Is a home exercise program right for me?
With the use of public gyms, fitness centres and group exercise studios on hold in the current climate, many of us have had to quickly adapt and establish new and creative ways to stay physically fit and conditioned.
Options for exercise are endless, by scrolling online it doesn’t take long until you come across various at home alternatives. Whilst generic exercise may be a fine solution to get your body moving during lock down, without the watchful eye of your exercise professional the risk of injury is higher. This is where a tailored home exercise program, designed by a physiotherapist who understands your history holds significant benefit – particularly if you are working towards a specific goal, or you have any limitations from a pre-existing condition including pelvic floor concerns.
How does it work?
A home exercise program can be developed during an in-practice or Telehealth consultation. Your physiotherapist will assess your movements and ask you a series of detailed questions to gain a thorough understanding of your current condition and goals. Based on this assessment, you will receive a tailored home exercise program which can be done by yourself, or online with your physiotherapist via Telehealth.
What are the benefits of a tailored home exercise program? There are lots!
It reduces, rather than increases your risk of injury:
With the countless number of online exercise options, it’s hard to know what you’ll truly benefit from. Having a pre-existing injury or condition may mean a significant portion of generic exercise isn’t appropriate for you. Certain movements may worsen existing symptoms or in some cases, may lead to new injuries. This is when a tailored program is beneficial.
Exercises are designed for you, and you only:
How many times have you been to a group class and thought, “I definitely can’t or shouldn’t do this, maybe I will sit this one out…”or “I am definitely doing this incorrectly, but I’ll keep going”. Think of a home program as ‘prescribed exercise’ – your physiotherapist will include exercises specifically designed for your body and fitness goals – it is never a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. Exercises are carefully considered and will give you a challenge, but leave you with a sense of achievement. The correct exercises also equip you with better knowledge of how your body responds to certain movements.
Regular feedback from your physiotherapist:
Checking in with your physiotherapist about how you are progressing with your program can also be a prevention against ineffective exercise injury. Your physiotherapist will monitor you to ensure your technique is correct and will adjust your program when necessary. If you are doing this via Telehealth, your physiotherapist can observe your technique in real-time and prompt you to make appropriate modifications.
Your program constantly evolves depending on how you respond rather than encouraging you to push through:
As an example, there is no gain in doing 2 sets of mountain climbers if your technique isn’t correct, or you pull up immediately with pain. Your physiotherapist will take this into account and allow you to build up to a particular exercise, or provide you with an alternative that will work better for you. As you progress, your program will too.
Accountability:
Having your physiotherapist will help to keep you accountable – regular check ins, feedback or online sessions via Telehealth will keep you progressing at the right pace.
Remember, you are an individual with your own set of circumstances, lifestyle, injury/medical history and goals – all these factors play a role in how you exercise effectively and a home exercise program will help you stay consistent, whilst reducing the risks associated with unsupervised, generic exercise.
For further information about exercise assessments and home programs, please reach out to our team – we’d love to help you achieve your goals.
Rachel Bell
Senior Physiotherapist
Fitwise Physiotherapist
