Extension Fitness

From Head Coach Tim:
“It is with sadness and a degree of shock that I announce I have been enjoying cycling and may become a cyclist…”

Dearma, at 82, is a bit of a weapon on the tennis court.

Happily, athletic/agility training like this is also great for maintaining power and balance - which maximise independence and walking speed as we age.

Why Use An Online Coach?

1/ Let someone else do the thinking for you - outsource the overwhelm.

2/ Accountability - the non-pushy, non-judgey sort. But we WILL be checking up on you.

3/ Our programs are DEEPLY CUSTOMISED to you:

YOUR schedule
YOUR strengths
YOUR wishes
YOUR goals
YOUR threats
YOUR constraints
YOUR psychology

Here's what Mike Bates - a busy father of 3 little ones, has to say:

"I have been doing online coaching for just over a month now and I am finding it immensely beneficial.

I like that I have structure with my workouts, but I can still be flexible with the days I do them if needed.

This suits my busy schedule as, being a father-of-three, finding time to exercise can be difficult.

Tim sets the workouts up so they are easy to follow, breaking down the different movements and sessions so you can understand what you’re working on day and why you're doing certain exercises.

The instructions and example videos are also super helpful.

It’s also great knowing that there’s a trainer checking in on your progress to encourage you if you’re struggling or congratulate you if you’re training consistently."

One of the key things you can do to improve your health is to develop your cardiorespiratory fitness.

We know that if you have good cardio fitness (heart and lung fitness - the type you need to climb stairs, walk fast, ride a bike, swim laps or run a race) you can drastically reduce your risk of many preventable diseases - like cancer, diabetes, stroke and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.

Moreover, decades of research and clinical practice shows that patients who use cardio exercise to treat diseases and conditions can achieve excellent results. HIIT (high intensity interval training) is even being used as a way to fight cancer, during or after treatment. Edith Cowan Uni is active in this research.

A good practice when you decide you want to improve your fitness is to establish a baseline. How fit are you right now?

(Read the full article at the link below)

Heart Rate Reserve: A Simple, Safe Way To Test Your Cardiorespiratory Fitness — Extension Fitness One of the key things you can do to improve your health is to develop your cardiorespiratory fitness. We know that if you have good cardio fitness (heart and lung fitness - the type you need to climb stairs, walk fast, ride a bike, swim laps or run a race) you can drastically reduce your risk of ma

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN COACHING A RUNNING CLUB IN DIANELLA?

I’m seeking expression of interest from suitably qualified people to coach a new, weekly run club based in Dianella.

The start date will be approximately October 2026. Planning is commencing now.

To register interest or get more information, please email [email protected] :)

***About You***

- Ideally you’re a keen distance runner (1500m to ultra marathon). You don’t have to be elite, just enthusiastic about running - and the joy it can bring. Most of us runners love the feeling of making progress and fulfilling our potential (given our time and energy constraints). You’ll embody this same motivation that most running enthusiasts share in common.

- You have a relevant qualification (Athletics Australia Recreational Runner Quals, Cert III/IV in Fitness, Exercise Physiology or Physio Degree, Other Qual) which enables you to be trained and insurable for running coaching to recreational level adults.

- You don’t have a qualification BUT you’re a keen runner AND you’re willing to obtain Athletics Australia Qualifications.

***About The Role***

- Facilitation of a weekly running session on a weekday evening based from a community sporting facility in Dianella.

- 90 minutes total time per week (including some set up and pack down).

- Session programs are done for you. Your job is to coach to the program on the night and lead the group through the workout.

The clients are a mix of people with a common goal of increasing fitness and improving running performance for team sport, running competition and general health.

- You’ll be supported by Tim Karajas (Extension Fitness Owner/Head Coach - BSc Physio) with on-the-job training, programs, constructive feedback, professional development and any other assistance you need.

- There is potential for future running (or strength and conditioning) related work with Extension Fitness.

***Remuneration***

- Minimum of $75 per session (but the total may increase with mutually agreed upon incentives).

- Casual basis employment.

I found this an interesting read from the Australian Physio Association.

Summary: The blanket advice to activate or focus on your core in any and all movements for everyone is misguided.

Contract or relax abdomen during Pilates?

Researchers from Brazil conducted a randomised trial of 152 people with non‑specific chronic low back pain. Their findings indicated that relaxing the core during Pilates may improve outcomes for patients with chronic low back pain. Researchers Luciana Lunkes and Ney Meziat Filho agreed to answer some questions about their trial.
Your study challenges a core principle of Pilates. Why has abdominal contraction been so strongly emphasised in the past?

Abdominal contraction has traditionally been emphasised in Pilates because it reflects an original principle of the method, known as ‘centring’, which refers to initiating movement from the body’s centre, often called the powerhouse.

Core exercise training and motor control training reinforced the idea that people with chronic low back pain should focus on abdominal contractions during exercises.

This concept aligns with biomechanical models suggesting that increased activation of deep trunk muscles, such as the transversus abdominis and multifidus, enhances spinal stabilisation.

Over time, this idea became central to both Pilates practice and rehabilitation approaches.

