People are often cautious about investing in a personal trainer trainer. Hiring a trainer might seem like a luxury, but – if you truly want to get results – a trainer is a great investment. The improvement in your health and fitness levels also has return in quality of life, confidence and decreased health care costs.

Other benefits include:

• Better Workout Quality (in sessions and improve your workouts on your own too!)

• Professional Programming 

• Nutrional Guidance

• Professional Guidance on Proper Exercise Technique and Safety

• Workout Customization (for your goals, needs, limitations and preferences)

• Help with Motivation, Consistentency, & Accountability

• Training for a Sport

Our personal trainers are also physical therapists and can help with more than the typical trainer.

• Specific Customized Workouts for Recovery for Specific Illnesses, Injuries, or Conditions

• Corrective Exercise to identify and fix imbalances you may or may not know about

• Help you Understand Progress Beyond The Scale

• We provide our InBody 570 device for body composition analysis (to help you understand changes in body fat, muscle, bone density & more)

The differences between massage therapy at a spa and physical therapy massage techniques (also known as manual therapy) are:

• PT massage/manual techniques are provided by our licensed physical therapists who use their advanced training in anatomy and pathology to care for your body’s unique needs.

• PT massage/manual techniques improve and rehabilitate muscle and joint strength, mobility, and function for long term pain relief and recovery.

• Massage at a spa provides relief from muscle pain and tension on a more short-term basis. 

At Physique, our physical therapy clients often receive massage therapy (also known as manual therapy) as part of their treatment. If you have a specific illness, injury, chronic pain, or other condition physical therapy manual techniques are a better fit for you.

Absolutely! Physical Therapy reduces the symptoms and pain of a herniated disc by relieving the pressure on spinal nerves.

• Active treatments improve your flexibility, posture, strength, and joint movement.

• These treatments typically include: core stability exercises, stretching and flexibility exercises, muscle strengthening.

• Passive treatments like manual massage therapy techniques help reduce pain and relieve tension.

• These treatments typically include: manual massage, hot and cold therapy, electrical stimulation, and traction

Our initial physical therapy for a herniated disc or bulging disc may provide some immediate symptom relief. In our experience we see results after 6 weeks and lasting results after 10-18 weeks. This was also found in a study where improvements in pain and overall function after 6 weeks of physical therapy for a lumbar disc herniation [1]. At the 12 week mark the study participants saw significant and lasting improvement. [1]

[1] Gugliotta M, da Costa BR, Dabis E, et alSurgical versus conservative treatment for lumbar disc herniation: a prospective cohort studyBMJ Open 2016;6:e012938. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-012938

Physical therapy massage (also known as manual therapy) is hands-on techniques that relieve pain, increase range of motion, and reduce soft tissue inflammation. Physical Therapy massage types and techniques include:

• Trigger point release: As the name implies, trigger point therapy involves identifying and releasing specific trigger points in the body that cause pain. This includes dry needling.

• Soft tissue massage: Soft tissue massage involves direct physical pressure on the muscle and other soft tissues of the body. 

• Myofascial releasex: Myofascial release is a technique in which the therapist uses their hands to place slow, sustained pressure on a muscle that is stiff and painful. The manual pressure loosens, lengthens, and realigns tight, stiff myofascial muscles.

• Joint manipulation: A quick, thrust-style technique that takes a joint beyond its normal range of motion in order to improve mobility and (in some cases) help with pain. Similar to chiropracter techniques, but not the same.

• Joint mobilization: Slower, repetitive oscillations within a joint’s range of motion limits that promote mobility and increase the range of motion in a joint.

• Passive stretching: Extending or lengthening a muscle or group of muscles to improve range of motion and increase flexibility in an area.

In Tampa, personal trianing sessions are typically anywhere from $70-$150/session for a standard personal trainer working freelance. Gym trainers often cost upwards of $80-$220/session because of the facilities and the gym’s cut.

Physical therapy is treatment to help you recover from an injury, relieve persistent pain, restore strength and range of motion, and manage chronic conditions. It includes diagnosis and evaluation of your condition and what treatments should be used. At Physique, our program includes:

• Corrective exercise

• Functional training

• Manual therapy (e.g. massage)

• Dry needling

• Patient education

• In-home therapy (*Contact us to book)

Yes, every physique team member is trained in massage (also known as manual therapy). At Physique, our physical therapy clients typically receive massage/manual therapy as part of their treatment.  

Our physical therapists use their advanced manual techniques and training in anatomy and pathology to improve and rehabilitate muscle and joint strength, mobility, and function for long term pain relief and recovery.

People are often cautious about starting with a personal trainer. Cost of sessions & feeling intimidated by working with a pro are common concerns. Hiring a trainer may seem like a luxury – but if you truly want to get results – it's a great investment. The improvement in your health & fitness has returns in quality of life, confidence and decreased health care costs. Our team works to make every client welcome – of all fitness levels, ages and experience – we all start somewhere!

When should you get a personal trainer? 

Here are 10 reasons why you may want to start with one of our Physical Therapist / Personal Trainers:

You Have a Specific Illness, Injury, or Condition 

If you find yourself avoiding certain exercises because of pain or skipping the gym because your 'bad' knee or 'bad' hip hurts – then we're the right trainers for you. We specialize in helping people with complex injuries recover and grow stronger. 

