Looking to improve your health and fitness, maximise your sports performance, or manage a medical condition through exercise? An exercise physio might be exactly what you need. These qualified healthcare professionals specialise in using movement as medicine to help people recover from injuries, manage chronic conditions, and enhance their physical performance.
Central Performance is one of the leading exercise physio providers in Sydney, with special expertise in working with runners of all abilities to help them minimise injuries, recover faster, and maximise their performance. Exercise physios are expert physiotherapists with additional undergraduate or postgraduate qualifications in exercise prescription. They create personalised exercise programs to help you achieve your health, fitness and sports performance goals, whether you’re training for a sports competition, recovering from an injury or surgery, or need help using exercise to manage other health conditions such as diabetes or back pain.
Exercise physio is covered by private health funds, just like a normal physio session, making it an ideal option for improving your health through structured physical activity (check your cover for details). Some cases may also be covered through Medicare, worker’s compensation and DVA. Exercise physio sessions are different from regular personal training, as they focus on evidence-based approaches to improve sports performance, recover faster from injury or surgery, treat specific health conditions and prevent future health issues.
Key Takeaways
- Exercise physios are expert physiotherapists with additional undergraduate or postgraduate qualifications in exercise prescription. They specialise in using exercise as medicine for better health and sports performance outcomes
- Exercise physios create personalised strength and conditioning programs backed by scientific evidence to improve sports performance, recover faster from injury or surgery, and manage other health conditions
- Central Performance provides one of the leading exercise physio programs in Sydney, with special expertise in working with runners of all abilities
What Does An Exercise Physio Do?
Exercise physios are university-qualified health professionals who create tailored exercise programs to treat injuries, improve sports performance, manage health conditions, and improve your overall fitness and wellbeing. These specialists use exercise as medicine to help you reach your health, fitness and performance goals.
Strength and Conditioning
A tailored strength program helps you build muscle, improve sports performance, prevent injuries, and provides other health benefits such as increasing bone density and improving cardiovascular fitness. Your exercise physio will assess your current fitness level and create a progressive plan that focuses on your specific goals for health, fitness and athletic performance.
Your strength program typically includes resistance training with weights and powerbands, bodyweight exercises, and functional movements. The cardio component can include a mix of interval-based drills on the treadmill, assault bike or rower. For athletes and sports performance programs other components such as plyometric drills and sport-specific training are included.
Regular monitoring ensures your program adapts as you get stronger. Your exercise physio tracks important measures like:
- Strength, including ForceDecks – see below
- Range of motion
- Movement control and stability
- Cardiovascular fitness
- Sport-Specific movements and biomechanics
We give you access to elite-level assessment technology using the VALD ForceDecks dual force plate system. This system, often only available to elite athletes, allows comprehensive testing of your power and plyometric ability by gathering information not seen by the naked eye. They are able to measure force production, power output, specific movement analysis, limb symmetry and strength.
We combine the information from your ForceDecks testing with other results from your assessment to develop a comprehensive picture of your absolute strength, functional capacity, endurance, limb symmetry, power output and range of motion. These results then allow us to deliver a personalised, targeted, effective and safe strength program to support your running by improving performance and reducing your risk of injury.
Exercise Physio For Runners
Central Performance has a dedicated running centre, and our exercise physios have special expertise and experience working with runners of all abilities, from recreational to elite (national and Olympic) level. We understand the unique demands that running places on your body, and your exercise physio will assess the key biomechanical components that contribute to improving running performance and reducing your injury risk. This will include;
- Strength and endurance testing of the key muscles involved in running, including ForceDecks testing (see above)
- Screening of range of motion, joint mobility and muscle length
- Stability, biomechanics and movement control testing
Custom exercises focus on building running-specific strength in your legs, core, and stabilising muscles. Your program will include drills to improve your running economy and efficiency, which allows you to run faster for longer with less chance of injury.
Your Exercise Physio program is different to a Running Gait Assessment and RunRight Running Coaching. While the running gait assessment and running coaching sessions focus on optimising your running technique, your exercise physio program focuses strength and conditioning to increase your body’s capacity for running. It’s like strength and conditioning can increase the size of your engine, then technique coaching can help you use all that extra power in the most efficient way to increase performance. By combining strength and conditioning with running technique coaching, you are on the way to maximising your running performance while minimising your risk of injury. For more information on running gait assessment and RunRight running coaching, click below.
