What is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist & how can one help you?
An Accredited Exercise Physiologist (AEP) is an allied health professional who specialises in providing exercise supervision and designing exercise plans to treat, prevent and manage health conditions.
AEPs require a university degree and the governing body they are apart of, Exercise Sports Science Australia (ESSA), require AEPs to stay up to date with the latest research.
What does an AEP do for you?
Turns “I’m not sure what to do” into a plan.
After a thorough assessment (history, movement, goals), you’ll leave with a step-by-step program that’s appropriate for today and scalable for tomorrow. Your AEP creates a plan for you that reflects what the latest research says.Prescribes exercise for therapy.
Programs are tailored to your diagnosis, medications, symptoms and energy levels, and progressed with clinical reasoning. Each exercise is chosen for a reason and you will be given cues unique to your body for each exercise.Coordinates with your GP/physio/specialists.
AEPs stay in contact with your health care team so your exercise program complements medical treatment and ensures a holistic approach.Measures what matters.
Strength, function, bone density (via reports), pain and confidence are tracked and used to adjust your plan.
An AEP who specialises in women’s health
Women move through significant hormonal and physical transitions both during a menstrual cycle and also through phases of life. An AEP ensures your training is safe and supports the changes occurring to your body during these phases.
Let’s take a look into exercise considerations for women:
Pregnancy & Postpartum
Exercise is safe and beneficial for women in pregnancy and after birth. It improves cardiometabolic health and improvess birth outcomes, and prepares you for labour, reducing risk complications. Additionally, strength training can support the changes occurring to the body and prepare mother’s for the physical demands of taking care of a newborn.
Your AEP will modify intensity, position and breathing, and begin with pelvic-floor-aware movement so you can training confidently.
Pelvic floor muscle training is first-line for preventing and treating pregnancy/postnatal urinary incontinence so we teach it early and integrate it into your lifts.
Perimenopause & Menopause
Resistance training counters age- and estrogen-related losses in muscle, strength and bone. Research shows progressive strength work improves bone mineral density and body composition in postmenopausal women.
Osteoporosis/Low bone density
High-intensity resistance and impact training can increase spine and hip bone density and improve function in postmenopausal women with low bone mass. Safety and technique are non-negotiable and that’s where an AEP can help you.
PCOS
Current international guidelines recommend regular physical activity, including structured resistance and aerobic training to improve insulin sensitivity, body composition and mental health. High quality research is limited and therefore, an AEP can help individualise exercise programs based on your data.
Endometriosis
Exercise is a useful adjunct for symptom management and overall function, alongside medical or surgical care; international guidance includes non-pharmacological strategies within multidisciplinary care.
We don’t want symptoms to stop you from exercise.
An AEP will program around flare ups and if surgery is considered, they can prepare you for surgery and rehabilitate you after to ease you back into exercise.
Back, neck, shoulder & knee pain
AEPs work alongside your physiotherapist to manage movement dysfunctions and pain management. Physiotherapists will provide a diagnosis, work on the acute pain and provide appropriate rehab exercises for an AEP to take on board and progress.
It’s critical to adapt exercises based on what your body can handle, slowly improving strength and threshold for pain.
How to start strength training & our approach
Pelvic floor & core engagement first
We teach breath, pressure management and pelvic floor technique, then integrate this into everyday patterns. This foundation supports pelvic floor health when lifting weights.
Master the fundamentals
The movements we teach are:- Squat (sitting down and standing back up)
- Hinge (bending over)
- Push, pull, carry (all upper body movements requiring stability of shoulders and strength)Progressive strength
We add load and complexity when your movement quality and symptoms say “yes,” aiming to build muscle, strength, bone and function focusing on long-term health.