You Aren't Seeing Results

Getting help from an expert will dramitacally change the speed and effectiveness of your results. Whether you want to gain muscle mass or improve your confidence. We will show you results faster and help you understand your results – beyond the scale!

You're Bored With Your Workouts

Getting used to the same treadmill and dumbbell routine? We love creating programs with movements our clients have never done before. It's fun for you and for us. We'll get you out of the same old routine and into one that has you try new things.

You Want to Be Challenged

Each person prefers a different level of difficulty in exercising. We love creating programs to push you out of your comfort zone and giving you new experiences. Try one of our custom programs to re-learn the thrill of physical growth and break a serious sweat.

You Don't Know Where to Start

Everyone starts somewhere! Starting an exercise, strength or weight loss program can be intimidating, so we make sure you're comfortable with every program, technique and method.

You Want To Train For An Event (such as a local 5K, Iron Man or Physique Competition)

Interested in running in a local race? We are too! We often run local 5Ks and we'd love to train you to join us for a local event! Or if you're looking beyond local get in touch with our advanced athletic trainers so we can develop a plan specifically for your competitive event.

You Need Motivation & Someone To Help Keep You On Track

Everyone hits walls on motivation and staying on track. If you find yourself yo-yo-dieting or losing the motivation to go to the gym for serveral months, a trainer would be great for you. We'll help you see results, stay motivated and help nudge you when you aren't feeling it.

You Want to Learn How to Exercise on Your Own

Trainers don't have to be a lifelong commitment. Maybe you want to learn the fundamentals of exercise, health and nutrition and then take that knowledge back to your gym. We'll give you the tools to build a better program specifically for you.

You Want To Train For a Specific Sport

We are experts in movements at Physique, but we are also current and former athletes. We are passionate about building your body for peak performance. If you're interested in training for an upcoming sports season, get in touch with our team.

You're Embarking On a Long Outdoor Event

If you're getting ready to hike, for example, the Pacific Coast Trail, preparation is key. As outdoor lovers ourselves, we'll help you get set up with all the physical fitness needs for an endurance event like this. 

Upper and lower back pain is typically the result of malfunction of part(s) of your back. Common back pain causes:

• back strains or sprains

• herniated discs, slipped discs or bulging discs

• sciatica

• arthritis

• pinched nerve or nerve damage of the back

• back abnormalities

• degenerative disc disease

• trauma

At Physique, we diagnose the root of your pain and use a mix of active and passive back pain treatments.

Active treatments include:

• corrective exercise and functional training (e.g. core strengthening excercises, stretching and flexibility exercises and muscle strengthening exercises)

Passive treatments include:

• massage therapy

• hot and cold therapy

• soft tissue and lumbar mobilization

• dry needling

The most common causes of knee pain are injuries like torn ACLs, sprains and fractures. Other common causes include: 

• Meniscal tear

• Patellofemoral pain

• Patellar tendonitis

• Osgood-Schlatter’s Disease 

• IT-band syndrome

• Arthiritis

• Gout

• Ligament Injuries like ACL tears and sprains, MCL tears and sprains, PCL tears and sprains, LCL tears and sprains

In-home physical therapy addresses your unique condition in the comfort of your home, with programs to improve your physical abilities and make the activities of daily living more manageable. This therapy benefits those who’ve suffered a stroke or injury, had orthopedic surgery, or are living with a chronic condition. * Please contact us to book.

At Physique, we diagnose the root of your pain and use a mix of active and passive back pain treatments.

Active treatments include:

• corrective exercise and functional training

• Which may include:

• quad sets and straight leg raises

• lower extremity stretches

• balance exercises

• exercises to strengthen your hips (Your hip muscles help control the position of your knees.)

Passive treatments include:

• massage therapy

• hot and cold therapy

• soft tissue and lumbar mobilization

• dry needling

Our physical therapists all possess a clinical Doctorate of Physical Therapy or equivalent Ph.D. in addition to a professional license to practice physical therapy. So, yes, a physical therapist is a doctor with the training and credentials to practice safely and effectively.

In Physical Therapy, corrective exercise techniques assess the root cause of your improper movement patterns, imbalances, and muscle weaknesses your body may be compensating for. We apply these techniques with targeted exercises and functional training to reduce pain, address injury, correct movement patterns, and improve strength, posture, balance, and coordination.

Our manual therapy is often our clients' favorite part of our physical therapy program. These hands-on techniques relieve pain, increase range of motion, and reduce soft tissue inflammation. Our techniques include: 

• massage therapy 

• joint mobilization

• joint manipulation

• dry needling

• instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization

• trigger point therapy

• myofascial release

All Physique team members are highly-trained physical therapists/ personal trainers. A physical therapist is a licensed professional who has completed an accredited program (a professional entry-level degree or clinical doctoral degree). A trainer is a certified individual competent to create safe & effective exercise programs.

A key part of our program is teaching you how to improve inside and outside the clinic. You will access your custom treatment plan online. It includes exercises with visual aids, so you can work on them anywhere. We will teach you how the proper technique for these movements while your at your 1-on-1 appointment with a team member.

Dry needling is a safe, effective and efficient treatment that can give you immediate pain relief and help you get back to exercising with increased mobility. The process of dry needling involves the insertion, manipulation, and (at times) electric stimulation of a “dry” needle in a trigger point to produce a local twitch response (LTR) through the spinal cord reflex. This releases tension in your tight muscles and/or stimulates your under-active or weak muscles. The result is muscle relaxation and pain relief.