Exercise Physio For Back and Neck Pain
Exercise physios are ideal providers for evidence-based exercise programs for recovery from back and neck pain. Research strongly shows that personalised and targeted exercise programs are the most effective way to provide long-term relief from back and neck pain, and exercise physios are the exercise experts in this area. They identify movement patterns and weakness that may contribute to your pain, and work with you to develop tailored exercise programs to effectively strengthen your spine and optimise movement control to provide lasting relief.
Personalisation is important, so your program will be developed and adapted based on your individual assessment and situation. The common areas that you will be working on include;
- Strengthening core muscles
- Mobility techniques to increase spinal mobility and flexibility
- Functional strengthening to increase your ability to do common daily tasks like walking, lifting and carrying
- Exercises to improve your movement control and biomechanics, helping you to move in more efficient ways that can reduce your pain and increase your ability to be active and return to exercise and sports
Exercise Physio For Sports Injuries
Sports injury rehabilitation requires a systematic approach to return you safely to your chosen activity. Your exercise physio will take you through a thorough initial assessment, and then design a staged recovery program based on your injury type and sport-specific demands.
Treatment progresses through key phases:
- Pain management
- Range of motion restoration
- Strength rebuilding
- Sport-specific strength and conditioning
- Return-to-sport testing, to make sure you are fully ready to get back in the game without increased risk of flare-ups or re-injury
Post-operative Exercise Physio
After surgery, guided exercise is a key part of a safe, effective and speedy recovery. We often work with clients following ACL reconstruction, knee arthroscopy and meniscal repairs, spinal surgery (back and neck surgery), hip and knee replacement surgery, and shoulder rotator cuff repairs and stabilisations. Your exercise physio works with your surgeon’s protocols, and adapts them based on your individual assessment, to design a safe and effective rehabilitation program for you.
Rehab Exercise After ACL / Knee Reconstruction
ACL rehabilitation physio follows specific performance markers based on graft healing as well as your individual progress in regaining your range of motion, strength and proprioception (balance and stability). Your exercise physio guides you through each recovery phase based on regular reassessment of key strength and mobility markers.
Early focus areas include:
- Swelling management
- Knee extension (straightening)
- Quadriceps activation
- Weight bearing progression and returning to a normal walking gait
Later stages target:
- Building strength in your quads, hamstrings, calf, glutes and other muscles
- Landing mechanics and proprioception (balance and stability)
- Multi-directional movement
- Sport-specific drills
- Return to play testing
Exercise Physio For Arthritis
Exercise plays a crucial role in managing arthritis symptoms and maintaining joint health. Your exercise physio creates a tailored program that improves mobility and strength without increasing pain.
Key program components include:
- Low-impact cardiovascular exercise
- Joint-friendly strength training
- Range of motion exercises
- Balance drills (proprioception)
Exercise Physio For Osteoporosis & Osteopenia
Exercise is now recognised as a core part of osteoporosis management alongside medication — and exercise physios can design safe, evidence-based, personalised programs that improve bone density, muscle strength, balance and quality of life while reducing fall risk.
Main takeaways about exercise for osteoporosis:
- Exercise should be targeted and supervised: weight-bearing impact (e.g., walking, stair/step work) plus progressive resistance training are most effective for bone health.
- Multi-component programs that combine impact, strength and balance work produce measurable gains in bone mineral density, strength and fall reduction.
- Supervision by an exercise physio improves adherence, tailors intensity/frequency, and makes programs safer—especially when started early (osteopenia stage) to prevent progression.
- Exercise also delivers mental-health and quality-of-life benefits after fracture, and is supported by health fund rebates and some Medicare/DVA pathways in Australia.
Personal Training vs Exercise Physio – What’s The Difference?
A personal trainer usually focuses on general fitness, strength training and weight loss for healthy people. They completes a 6-18 week certificate in fitness through organisations like TAFE or fitness institutes.
An exercise physio is a university-qualified healthcare professional with a physiotherapy degree as well as additional qualifications at postgraduate or undergraduate level in exercise prescription, for example a Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science, or accredited with the Australian Strength and Conditioning Association. They are qualified allied health professionals who can help you with complex health conditions and injuries, as well as working with people wanting to improve their general health and fitness.
Key Differences:
- Education: 6-18 weeks vs 4-year degree + 500 hours supervised clinical practice
- Focus: General fitness vs injury rehab, health conditions. Both may focus on sports performance.
