How gym-based physiotherapy works at Adapt
Gym-based physiotherapy at Adapt runs as a cycle: your physiotherapist assesses you and writes a program, you train it in supervised sessions on our North Sydney gym floor, and each review uses your training and strength results to set the next block. The cycle continues until you and your physiotherapist agree the rehab is complete.
The program is written before you train
Your first supervised session follows a program your physiotherapist wrote at the assessment, with starting exercises and loads chosen for where you are now rather than a generic routine.
Book an assessment
What happens at the assessment
The assessment usually takes 45 to 60 minutes and ends with your program in the Adapt app.
Your history and goals
Your physiotherapist asks about the injury or surgery, any surgeon or GP guidance, and the activities you want your rehab to prepare for.
Movement and strength
They look at how you move and test your strength, using VALD equipment when a measurement will help set the starting point.
The plan
You agree the program, how often you will train, when your first physiotherapy review will be, and what the opening block includes.
Program in the app
The program is loaded into the Adapt app before you leave, so coaches and you start each supervised session from the same written plan.
Supervised sessions and physiotherapy reviews
Supervised sessions and physiotherapy reviews do different jobs in the same plan, and both feed what happens next.
| Supervised session | Physiotherapy review | |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs it | The coaching team, from your program | Your physiotherapist |
| What happens | You train the current block, with load and technique adjusted as you go | Progress is checked, strength is retested where relevant and the next block is set |
| What is recorded | Sets, loads and how the session felt, in the Adapt app | Clinical findings and test results |
| Health fund | Not claimable | May be claimable on extras cover as a physiotherapy consult |
How many sessions a week will I train?
That is agreed with your physiotherapist at the assessment from the injury, your schedule and how you tolerate the work, and it changes at reviews. There is no set number that applies to everyone.
Book an assessmentWhat a week on the program involves
The same plan ties together floor sessions, anything you do on your own and the reviews that reset the block.
Supervised sessions
Sessions are arranged around your physiotherapy reviews, so the floor work and the clinical check-ins stay aligned.
Between sessions
You may have home exercises your physiotherapist sets, and you tell the team if something does not feel right before the next visit.
Your program in the app
The program in the Adapt app is updated after each review, so coaches and you are always working from the current block.
Your next review
Your physiotherapist checks progress, retests where it helps and agrees the next block before supervised work moves on.
Inside a supervised session
The coach sets up each exercise from the program, adjusts load and technique, and passes anything that needs clinical attention to your physiotherapist. James Bowen leads the coaching side on the rehab gym floor.
Retesting shows what the next block needs
VALD ForceDecks and ForceFrame compare strength and left and right sides at reviews when relevant, alongside how sessions have felt, so the next block is set from training and numbers together. How we test strength covers what each device measures.
How we test strength
The people in your cycle
Assesses you, writes the opening program and agrees how your reviews will run through the block.
Runs physiotherapy reviews, retests strength and sets the next block with the coaching team.
Supervises floor sessions from your program and passes clinical questions back to your physiotherapist.
How does gym-based physiotherapy finish?
When you and your physiotherapist agree the rehab goals are met, the block ends. You can keep training at Adapt with gym membership or personal training on the same floor if you want to continue strength work.
Gym membershipQuestions about how it works
Book an assessmentWhat if a session makes my symptoms worse?
Tell the coach during the session. They adjust the exercise or load and pass what happened to your physiotherapist, who can review the plan before your next visit if that is needed.
Do I need a gym membership to start gym-based physiotherapy?
No. Gym-based physiotherapy is a physiotherapy plan with supervised sessions on the Adapt floor. Gym membership is an option after the rehab block ends if you want to keep training here.
Can I start before my surgeon clears me for gym work?
Follow your surgeon's guidance on when gym loading is allowed. Your physiotherapist plans within that protocol at the assessment and keeps the program inside those restrictions until guidance changes.
What should I wear and bring to supervised sessions?
Wear clothes you can move in and trainers suitable for the gym floor. Bring your health fund card if you are claiming a physiotherapy review, and tell the team about any new symptoms when you arrive.
Can I switch between gym-based physiotherapy and standard physio appointments?
Yes. Some people use standard physiotherapy visits for a shorter course, and others move into gym-based work when supervised loading suits the plan. Your physiotherapist can explain both routes at the assessment.
Is every physiotherapy review a VALD strength test?
No. Strength is retested when a measurement will help set the next block, not at every review by default. How we test strength explains what ForceDecks and ForceFrame measure when they are used.
Ask how it would work for you
Tell us about the injury or surgery and what you want your rehab to prepare for, and the team can explain how assessment, sessions and reviews would run.
Check our registration
Sam and John are registered with the Physiotherapy Board of Australia, and their AHPRA registration details are on their profiles.
Last updated on 19 October 2026