ATP guide · Hip and knee replacement
Training before and after a hip or knee replacement in Cork
Waiting for a new hip or knee, or a few months past one and wondering what comes after physio? Our personal trainers build 30-minute sessions around where you are, getting you strong for surgery and rebuilding afterwards, following whatever your surgeon and physio have advised, at our Douglas and Ballincollig gyms.
Joint replacement
Strong going in, stronger coming out
The people who recover fastest from a replacement are the ones who went in strong and kept going once physio finished. Both halves are coaching jobs.
Before surgery
Strengthening the leg, hip and core in the months before the operation is linked with faster recovery and less time on crutches. Waiting lists are long. Use the time.
After physio finishes
Physio gets you walking and bending. Most people are discharged well before they are strong. This is where we come in, once your surgeon and physio give the go ahead.
The other leg, and everything else
One sore joint does not have to mean months of doing nothing. We train the other side, the upper body and the core so you go into surgery fit, not deconditioned.
Following the protocol
Every surgeon has their own rules on range, load and timing. Tell us what yours are and we work inside them, every session.
Confidence in the new joint
The hardest part after a replacement is often trusting it. Coached, progressive loading is how people stop guarding the joint and get back to stairs, hills and life.
30 minutes, coached
Short, focused personal training sessions with a coach guiding you throughout. Load goes up in small steps, and the session changes if the joint says so.
How it works
Getting ready for, and back from, a joint replacement
A hip or knee replacement is a big operation and a good one. Most people are delighted with the result. But the joint is only half the story. The muscles around it have usually been weak and guarded for years before surgery, and they do not fix themselves. Whether you are on a waiting list or six months past the operation, that muscle is what we work on.
Before the operation
Waiting lists in Cork can run to many months. That time is an opportunity. Getting the leg, hip and core stronger before surgery means less to rebuild afterwards, and the research links good pre-operative strength with faster recovery and less time on crutches. We train around the sore joint, in the range you have, and we keep the rest of you fit so you go in as a strong person with a bad joint rather than a deconditioned one.
After the operation
Your surgeon and physio own the first phase, and we do not get in the way of it. When they are happy for you to start strength training, usually somewhere between six weeks and a few months depending on the joint and the surgeon, we take over the rebuilding. That means progressive loading of the new joint inside whatever limits you have been given, sit-to-stands, step-ups, hinges and presses at loads that climb week by week, and balance work so the new joint feels like yours. Most people are surprised how far past physio discharge there is still to go.
What a session looks like
You train 1:2, one coach and two clients, each on your own programme, for 30 minutes. Tell us the instructions you have been given and we build the programme inside them. Tell your coach how the joint is at the start of every session. Load goes up when the joint is happy and holds or comes down when it is not.
What we are not
We are not physiotherapists and this is not rehab in the clinical sense. We do not start anyone on the new joint without their surgeon and physio's go ahead, and we will ask what you have been told. We are a coached gym where people rebuild after replacements every week, and get stronger than they were before the joint gave trouble.
Getting started
Your first session is free. Claim it below and tell us where you are with the operation in the form or when we ring. It is a real coached 30-minute session at Douglas or Ballincollig, no card and no commitment. If it is arthritis that brought you here, our osteoarthritis page covers training with a sore joint before surgery is on the table, and if you are in your 60s or beyond our over 60s page is written for you.
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
Hip and knee replacement questions
If yours is not here, give us a ring. We would rather talk it through.
Is it worth training before a hip or knee replacement?
Yes. Going into surgery stronger is linked with a faster recovery, less time on crutches and a better result. Waiting lists are long, so there is usually plenty of time to make a difference.
How soon after a knee or hip replacement can I start at the gym?
That is your surgeon's and physio's call, not ours. Typically strength training starts somewhere between six weeks and a few months after the operation. Tell us what you have been told and we work from there.
Will you follow my surgeon's protocol?
Yes, every session. Tell us the range, load and timing rules you have been given and we build the programme inside them. We are happy to talk to your physio directly if that helps.
I finished physio but I still feel weak. Is that normal?
Very. Physio usually finishes once you can walk and bend well, which is well before you are strong. Rebuilding the muscle around the new joint is the next stage, and it is what we do.
Can I train if I have a replacement on one side and arthritis on the other?
Yes, and it is common. We work around both, building the muscles that support each joint and keeping the rest of you strong.
Is it a class or personal training?
Personal training, 1:2. One coach with two clients, each on their own programme, so the new joint gets exactly the work it needs and nothing it does not.
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 recently had both hips replaced so I joined ATP Ballincollig about 5 weeks ago to build up my strength again. I’ve worked with every coach and they are all fantastic. The knowledge they have is exceptional. Always a very positive atmosphere, great banter and a guaranteed well balanced workout."
"ATP fitness have been great for me, i have had reconstruction surgery on both knees so can no longer play football or do long distance running. They have filled this void in my life by catering for my needs and making training not only challenging but fun."
"After having back surgery, I was very nervous to go back to the gym but the personal trainers completely put me at ease and checked in with me all through the sessions. I haven’t looked back since, I can feel my strength and fitness starting to come back. Everyone is very friendly and professional."
"I’ve been attending ATP for a number of years. 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."
Talk to a coach
Want to talk it through?
If you'd like a chat about training around a hip or knee replacement, 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