The first lifting session after physio should be lighter than pride wants and longer on rest than the clock suggests: six patterns at loads that leave five reps in reserve, through only the range that is pain-free, with a rule for stopping written before you start. The goal is a session you recover from by the next morning and repeat three days later, not a test of what the joint can take.
It sits after the physiotherapist's work, never instead of it. The personal training after physio page describes how a coach builds on a discharge sheet; this is the self-run version of that first week, for the gap between cleared and confident. At the studio it would begin with the assessment every 1-on-1 program starts with.
Time: about 30 minutes
Equipment: a pair of light dumbbells, a chair or counter, floor space
For: Someone discharged from physiotherapy and cleared for strength training who wants a first session that cannot go wrong. General information only; your clinician's plan overrides every line.
Not for: Anyone still in treatment or not yet cleared, and any injury with its own restrictions, such as a surgical repair or a lifting limit. Those belong with the physiotherapist, not a workout page.
Warm-up
- Five minutes of easy walking, flat, until the body feels ordinary.
- Your physiotherapist's exercises, as prescribed, at their usual dose. They are the first block of this session, not something it replaces.
- Five slow bodyweight squats to a comfortable depth, noting how the range feels today.
The floor, with the stop rules
Three rules, decided in advance so nothing is decided mid-rep. One: sharp, sudden or spreading pain ends that movement for the day; move to the next one. Two: a dull working ache that fades within a minute of the set ending is allowed. Three: anything worse the next morning comes out of the next session and goes into a message to your physiotherapist. Pain-free range means exactly that; a shorter, clean range is the rep.
| Movement | Sets × reps | Effort | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glute bridge | 2 × 10 | Slow squeeze at the top | The floor-level hinge; the safest place to rehearse tension |
| Dead bug | 2 × 6 each side | Exhale first | Low back stays in contact with the floor; shorten the reach if it lifts |
Rest: 60 seconds.
Standing patterns at practice loads
Five reps in reserve on every set. The dumbbell you choose should feel almost silly. Progress this week by adding a rep, not a plate.
| Movement | Sets × reps | Effort | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goblet squat to a comfortable depth | 2 × 8 | 5 reps in reserve | Depth is wherever the range stays clean; a chair behind you sets a floor |
| Single-arm dumbbell row | 2 × 10 each side | 5 in reserve | Hand braced on the counter; nothing yanked |
| Incline push-up | 2 × 8 | Easy | Hands on the counter; go lower over weeks only if shoulders and wrists agree |
| Suitcase carry | 2 × 20 steps each side | Light, tall | The trunk holds its shape under an uneven load with very little on the spine |
Rest: 90 seconds. Long rests are part of the design; the nervous system is relearning as much as the muscle.
Make it harder or easier
Harder: Not this week. Run the session three times at the same loads with no next-morning complaint, then add a set, then a rep, and only then a small dumbbell jump. Capacity before intensity is how a coach would sequence it too; the trainer or physiotherapist answer explains where each professional's job ends.
Easier: Bodyweight squats to the chair, rows with the lightest dumbbell you have, and drop the carry. Two floor movements and two standing ones is a complete first session if that is where confidence is.
Common questions
How do I know if I am cleared enough for this?
If your physiotherapist has told you to return to strength training, show them this list and ask what to leave out. Their answer is the ceiling. If you have not had that conversation, have it before the first set; a page cannot see your knee, your back or your file.
Should I stop the whole session if one movement twinges?
Usually not. Drop that movement, finish the ones that feel fine, and note what happened and when. Quitting entirely teaches the nervous system that lifting is dangerous; pushing through teaches it nothing useful. Dropping one movement and reporting it is the middle path.
Do the physiotherapist's exercises still count once I start this?
They count more, not less. They are written for your specific tissue; this session is written for the general patterns around it. Keep them as the first block until the physiotherapist retires them, and if the two ever seem to conflict, theirs wins.
