Exercise Physiologist vs Personal Trainer

Woah - I honestly didnt know such a thing existed! Can anyone give an indication to cost (maybe vs a PT)?

-adds to list of things I need to remember

Thankyou both so much for your help. I didn't know I could get a GP referral, that's great. I am in the same weight bracket as Ottopia, so I feel the same way you do about exercise. I'll be booking an appt with my GP, I'm definitely not at the personal trainer stage yet.

Hi there,
I am going to an exercise physiologist rather than a personal trainer. The EP in my way of looking at it, treats me and my needs as a rehabilitative process, building and strengthening my body in a safe and measured way,
He has been adamant that I should not cause my self pain by exercise, some stretching feelings, some light and gentle muscle awareness post exercise but no pain. He has emphasised that because of my weight and now my weightloss, my joints need protection-lost fat pads and some lost muscle mass means loose and unprotected joints.
He has started me very gently and despite the slow start I am already finding my exercise tolerance is rising and I feel great.
I am seeing him on a chronic disease program, meaning 5 free treatments through a prescription referral from my gp. After this my health fund will also contribute.
I was concerned about gyms and personal trainers. The few I enquired to displayed little understanding of protecting my body, all suggested very rapid progression through exercise and talked to me at 150 kilos about boot camp, and sweating it out and how pain would mean I was progressing.....mmmmmit frankly scared the living day lights out of me!
My surgeon also specified an exercise physiologist rather than a personal trainer or gym- he said the gym can come in 40 kilos or so.
Hope this helps.

Hi Anna - I had my WLS last September and have now lost 39kg so far.  About 4-5 years ago I broke my elbow and have had several reconstructions but nothing has worked - I have limited range of movement, cannot weight bear (no pushups, etc and I can bicep curl about 400g).

The surgeon I chose for my WLS was adament that I should go to the gym as my regular exercise in order to build muscle.  However, I was really concerned about whether I could find a gym instructor/personal trainer that understood my injury and could make adjustments that worked for me.

Because I live in a remote area, I chose to meet with an exercise physiologist while I was recovering from surgery - my first day out of hospital to be precise.  He was fantastic and not only gave me some great ideas to exercise without injuring myself further, he also gave me ideas for how I could boost my activity by involving my kids in fun activities that also counted as exercise.

The guy I saw was attached to a cardiac unit but still understood where I was coming from - he was realistic AND motivating.  During summer I've chosen to exercise 6 days a week by doing anywhere from two to four 1hr aqua classes each week and making up the other days by walking (outside and on a treadmill in the aircon when it's too hot) and while I'm no contender for any muscle building competition, my fitness levels and my general flexibility have increased and I am getting more muscle tone.  In a couple of months - when it starts to cool down a little, I will head to the gym and start doing some of the easier classes at the gym building up to the harder ones as I get fitter.

At the end of the day - a personal trainer is there to push you and if motivation is the main issue then I think a personal trainer is a good choice.  However, if you have other health issues, then an exercise physiologist can give you some great ideas for exercise that suits your body and even help you to develop an exercise program to follow - but they won't be there to push you on every session.

Best of luck with your journey :)

I'm just wondering if anyone can tell me the difference between these. In your experience, which would be better for someone with a lot of weight to lose.
The reason I ask is I've been seeing a personal trainer and I don't feel like what I'm doing is tailored for my abilities (or lack of). I am in extreme pain and feel my fitness should be built up rather than me just being smashed each session. It's not sustainable, I can't function day to day when I'm in this much pain. I don't want to be a quitter, so I'm just looking for advice & exploring other options.
Do exercise physiologists understand the difficulties faced by obese people more than the average personal trainer?
Any advice on this would be really appreciated :)