What Is An Exercise Physiologist?

Are you new to the exercise world?

Then you may have heard about Exercise Physiologists and desperately wanted to ask what they are, but couldn’t bring yourself to raise your hand.

Well today, you’re in luck because I’m going to tell you everything you need to know about Exercise Physiologists but were afraid to ask, including how to differentiate them from Physiotherapists and Personal Trainers.

What is an Exercise Physiologist?

In simple terms, Exercise Physiologists are university trained exercise specialists who focus on prescribing exercise prescription for people living with chronic disease, chronic pain or mobility and functional concerns.  

This would include people living with heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis or arthritis. It also includes people living with functional concerns like poor balance, poor coordination, walking with a frame or who have limited range of motion. They are considered allied health professionals and are required to obtain continuous professional development (CPD) points each year to maintain their accreditation.

Exercise Physiologists aim to reduce incidence of chronic disease, reduce incidences of chronic pain, improve the ability to perform activities of daily living which will over all improve quality of life.

They also work to improve strength, cardio vascular fitness and flexibility.

Want to know how to find an Exercise Physiologist to work with? If you live in Australia and over the age of 65, speak to your GP about a chronic disease management plan and include an exercise physiologist on your team. Being over 65, you also may be eligible for funding for an exercise physiologist through My Aged Care funding. If you are from elsewhere in the world, please see the links at the end of this post.

USA: https://www.acsm.org/

Australia: https://www.essa.org.au/

UK: https://www.clinicalexercisephysiology.org.uk/

Canada: https://csep.ca/

Why are Exercise Physiologists Important?

You may come across people in the community who believe that they don’t need an exercise physiologist as they have a physiotherapist, or they don’t need an exercise physiologist as they have a personal trainer.

Although there are certainly areas where exercise physiologist, physiotherapists and personal trainers cross exercise prescription paths, they do have distinct areas of focus and expertise. Physiotherapists have a strong focus on acute conditions and are able to diagnose musculoskeletal injuries. Physiotherapist are also able to do manual therapy which is specific to this field.  As an example, a physiotherapist is the perfect person to consult if you have a torn meniscus, sprained ankle or recent cardiac episode (heart attack). Personal trainers have a strong focus on healthy populations. Their expertise are based on motivation, complex movement patterns and pushing their clients to their fitness limits. I love my physiotherapist, he got me through some tough shoulder injuries. I love my personal trainer, she pushes me to my limits to help me reach my fitness goals.

Exercise Physiologist have a strong focus on prescribing exercises for chronic disease management, pain management and poor functional movement patterns. They are very good at looking at the whole picture of the client before prescribing the exercises. They also know what exercises are appropriate (and which are not) for specific chronic diseases. However, exercise physiologist are not able to diagnose medical or musculoskeletal concerns. This means that if you have a recent injury or acute pain onset, it is best to first consult your physiotherapist.

On top of that, exercise physiologist can work in tandem with your health team (physiotherapist, dietician, occupational therapist, GP)

How Exercise Physiologists Work

So far, we've stayed pretty theoretical in our exploration of Exercise Physiologists, and if you're still don’t understand the difference between physiotherapists, personal trainers and exercise physiologist, I don't blame you.

In fact, when I first started my university degree in exercise and sport science, I had no idea what an exercise physiologist was. AND MY COUSIN WAS AN EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGIST. Luckily for me, I had a friend at university who said “I think teaching someone how to walk again would be so cool” and I agreed. So when I finished my undergrad degree, I sort to get my masters to become an exercise physiologist and sort out jobs with a focus on reablement.

Below, I've put together a few examples of how best to use and differentiate the difference between exercise physiologists, physiotherapists and personal trainers.

Example #1: Physiotherapists

Bob (not his real name) recently had a fall and twisted his knee causing a meniscus tear and ACL rupture. This needs to be officially diagnosed and discussions need to be had around possible surgery for Bob. The best course of action for Bob is to seek out a physiotherapist for a diagnosis of his knee pain and to start gentle movement patterns prescribed by the physiotherapist. Bob should stay with the physiotherapist treatment for 3months or until has surgery and completed a rehabilitation program.  

Example #2: Personal Trainer

David (not his real name) is over 75yrs and very active. Weekly he is going on long bike rides, surfing and hiking the great north walk. He does not have any chronic diseases and does not suffer from any chronic pain. But David knows that building and maintaining his strength in his older years is important so David seeks out a personal trainer to help him with a gym based program to increase his strength

Example #3: Exercise Physiologist

Leon (not his real name) is an 82yr old who had a heart attack 5yrs ago and is currently using a walker when accessing the public. Leon would really like to start an exercise program but does not know what he should be doing or how he should be doing it. He knows he needs to strengthen his legs but does not know what exercise are safe for him to do after he had his heart attack.

Leon would also like to be able to walk independently without his walker and be more stable on his feet.

The best course of action for Leon is to seek out an exercise physiologist in his area for an initial assessment and specific exercise prescription for his current health concerns.

I hope learning what an Exercise Physiologist does is crystal clear to you now and that when you are seeking out an exercise program, you will be able to find the right specialist for you.

I first launched Exercise Theory because as an exercise physiologist who has worked with hundreds of clients over the age of 65, I knew everyone knows they have to exercise, but not everyone knows the how or the why they need to exercise. They also don’t know where to find the best advice for information specific to them and their individual health concerns.

Do you still have question? No shame in that! You can email us at [email protected].

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