What are some of the issues you have dealt with in training older adults?

Training older adults is very gratifying. They tend to be highly motivated and goal oriented. My clients in their 70s, 80s and 90s have often been told to exercise by their physicians. For these clients, the goal in training is, above all, to be healthy. Beyond that, they want to maintain their quality of life and independent living status. Older adults are extremely compliant and make tangible improvements in strength, posture, balance and walking ability. One woman remarked that a whole world opened up for her when she was once again able to get down and back up from the floor. In addition to yielding physical benefits, exercise promotes a can-do attitude, builds self-esteem and lifts spirits. After a session, clients literally straighten up and smile, full of a sense of accomplishment. I have found that engaging their intellect enhances compliance. My older clients all share an active interest in current events-politics, the stock market and world affairs-and they enjoy the social interaction of discussing these topics while taking a breather during their exercise sessions. One aspect of the training program that can be challenging is helping them develop and use their core muscles. Why? For one reason, using their abs may be a new concept to them. Second, many of the traditional core exercises require floor-work, and older adults are often unable to get down onto the floor. However, I can teach them belly breaths and abdominal compression while they are in seated or standing positions. One cue that works well is “Make your pants loose.” Posture also plays an important role. While sitting, many older adults tend to slump forward and lean back on the chair. I encourage them to sit up tall: “No leaning allowed. Use your core muscles.” I did have one client who presented some other challenges, in that she required extra time and patience. She was 95 at the time, European born and from an era of gracious living. There was no way I could dash in and out of her home on schedule. It was simply not courteous. In addition, there were other delays: she was often not ready for me on time, needed to excuse herself to use the bathroom and tended to overanalyze and belabor points regarding the exercises. I always had to extend sessions to give her a decent workout. As time was running short, I would corral her attention by saying that we needed to do “10 of 10”-i.e., 10 reps of 10 exercises-before the end of the session. This strategy worked to get her to focus!