On Your First Day

There are no out of pocket costs for medical appointments with Professor Maria Fiatarone Singh as they bulk billed to all eligible Medicare and DVA card holders.

Exercise sessions cost $70. Private health funds, Medicare, DVA and National Disability Insurance Scheme rebates may be available for the exercise sessions subject to availability. If you have any difficulties with finances, please discuss this directly with Professor Maria Fiatarone Singh during your initial appointment.

• The Centre for STRONG Medicine will develop an individualised exercise prescription that is fully integrated into a multi-disciplinary Geriatric Medical Management plan. In contrast, Physiotherapy is usually time-limited and often not integrated into the medical plan.
• We see exercise as a necessary component of the treatment of specific diseases for the rest of your life. The exercise is carefully supervised by Accredited Exercise Physiologists who are experts in the prescription and delivery of exercise to manage chronic conditions. This is different to the expertise of Physiotherapists which focuses on acute injury rehabilitation.
• The Centre for STRONG Medicine combines the expertise of our in house Consultant Geriatrician and Professor of Exercise and Sports Medicine with carefully prescribed and supervised exercise, which allows us to address any injuries or medical issues as they arise.

• Almost anyone, of any age, with a disease or health problem that has been shown to respond to exercise is eligible to participate in the program. Commencement in the program is determined during the initial assessment with the doctor. See our Eligibility Criteria for a list of health problems for which exercise may be beneficial.

• This is decided between you and your doctor during the initial assessment and will depend on a number of factors, though primarily the conditions that require treatment. Initially, it is most likely you will need to exercise 2 to 3 times a week to achieve a benefit.

• The Centre for STRONG Medicine’s staff are all university qualified in exercise physiology and have all been trained by Professor Maria Fiatarone Singh. All training sessions at the Centre are fully supervised.

• Most of the prescribed exercises are performed on machines specifically designed to minimise the risk of injury. We cannot guarantee that an injury will not occur, however the program has a very low incidence rate of adverse events as described in our 10 year strength older adult training/testing safety report.

• Your appointment will be rescheduled. In order to achieve the best results it is important to have the right ‘dose’ of exercise.

• Yes. To be effective, strength training is performed at high intensity but this intensity or relative to your abilities. For the muscles and bones to adapt and treat the problem that you have, heavy loads need to be applied to them. The exercises require considerable effort to perform, however the sessions will allow you enough rest in between each one. Your body will adjust to the training over time and your prescription will be adjusted as required.
• We have trained close to 10,000 people aged 30-100 years, often with multiple chronic diseases, and almost all have been able to tolerate and benefit from the exercise.
• Please view our Gallery for examples of clients exercising

• For the first few weeks of your training you may experience some muscle soreness, often 24-48 hours after you have exercised. This is called Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness DOMS) and is a normal part of the muscles’ adaptation to the load you have placed on it. Professor Maria Fiatarone Singh will assess any concerns you may have.

• This will be different for everyone and will depend on a variety of factors including the health problem(s) you have.
• Sometimes you will feel that you are not making progress with the exercise training because as you gain in strength, we increase your load. Regular strength testing is carried out to monitor changes and adaptations while functional testing will highlight improvements. You will also have an opportunity to discuss your progress with Professor Maria Fiatarone Singh and the supervising staff. 

• In general, formal review appointments following the initial consultation occur at 1 month, 3 months and then 3 monthly. This may vary according to need.

• Comfortable, loose clothing with flat soled shoes is most appropriate for performing the exercises.
• Ladies should wear pants or slacks as skirts are inappropriate on some machines.

• We will do our best to accommodate the time you wish to train, though sessions will generally be held between 8am and 5pm Monday to Friday, noting we are closed on public holidays. Your appointments will be made in advance but can be adjusted with sufficient notice by calling us on (02) 8004 7655.

• Yes, we have a room in the gym to store your bags.

• Before doing any exercises, an appointment for a comprehensive medical consultation with Professor Maria Fiatarone Singh is required. As soon as you have been seen by Professor Maria Fiatarone Singh you will have exercise sessions scheduled to commence immediately.

• Our program is designed to continue indefinitely as exercise is a medicine being used to treat chronic problems. You are reviewed three monthly and our Team will regularly track and discuss your progress.