ATP guide · After cancer treatment
Exercise after cancer treatment in Cork
Treatment is finished or winding down, and somebody has said the words get your strength back. If you are not sure how, or where, or whether you are ready, our personal trainers build gentle 30-minute sessions that start exactly where your body is at our Douglas and Ballincollig gyms, following whatever your oncology team, GP or physio has advised.
After treatment
Getting your strength and energy back, at your pace
Exercise is now part of cancer recovery guidelines, for fatigue, for strength, for mood and for the long term. The trick is starting gently and building steadily with someone beside you.
Fatigue first
Tiredness after treatment is real and it is not laziness. Sessions are built around your energy on the day, and the strange truth is that gentle training usually leaves people with more energy, not less.
Muscle you lost
Months of treatment strip muscle. Rebuilding it is what gets you back up the stairs, back to work and back to feeling like yourself. Strength training is the only thing that does it.
Working to your team's advice
Whatever your oncologist, breast care nurse, GP or physio has said about what to do and what to avoid, we follow it. Tell us about any limits after surgery or treatment.
Gentle by default
Light loads, short sessions, plenty of rest. Nothing here is a bootcamp. The load goes up only when you are ready, and never because a programme says so.
Your own coach, every time
Personal training with a coach guiding you, who knows your story and checks in at the start of each session. No class to keep up with.
Mood and confidence
People tell us the mental side is as big as the physical. Having somewhere to go twice a week, with people who get it, matters.
How it works
Training after cancer treatment at ATP
Ten years ago people finishing cancer treatment were told to rest. Now the guidelines say the opposite: exercise, gently and progressively, is one of the best things you can do for recovery. It helps with the fatigue that follows chemotherapy and radiotherapy, rebuilds the muscle that treatment takes, lifts mood, and for many cancers is linked with better long-term outcomes. The Irish Cancer Society and every major guideline now recommend it.
What the guidelines do not tell you is how to start when you are exhausted, deconditioned and perhaps a bit afraid of your own body. That is a coaching job, and a gentle one.
What a session looks like
You train 1:2, one coach and two clients, each on your own programme, for 30 minutes. We start with what you can do today, which might be very little, and that is fine. Sitting to a box and standing, light rows and presses, a short carry, some balance work. Rest as much as you need. The load and the pace go up as your energy comes back, in small steps, and only ever at your pace.
Fatigue, bad weeks and hospital appointments
Tell your coach at the start of every session how you are. On a low-energy day the session gets lighter or shorter. If you have to miss a fortnight for appointments or a setback, nothing is lost. Our no-expiry packs never lapse, so you only ever pay for sessions you use.
Working with your oncology team, GP and physio
Whatever they have advised, we follow it and build the programme around it. If you have limits after surgery, around a port, or on lifting on one side, tell us and we work inside them. We are happy to talk to your team directly if that helps.
What we are not
We are not a medical service and we are not a cancer rehabilitation clinic. We do not start anyone without their team's go ahead, and we will ask what you have been told. We are a coached gym where people rebuild after treatment every week, gently, and get their strength back.
Getting started
Your first session is free. Claim it below and tell us a little about where you are in the form or when we ring, only as much as you want to. It is a real coached 30-minute session at Douglas or Ballincollig, no card and no commitment. If treatment has affected your bone density, our bone health page may be useful too.
Memberships & pricing
Simple, flexible pricing
Personal training from €20.56 a session on a rolling membership, €35 pay as you go, and no-expiry packs from €289. See full pricing →
FAQ
After cancer treatment questions
If yours is not here, give us a ring. We would rather talk it through.
Is it safe to exercise after chemotherapy or radiotherapy?
For most people, yes, and it is recommended, once your oncology team is happy for you to start. We begin gently, follow whatever limits you have been given, and build at your pace.
I am exhausted all the time. How can I possibly train?
Fatigue after treatment is the most common reason people put this off, and gentle exercise is one of the few things shown to help it. We start very light and short, and most people find they have more energy afterwards, not less.
Do I need my oncologist's OK first?
Yes. Ask your team whether you are ready to start gentle strength training and whether there is anything to avoid. Then tell us what they said and we build around it.
I had surgery. Are there things I should not do?
Possibly, depending on the surgery and how long ago it was. Tell us what you have been advised, for example about lifting on one side or around a port, and we work inside it.
Will I be training beside people who are much fitter?
You train with your own coach on your own programme, and the room is small and friendly. Nobody is looking at anyone and nobody is keeping score.
What if I have a setback or need to stop for a while?
Then you stop, and pick it up again when you can. Our no-expiry packs never lapse, so you only ever pay for the sessions you use.
How much does it cost?
Rolling memberships start at €179 every 4 weeks for two sessions a week, and our no-expiry packs never lapse. Your first session is free, no card and no commitment.
From our members
From members who started where you are
In their own words, straight from Google.
"I couldn’t recommend this gym more. After recovering from a serious illness, I was nervous about returning to fitness. The PTs… supported me every step of the way, adapting each session to my recovery and helping me rebuild my strength and confidence at the pace my body needed. I genuinely feel like myself again, and I’m so grateful for their support."
"The trainers are so friendly and meet you where you’re at on any given day, while also being encouraging and pushing you out of your comfort zone. I’ve found the atmosphere in other gyms to be a bit intimidating but it’s a really relaxed and positive atmosphere in ATP, which I’ve found to be conducive to a sustainable routine."
"Both gyms are warm and welcoming and trainers take the time at the start of each class to check in on the people attending for injuries and energy wise. You are never pushed to beyond your limits but always encouraged to reach your full potential."
"I’ve always felt supported and encouraged. I’ve faced a few setbacks and injuries and the team have helped me get back on track in a safe and professional way. The team in Douglas are all so nice. I’m happy to recommend to anyone who is starting back to exercise after a few years as I was."
Talk to a coach
Want to talk it through?
If you'd like a chat about training around your recovery after cancer treatment, leave your details and one of our coaches will give you a ring. No pressure and nothing to sign up to.
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Find us
Two locations across Cork
Douglas
2nd Floor, Unit A1, Donnybrook Commercial Centre, Donnybrook, Cork City
Tel: 087 649 4134
Mon-Thurs: 6:30am - 8:30pm
Friday: 6:30am - 7:00pm
Saturday: 8:00am - 2:00pm
Sunday: Closed
Ballincollig
Unit 1A, Link Road Business Park, Carrigrohane, Ballincollig, Co. Cork
Tel: 085 725 2370
Mon-Thurs: 6:30am - 8:30pm
Friday: 6:30am - 7:00pm
Saturday: 8:00am - 2:00pm
Sunday: Closed