What were the key differences between the ‘relaxed’ and ‘contracted’ approaches in your trial and how did participants respond to them?

Both groups performed the same Pilates exercise program, with identical frequency and duration over a 12-week period.

The key difference was the instruction provided during exercise ex*****on.

In the control group, participants received guidance on the specific activation of the core muscle group (including abdominals, pelvic floor, diaphragm and deep spinal muscles), with continuous verbal reinforcement from the physiotherapist.

In the experimental group, participants were instructed to keep their abdomen relaxed and perform the exercises in a smooth way, focusing on breathing and movement, without any guidance to activate the core muscles.

Participants in both groups adhered well to the program and improved over time.

However, the relaxed group showed slightly greater improvement in disability.

You found slightly better disability outcomes with a relaxed abdomen. How clinically meaningful is this difference?

The between-group difference in disability favoured the relaxed approach and was achieved without any additional cost, effort or risk.

From a clinical perspective, this is meaningful because Pilates is already recommended for people with non-specific chronic low back pain and is known to improve pain and disability.

Our findings suggest that these additional benefits can be achieved with the instruction to keep the abdomen relaxed during the exercises.

In practice, if a simpler and less demanding strategy produces similar or slightly better outcomes, it may be preferable.

Therefore, clinicians should consider feasibility, patient comfort and the potential to avoid reinforcing unnecessary muscle guarding.

Do these findings suggest that core activation is unnecessary or just that it may not be as important as previously thought?

Our findings suggest that prompting individuals to activate the abdominal muscles is unnecessary.

Trunk muscle activation appears to occur naturally in a demand-dependent manner rather than being dependent on verbal cues during exercise.

Conversely, prompting relaxation of the abdominal muscles may help reduce excessive muscle guarding and protective behaviours during movement.

How do your results fit with current understanding of pain science and the role of muscle guarding in chronic low back pain?

Our results are consistent with current evidence suggesting that people with chronic low back pain use increased trunk muscle activation while walking and during functional activities compared with asymptomatic people.

This increased muscle activation is associated with cognitive and emotional factors such as higher levels of pain catastrophising.

Even considering only the biomechanical perspective, there is growing evidence against the idea of abdominal bracing during exercises.

For example, abdominal bracing reduces impact attenuation during a drop landing task in healthy adults.

What should physiotherapists take away from this? Should they change how they prescribe Pilates or other exercise programs?

Physiotherapists should know that prompting patients with chronic low back pain to contract their abdominal muscles during exercises may not be the best strategy.

The advice to keep the abdominal muscles relaxed can slightly decrease disability in the context of Pilates exercises but we believe that these findings may also be applicable to any other exercise approaches used in the management of chronic low back pain.

>> Luciana Lunkes is a musculoskeletal physiotherapist with a doctorate in sciences from the Federal University of Lavras and postdoctoral training in rehabilitation sciences from the Augusto Motta University Centre in Brazil. Luciana works as a professor and researcher at University Centre of Lavras and Augusto Motta University Centre.

>> Ney Meziat Filho is a musculoskeletal physiotherapist and professor of postgraduate programs in rehabilitation sciences at Augusto Motta University Centre. From 2024 to 2025, Ney was a visiting professor at the School of Rehabilitation Science, McMaster University in Canada.

Burning questions in research Catch up on some of the latest research from the April issue of the Journal of Physiotherapy. Burnout in physiotherapyKy Wynne’s editorial reveals that burnout in physiotherapy is driving early career attrition and impacting patient care. Ky agreed to answer some questions here.Your editorial cons...

I'm reproducing here the opening paragraph of this week's newsletter from Jackson Fyfe, PhD. This is a tremendous explanation as to the "why" of some things I observe all the time:

1/ When people who don't like exercising prioritise strength training as a foundation, they naturally feel more inclined to engage in other "cardio" (hiking, running, walking, cycling, team sports, or just greater baseline activity from chores). It sucks a lot less for them once they are stronger.

2/ When people who aspire to become runners get their legs strong, they often find running much more pleasant and sustainable.

You should sign up to Jackson's excellent newsletter here: https://jacksonfyfe.kit.com/

"Most people think endurance is all about their heart and lungs.

But actually, a big part is about force.

That’s because when you walk, climb stairs, carry your groceries, or go for a run, every step is like a mini strength task repeated over and over again.

This is where resistance training becomes more relevant than you might realise.

Because getting stronger doesn’t just help you lift heavier weights - it actually changes how your body handles repeated effort.

I’ve previously covered why getting the balance right between strength and aerobic training matters, and why they offer distinct (but complementary) health benefits.

But the other layer that’s often missed is both forms of training don’t just complement each other. They actually make each other more effective.

And this matters whether you’re training regularly, just trying to be more active, or wanting to make it through the day feeling less tired.

Because instead of thinking about strength and endurance as separate goals…

You can use one to make the other feel easier.

So this week I’m summarising 5 key reasons why getting stronger can actually make your endurance activity (and daily tasks) easier.

Let's get started."

The Weekly Exerciser A weekly newsletter with actionable tips to make exercise easier.