapist, certified strength and conditioning coach). If you would like to discuss further, please make an appointment with Paul Robinson (Exercise Physiologist) or Jess Norton (Senior Physiotherapist with special interest in sports).

Author: Jessica Norton

4 reasons why you should start Reformer Pilates today

Book into our physiocore classes on Wednesday 5:45 pm or Saturday 8am to start reaping these benefits!

Author: Sarah Bransgrove