- Clients: healthy individuals vs people needing rehabilitation after injury or surgery, or to manage health conditions
- Health Insurance: No health fund rebates vs Yes health fund rebates (subject to your coverage – check with your fund)
- Medicare: No rebates vs eligible for Medicare rebates (GP referral required)
Rehabilitation For Musculoskeletal Injuries
Exercise physios specialise in creating tailored programs to help you recover from muscle, bone and joint injuries. Your rehabilitation journey focuses on rebuilding strength and mobility through targeted exercises.
During your recovery, your exercise physio will assess your injury and design a personalised treatment plan of exercises that are safe and effective. This plan helps you regain strength and function, relieve pain, and prevent future injuries.
During your recovery, your exercise physio will assess your injury and design a personalised treatment plan of exercises that are safe and effective. This plan helps you regain strength and function, relieve pain, and prevent future injuries. Your rehabilitation program may include:
- Supervised strength training
- Range of motion exercises and stretches
- Movement control and technique correction
- Joint stability work
- Pain management techniques
- Functional strengthening, helping you to integrate your strength gains into everyday activities
The goal is to get you back to your daily activities and sports safely. Your exercise physio will track your progress and adjust your program as need
Exercise Physio Programs For Running
At Central Performance our exercise physios are highly experienced in creating personalised training plans to help you prevent injuries and improve your running performance. These programs focus on building strength and addressing any muscle imbalances or biomechanical issues that could affect your running form.
Your program will include targeted exercises to strengthen key running muscles, including your glutes, quads, calves and core. A mix of strength training and specific running drills helps reduce your risk of common injuries like stress fractures.
Our exercise physio team work with runners of all levels – from beginners to elite athletes. They assess your current fitness, running goals, and injury history to design the right program for you. Whether you’re training for your first fun-run or gearing up for your next trail ultra, we have experience working with people just like you. Training programs typically include:
- Strength training exercises
- Mobility and flexibility techniques
- Running technique drills
- Recovery strategies
- Injury minimisation exercises
Your exercise physio will monitor your progress and adjust your program as needed. Regular assessments help track improvements in your strength, running form and overall performance. Getting professional guidance means you’ll learn proper exercise form and help to integrate these improvements into your running mechanics. This helps you train more effectively and safely as you work towards your running goals.
Specialised Exercise Prescriptions
Exercise physios have the ideal education and experience needed to create customised workout plans that target your specific health needs and fitness goals. These plans combine scientific knowledge with practical training methods.
Strength and Conditioning Programs
Your strength and conditioning program starts with a thorough assessment of your current fitness level and movement patterns. Based on this assessment, your exercise physio will develop a tailored program to help you achieve your goals. They will track your progress along the way and adjust your program as needed.
Key Program Components:
- Progressive resistance training
- Functional movement exercises
- Core stability work
- Power development drills
- Cardiovascular exercises
Your program will focus on proper technique and form to prevent injuries while building muscle mass and improving performance.
Flexibility and Mobility Workouts
Exercise physios are able to design mobility programs that enhance your range of motion, flexibility and reduce muscle tension. These sessions target tight muscles and stiff joints.
Common Mobility Exercises Include:
- Dynamic stretching routines
- Myofascial release work
- Balance and coordination drills
- Muscle activation exercise that improve joint stability and allow increased range of motion
Injury Rehabilitation and Recovery
Specialised rehabilitation programs help you recover from injuries, return to normal activities, and safely get back into sport and exercise. These programs help prevent re-injury and restore your confidence in movement. Your exercise physio will monitor your progress and modify exercises based on your healing timeline. Common recovery strategies focus on:
- Gradual progression of exercises for strength and range of motion
- Pain-relieving movement patterns
- Strengthening of weak areas and stretching of tight area
- Exercise loading to promote tissue healing
Working with Athletes – Exercise Programs For Sports Performance
Our exercise physios work with athletes of all levels, from beginner to elite, to optimise performance and minimise injuries. They use evidence-based training principles to enhance athletic capacity while building your resilience against injury.
Enhancing Sports Performance
Your underlying strength and movement control is a major factor that determines your athletic performance and sporting success. Following a structured evidence-based strength and conditioning program can give you a significant boost in your sports performance, and exercise physios are the perfect trainers for you to work with in this area.
Minimising Your Risk Of Injury
A structured strength and conditioning program is one of the most effective ways to reduce your risk of sports injury. Research shows that strength training reduced sports injuries to less than 1/3 and overuse injuries could be almost halved. For more information read our blog post on strength training to reduce running injuries.
