By Design Physio

By Design Physio North Hobart Physiotherapy Live a life by design. Move better. Feel stronger. Live by design. Book your appointment now.

By Design Physio is a musculoskeletal physiotherapy clinic in North Hobart focused on helping you move better, get stronger, and live pain-free. We specialize in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of conditions affecting your muscles, joints, bones and nerves. Our physiotherapists use evidence-based treatment including targeted exercise prescription, hands-on therapy, joint mobilizations, massage, and education to help you understand your body and feel confident in your movement. Whether you’re dealing with everyday aches, a new injury, or long-standing pain, our goal is to reduce pain, restore function, and improve your quality of life.

There’s something powerful about a space that’s been set up with intention. Not just clean for the sake of appearance, b...
17/03/2026

There’s something powerful about a space that’s been set up with intention. Not just clean for the sake of appearance, but organised in a way that makes thinking clearer, movement smoother, and care more deliberate. Every band, every weight, every surface has its place - not by accident, but by design. It’s a reflection of how we approach our work: considered, consistent, and built to support both the practitioner and the person in front of them.

Consistency in the small things is what allows us to deliver in the big moments. When the environment is calm, structured, and repeatable, it creates a level of trust you can feel the moment you walk in. This is the standard we hold behind the scenes - because the quality of care isn’t just in what we do, it’s in everything that surrounds it.

📸 Samantha Ford’s office

14/03/2026

Workshop time ⏰ 💪🏻

Physio Marissa was out .new.fitness this morning for part 2 of the ‘pain-free functional athlete’ series.
Last workshop was all about the hips; hinging and squatting. While this was more shoulders; bench and pull-ups.

The team gained some gems;
💎 when to push through pain, and when to hold back
💎 how to sequentially activate shoulder muscles to get stronger faster
💎 how to bulletproof the shoulders
💎 when and how to calm an annoyed shoulder
💎 why set up is the most important step

Workshops are only 60min, filled with simple and practical skills, all while being coached in real time!

Does your gym need to host one of these?!
Send us a 📧 and we’ll do the rest!

13/03/2026

When working with lifters and athletes, pain isn’t always a red flag.

Sometimes pain is information - not injury.

Completely stopping training can actually make things worse:
• Loss of strength
• Reduced tissue capacity
• Increased sensitivity

At By Design, we use a traffic light system to guide decision-making:

🟢 Green – Safe to train as planned
🟡 Yellow – Modify load, volume, or frequency
🔴 Red – Regress or temporarily offload

Instead of saying “stop,” we ask:
• Is it tolerable?
• Does it settle quickly?
• Is it improving over time?

We then adjust:
• Training frequency
• Training volume
• Exercise selection
• Intensity

The goal isn’t to avoid all discomfort.

The goal is to train intelligently — so you build capacity while managing symptoms.

Pain isn’t the enemy.
Mismanaged load is.

12/03/2026

Cross-country MTB isn’t just about riding more. It’s about training smarter across the season.

Pre-season:
Build strength. Build capacity. Build durability.
This is where you earn your engine.

In-season:
Maintain intensity on the bike.
Reduce gym load.
Prioritise hydration, nutrition, sleep, and stress management.

Post-race:
Refuel properly. Recover properly. Reflect properly.
Identify what you executed well — and what needs sharpening.

Performance isn’t random.
It’s structured.

Train for the phase you’re in, not the phase you wish you were in.

Pilates builds control and stability.Traditional gyms build strength and muscle.At By Design, we combine both.We focus o...
11/03/2026

Pilates builds control and stability.
Traditional gyms build strength and muscle.

At By Design, we combine both.

We focus on movement quality, breath, and progressive strength so you don’t just get stronger - you move better too.

Because strength should support real life, not fight against it.

06/03/2026

Weak grip?
Don’t just train squeezing.

Most people only train the gripping muscles, but the opposite muscles — the extensors that open your hand - are often the real weakness.

At By Design we usually train grip strength in stages:
1️⃣ Control first – small finger movements and coordination
2️⃣ Balance the hand – train extensors as well as grip
3️⃣ Build strength – rings, bands, spider tools
4️⃣ Load it up – dumbbells, hangs, and heavier grips

My favourite starting tip 👇 Use small, controlled movements (even fidget-style tools) to make sure each finger can move and control force individually.
Strong hands start with control before strength.

