The Essentials Series

Three Courses, Complete Clinical Transformation

May - July - Aug 2026 Melbourne

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The Essentials Series

By John Contreras (APA Sports & Exercise Physiotherapist)

Where evidence meets everyday practice to help you build your exercise therapy expertise.

Three course to transform your clinical approach.

    • 2 days face to face learning

    • Exercise Selection & Progression Frameworks

    • Patient Engagement & Exercise Adherence

    • Collaborative Rehab Design

    • 2 days face to face learning

    • Early rehabilitation integration

    • When and how to use Pilates

    • Systematic frameworks for assessment and progression

    • 2 days face to face learning

    • Progressive loading and strength development

    • Essential movement patterns & coaching

    • Systematic strength programming through rehab

A Systematic Approach To Exercise Therapy

On Their Own, Each Is Valuable. Together, They Transform Your Practice.

Exercise Prescription Essentials

The Foundation Every Exercise-Based Physio Needs

24-25 May 2026 Melbourne

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Pilates Training Essentials

Pilates Training Integration for Early Rehabilitation

4-5 July 2026 Melbourne

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Strength Training Essentials

Strength Training for Mid-Late Rehabilitation

14-15 Aug 2026 Melbourne

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After delivering successful workshops across Australia and internationally, I’ve refined three complementary courses into The Essentials Series - comprehensive education designed specifically for Physiotherapists and health professionals with 0-8 years experience who want to build and consolidate a confident, exercise-based approach to injury management and return to activity.

- John Contreras

Exercise Prescription | Pilates Training | Strength Training

What Makes The Essentials Series Different?

This isn't another certification program.

This is refined, practical education that works:

  • Evidence-informed practice

  • Young clinician focused

  • Exercise therapy integration into clinical practice

  • Systematic frameworks

  • Immediately applicable

Choose Your Learning Path

Five Ways To Build Your Exercise Therapy Expertise

  • Choose the workshop most relevant to your practice right now.

    What's Included:

    Choose any single workshop:

    • Exercise Prescription Essentials (May 2026)

    • Pilates Essentials (June 2026)

    • Strength Training Essentials (July 2026)

    Each includes:

    • 2-day in-person intensive

    • All digital materials and framework toolkits

    • Morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea both days

    • 30-day email implementation support

    • CPD certificate

    Who This Is For:

    • You want to address a specific practice challenge right now

    • You're exploring The Essentials Series before committing to more

    • You have budget for one workshop this year

    • You want flexibility to add others later

    We recommend starting with Exercise Prescription Essentials - it provides the patient engagement foundations that make modality-specific training more effective. However, if you already have strong exercise prescription skills, you can begin with Pilates or Strength Training.

  • Exercise Prescription Essentials + Pilates Training Essentials

    What's Included:

    Workshop 1: Exercise Prescription Essentials (May 2026) Master patient engagement and coaching that works across all exercise modalities

    Workshop 2: Pilates Essentials (June 2026) Apply clinical Pilates for early rehabilitation phases

    Both workshops include:

    • 4 days total in-person intensive training

    • Complete digital materials for both workshops

    • All catering for both workshops

    • 60-day email implementation support (extended for bundle)

    • 2 x CPD certificates

    The Bundle Advantage:

    Sequential Learning: May: Master patient psychology and engagement frameworks June: Apply those skills to equipment-based Pilates programming

    Complete Early Rehab Coverage: From patient engagement + coaching → movement quality → clinical Pilates integration

    Extended Support: 60 days of implementation support (vs 30 days for single workshops)

  • Exercise Prescription Essentials + Strength Training Essentials

    What's Included:

    Workshop 1: Exercise Prescription Essentials (May 2026) Master patient engagement engagement and coaching that works across all exercise modalities

    Workshop 2: Strength Training Essentials (July 2026) Apply progressive loading and strength development for clinical populations

    Both workshops include:

    • 4 days total in-person intensive training

    • Complete digital materials for both workshops

    • All catering for both workshops

    • 60-day email implementation support (extended for bundle)

    • 2 x CPD certificates

    Who This Is For:

    • You work with mid-late stage rehabilitation and return to activity

    • You want to manage progressive loading without referring to trainers

    • You want patient engagement skills + strength-specific expertise

    • You're ready to commit to two workshops over 9 weeks

    The Bundle Advantage:

    Sequential Learning: May: Master patient coaching and engagement frameworks July: Apply those skills to strength programming and progressive loading

    Complete Mid-Late Rehab Coverage: From patient engagement → systematic progression → strength training mastery

    Extended Implementation Time: 9 weeks between workshops allows you to implement Exercise Prescription Essentials skills before adding strength training