Can I Claim Exercise Physio Under Medicare or Private Health Funds?
Exercise physio services can be claimed through both Medicare and private health insurance in Australia. The claiming process and rebate amounts differ based on your specific situation and coverage level. It is exactly the same as cliaming for other physio therapy services.
Private health insurance extras cover often includes exercise physio. You don’t need a GP referral to claim through your private health fund. To claim through private health, your exercise physio must be registered with your insurance provider. Central Performance offers on-the-spot claiming through HICAPS. The rebate amount varies between health funds and your level of extras cover. Check with your provider about specific rebates and annual limits.
In some cases, Medicare subsidises some exercise physio sessions through the Chronic Disease Management plan. You can get up to 5 sessions per calendar year with a GP referral. Eligibility criteria apply, so please speak to your GP to see if you may be covered.
DVA (Veteran’s Affairs) card holders can access exercise physio services with proper referral from your GP, just the same as other types of physiotherapy. The same is true for worker’s compensation and CTP (Third Party) claims – please speak to your GP regarding a referral.
Exercise Programs Based On Science, Research And Evidence
Exercise physios use proven scientific methods to create effective exercise treatment plans. They stay current with the latest research to deliver the best possible outcomes for your health and performance. Your exercise program will be based on solid research and clinical evidence. This means you get treatments that have been tested and shown to work, not just trendy exercise fads.
Exercise physios also track your progress using measurable outcomes. They adjust your program based on how you respond to different exercises and test measures. Your treatment plan will include regular assessments to make sure you’re moving in the right direction. This lets your exercise physio fine-tune your program for the best results.
Key benefits of evidence-based exercise include:
- Proven treatment methods
- Measurable outcomes
- Regular progress tracking
- Personalised program adjustments
- Safe and effective techniques
Leading Exercise Physio Sydney / Surry Hills
Central Performance provides one of the leading exercise physio services in Sydney. Our team specialises in strength and conditioning programs for runners, injury rehab, return-to-sport programs, post-surgery (eg ACL reconstruction and spinal surgery), back and neck pain, and lifestyle issues such as diabetes and weight loss.
All of our exercise physios are fully accredited and registered with all health funds as well as Medicare, Work cover and DVA. They work with both athletes and everyday people looking to improve their health, fitness, sports performance, quality of life.
If you would like more information about exercise physio at Central Performance, or to book your appointment online, click the button below.
Exercise Physio In Sydney – Frequently Asked Questions
How can exercise physios help runners?
Exercise physios analyse your strength, mobility and biomechanics. They then create targeted strength, conditioning and mobility programs to target areas that need improvement, focusing on the key biomechanics involved with running. Research shows that following a targeted strength and conditioning program can significantly improve your running performance and reduce you risk of running injury.
How can exercise physio help with sports injuries?
Exercise physios design rehabilitation programs that speed up your recovery, restore you to pre-injury strength and fitness, and minimise your risk of future injuries. They will teach you correct movement patterns and biomechanics, and strengthen weak areas. They also work with you to maintain fitness during recovery (cross-training) while protecting injured areas from further damage.
How do exercise physios tailor fitness plans for individual needs?
Exercise physios assess your current fitness, medical history, and lifestyle factors. They will discuss your goals with you, whether they relate to recovering from an injury, improving sports performance, managing a chronic health condition or simply for improving your all-round fitness and well-being. Based on these assessments they will work with you to create an exercise program that perfectly matches your specific goals and abilities. As you improve, they will adjust your program to keep you challenged and progressing consistently towards your goals.
Can treatment by an exercise physio be claimed through private health funds?
Yes, most private health funds cover exercise physio services. You do not need a GP referral to see an exercise physio and claim health fund rebates. The rebate amount depends on your level of extras cover. In some cases Medicare also covers some limited exercise physio through Enhanced Primary Care plans when referred by your GP. Check with your GP for eligibility and to obtain a referral.
What are the differences between a personal trainer and an exercise physio?
Exercise physios have university degrees in physiotherapy as well as undergraduate or postgraduate qualifications in exercise prescription, for example a Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science. They are fully qualified to treat injuries and medical conditions as well as helping clients improve the overall health and fitness. Personal trainers complete shorter certification courses and focus on general fitness. Exercise physios create clinical treatment plans and work with complex health conditions that personal trainers aren’t qualified to manage. Depending on their background and experience, both exercise physios and personal trainers are able to work with athletes to improve sports performance.