Tami is our go to Climber Physio - more fun learnings coming soon 💪🏻

01/03/2026

If you’ve spent time in gyms, you’ve probably heard the old “Just stretch it.”

But injuries are rarely that simple. Stretching can certainly play a role.

But seldomly is it just about muscle tightness.

We look at:
• Training load
• Training frequency
• Sudden spikes in intensity
• Technique under fatigue
• Strength capacity

Most injuries happen when load exceeds capacity, not because a muscle is “tight.”

At By Design, we don’t just tell you to stop training.

We adjust load.
We refine technique.
We build strength.
We keep you progressing.

The goal isn’t to pause your progress.

It’s to make sure your body can handle it.

28/02/2026

One of the most underrated machines in the gym? The Smith machine.

It removes the stability demand so you can focus purely on strength and output. Great for if you’re newer to lifting or don’t want the wobble of a free barbell.

My go-to? Hip thrusts.

Two key setup cues:
1️⃣ Tuck (posteriorly tilt) before you drive up — don’t overextend your back.
2️⃣ Brace your abs as you squeeze your glutes.

Glutes should be doing the work — not your lower back.

Feel your lower back? Go lighter!

Simple setup. Big payoff.

27/02/2026

Cross-country MTB is demanding — so your training needs structure.

My program is periodised across the season.

Off-season (Winter):
2 gym sessions per week.
Build strength. Build capacity.

In-season:
Maintain intensity.
Keep some lifts heavy to preserve strength.

Race taper (3 weeks out):
Last heavy week at 3 weeks out.
2 weeks out → reduce load ~30%.
Race week → reduce load ~10%.

Why?

You want to arrive feeling strong, but fresh.

Strength doesn’t disappear in a week.
Fatigue does.

The goal isn’t to feel wrecked from training.
The goal is to feel powerful on the start line.

Train hard.
Taper smart.
Race fast.

26/02/2026

When an athlete gets injured, your first instinct is “I want to get back to sport today.”

But return to sport isn’t a single decision. It’s a structured process.

We work through a clear 3-phase framework:

Phase 1 — Acute Management
Settle pain. Protect the injury. Restore basic movement.

Phase 2 — Rebuild
Restore strength. Improve control. Load the tissue progressively.

Phase 3 — Performance
Develop power. Improve sport-specific capacity. Prepare for high-level output.

We use checklists, frameworks and timelines from session one so you can see your progress, not just feel it.

Rehab isn’t about doing random exercises.
It’s about following a structured pathway back to performance.

Shortcuts delay return. Process accelerates it.

25/02/2026

The leg press should be in most programs - and here’s why.

It mimics a squat pattern (sit-to-stand, getting out of the car, standing from a chair) but with more support and control.

Three key setup cues:

1️⃣ Set your safety stops
Higher = safer if you’re lifting heavy.
Lower = more depth.

2️⃣ Unlock the handles properly
Start from a controlled position before pressing.

3️⃣ Foot position matters
Feet straight.
Knees gently track out.
Engage your glutes to reduce unnecessary knee strain.

Bonus: The sled itself is often heavy (around 50kg), so account for that if you’re new or returning from injury.

Controlled setup = better output.
Better output = better strength gains.

P.S - The leg Press gets a bad wrap, but thats because it gets heavy quick, its a loading issue usually! Take your time and ease into this one.

24/02/2026

Neck pain is rarely caused by one single thing.

It’s usually an accumulation of factors

• Increased work stress
• Longer hours at your desk
• Poor sleep
• Skipping the gym
• Reduced movement
• Mental load

Then one small event tips you over the edge.

At By Design, we don’t just treat your neck - we zoom out.

We listen.
We ask questions.
We assess how you move — not just your neck, but your shoulders and upper back too.

Hands-on treatment can help settle symptoms.

But long-term results come from:

• Improving movement
• Building neck and upper back endurance
• Addressing workstation setup
• Managing load and stress

Our goal isn’t just to get you out of pain.

It’s to build resilience so it doesn’t keep coming back.

Pain is rarely random.
It’s usually a capacity problem — and capacity can be built By Design.

Address

37 Tasma Street
Hobart, TAS
7000

Opening Hours

Monday 7am - 7pm
Tuesday 7am - 7pm
Wednesday 7am - 7pm
Thursday 7am - 7pm
Friday 7am - 7pm

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