  • Pilates Training Essentials + Strength Training Essentials

    What's Included:

    Workshop 1: Pilates Essentials (June 2026) Pilates integration for early injury rehabilitation phases

    Workshop 2: Strength Training Essentials (July 2026) Progressive loading and strength development for clinical populations

    Both workshops include:

    • 4 days total in-person intensive training

    • Complete digital materials for both workshops

    • All catering for both workshops

    • 60-day email implementation support (extended for bundle)

    • 2 x CPD certificates

    Who This Is For:

    • You already have strong exercise prescription and patient engagement foundations (3+ years experience or equivalent training)

    • You want complete coverage across the rehabilitation continuum

    • You're confident working with patient engagement and adherence

    • You want early rehab + mid-late rehab modality expertise

    Important Note:

    Exercise Prescription Essentials is recommended (but not required) before this bundle.

    If you already have strong foundations in:

    • Patient engagement and exercise adherence strategies

    • Collaborative program design approaches

    • Working with fear-avoidance and patient psychology

    Then this bundle gives you complete modality training from early rehabilitation through return to activity.

    Not sure if you should start with Exercise Prescription Essentials first? Email info@johncontreras.physio to discuss your background.

    The Bundle Advantage:

    Complete Rehabilitation Continuum: June: Early-mid rehab with Pilates July: Mid-late rehab with strength training

    Modality Expertise: Cover both equipment-based Pilates and progressive loading systematically

    Time-Efficient: 4 weeks between workshops for implementation and preparation

  • All three courses, maximum transformation.

    What's Included:

    The Complete Journey:

    Workshop 1: Exercise Prescription Essentials (May 2026) Foundation coaching and patient engagement across all modalities

    Workshop 2: Pilates Essentials (June 2026) Pilates for early rehabilitation phases

    Workshop 3: Strength Training Essentials (July 2026) Progressive loading for mid-late rehabilitation and return to activity

    Complete Series Benefits:

    • 6 days total in-person intensive training

    • Complete digital materials for all three workshops

    • All catering for all workshops

    • 90-day email implementation support (extended for complete series)

    • 3 x CPD certificates

    Who This Is For:

    • You're committed to comprehensive professional development

    • You want complete exercise therapy mastery across the rehabilitation continuum

    • You're building a long-term exercise-based practice

    • You want maximum value and the full transformation journey

    The Complete Series Advantage:

    Full Rehabilitation Spectrum:

    • May: Patient engagement foundations (works across everything)

    • June: Early-mid rehab modality expertise (Pilates)

    • July: Mid-late rehab modality expertise (strength training)

    Systematic Progression: Each workshop builds on the previous, creating comprehensive clinical competence

    Maximum Savings: Compared to individual workshop pricing

    Extended Support: 90 days of email support through the entire series and beyond

    The Transformation Journey:

    May (Week 1): Master patient engagement and coaching May (Weeks 2-5): Implement Exercise Prescription Essentials frameworks in practice June (Week 6): Add Pilates-specific clinical reasoning June (Weeks 7-9): Implement Pilates integration strategies July (Week 10): Complete with strength training expertise July-September: Continue implementation with 90-day support

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Not Sure Which Path To Take?

Email info@johncontreras.physio to discuss which course or bundle best fits your practice development goals.

We’ll help you choose the right starting point.

Contact Us

Meet John

APA Sports & Exercise Physiotherapist, B.Physio (Hons). B.Sc. M.ExSci (S&C), M.Sports Physio

24 years of clinical experience refined into practical education

Based in Melbourne, John has spent over two decades combining Physiotherapy, Strength & Conditioning, and Pilates to help patients build genuine, lasting relationships with exercise. He believes that this clinical approach, combining three distinct but complementary frameworks, isn't about being a jack-of-all-trades. It's about having the right tool for the right moment in each patient's journey—from acute injury through to high performance.

Learn more about john

The Essentials Series FAQs

  • No. Each course can be completed individually. If you don’t wish to complete all three, then select what's most relevant to your practice right now. You can add others later.

  • It’s recommended, but not required. Exercise Prescription Essentials provides the key foundations that make exercise therapy, Pilates and strength training more effective. However, if you already have strong exercise prescription skills, you can simply begin with Pilates or Strength Training.

  • Every course includes:

    • 2-day in-person teaching

    • All digital materials and framework toolkits

    • Morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea both days

    • 30 day email implementation support

    • CPD certificate

  • Choose the one most relevant to your current practice challenges. All the courses from The Essentials Series will be run again in 2027.

  • They will be held in Melbourne with parking and public transport access. Venue details to be confirmed.

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The Essentials Series

Exercise Therapy Education For Young Physios

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