Stay strong. Stay steady. Stay independent.
I'm James, an Accredited Exercise Physiologist in Griffith. A large part of my week is older adults who have no intention of slowing down: building the muscle, balance and confidence that keep you doing the things you love.
Strength is the treatment.
After 60, muscle and bone quietly leave unless you give them a reason to stay. Progressive strength training is one of the most protective things you can do for your later decades, for bone density, balance, joint pain, diabetes, heart health, mood and independence. It's not a nice-to-have next to your medical care. It is care.
What that looks like here: a proper initial assessment (strength, balance, history, medications, goals), then a program that starts where you actually are. Some clients begin with sit-to-stands and carries; some are deadlifting within months. Both are wins, because both are progress you can measure, and we re-test so you can see it.
Not a "seniors class".
Everything is 1:1 in a quiet gym, no classes to keep up with, no crowd, no music you didn't choose. If the gym isn't where you want to start, we don't start there: a walk, the stairs, your own living room. The program serves your goals, the garden, the grandkids, the golf course, the overseas trip, not the other way round.
The doorbell test: my favourite outcome measures aren't on a chart. They're carrying the shopping in one trip, getting off the floor without a hand, and trusting your feet on the Canberra frost.
It's never too late.
I have helped hundreds of people who only started exercising properly after 65. They have lost weight, got stronger, gone back to sport, and taken up running, cycling and swimming for the first time in decades. The body does not stop adapting at any age. It just needs the right dose, delivered safely.
I have worked with many women with osteopenia and osteoporosis who arrived scared of their own skeleton and left training with confidence, because targeted loading is exactly what the evidence says protects bone. And I have helped a lot of people regain their balance and walking pattern through vestibular training and balance specific exercise, often after years of feeling unsteady.
What I treat most weeks.
- Falls risk and prevention: strength, stepping reactions and confidence on your feet
- Balance and vestibular retraining: for dizziness, unsteadiness and gait changes
- Osteopenia and osteoporosis: safe progressive bone loading, measured over time
- Prehab before a joint replacement: go into surgery strong, come out faster
- Rehab after knee, hip and ankle replacements and shoulder reconstructions: from first steps to full function
All of this is available privately, with a Medicare care plan, through DVA, or through your Support at Home provider.
In their words.
“James has really developed my confidence about coming to the gym and using equipment in different ways. He is patient and supportive, but also has the ability to push you to try exercises you may have deemed too hard on your own.”
Robyn S. · Google review
“I was really impressed with how knowledgeable and thorough he is... He was realistic about how I will need to build up slowly and very patient in taking me through the initial set of exercises. I feel positive for the first time in ages.”
Patricia D. · Google review
Common questions.
Am I too old to start strength training?
No, muscle responds to training at every age, and the benefits are largest for people who start later. We begin at your current capacity and build gradually, safely.
Is this a seniors class?
No. Every session is 1:1 with me, in a quiet gym, with a program written for your body and your goals.
Can I use Medicare or my home care package?
Yes, a GP Chronic Disease Management plan gives you a $63.40 Medicare rebate per session, and exercise physiology can also be arranged through your Support at Home provider. Full fees here.
Keep exploring.
Book your appointment.
Same-week availability for NDIS, DVA, CDM, workers comp and private clients.
Prefer to call? 0418 153 608 · or email admin@fwphysiology.com
Booked out but desperate? Call me. I can usually find a time outside my listed hours.