Personal Training For Seniors

Posted 05 October 2023

Blog tags: Fitness

Exercise is one of the best things older adults can do to stay healthy, fit, and active. Even moderate activity can help seniors to stay mobile, independent, and strong. As a personal trainer, working with older clients can be very rewarding, but there are issues and best practices to be aware of.

Find out what these are and how you can provide the best personal training service to the seniors you work with.

Assess the Client

With all clients, it’s important to assess their individual state of health and fitness before you begin working with them. With older adults, this is even more important, as they are more likely to have experienced health problems, injury or illness. If you are unsure about any aspect of your client’s health, make sure they gain consent from a medical professional before starting training.

Health Issues

As people get older they are more likely to suffer from chronic health conditions such as diabetes, arthritis, or heart disease. They may have mobility or balance problems, high blood pressure, or difficulty walking. The good news is that taking regular exercise can help with all these conditions. Regular exercise will help your client to grow stronger so they can maintain daily activities and independence.

Barriers

Some older adults may be reluctant to exercise. They may feel it will be too hard, or that the physical activity will make them feel worse. Talk to your client about their concerns and reassure them accordingly. Emphasise that you will design the programme to meet their needs.

The Importance of Staying Active

If they’re still not convinced, explain that doing no exercise and not being active can have a detrimental impact on their health. When older people lose their ability to do things, it’s usually because they don’t do any physical activity.

Helping to Manage Depression

Depression can also be a problem for older clients, so it’s good to explain that exercise can help improve mood and reduce feelings of depression. It may also help with some aspects of cognitive function, including your client’s ability to move between tasks.

The Best Types of Exercises for Seniors

Design a programme that combines cardiovascular activity and muscle-strengthening exercises. Set your client exercises to work all major muscle groups a few times a week. They may benefit from a class, such as yoga or pilates. Talk to them about what they enjoy, and make sure you put together a varied and interesting programme.

Cardiovascular Fitness

Start with walking or cycling at a low level and make sure your client is fully warmed up. Monitor them to check if there is any joint pain or discomfort, for example, hip or knee pain, which often occurs in older adults. Use the rate of perceived exertion scale to monitor the workout. Keep questioning your client throughout the session.

Challenge

Don’t be afraid to challenge your client by setting realistic targets and goals. The programme you design will depend on the client’s individual level of fitness. Some clients may have exercised throughout their life, so will need a very different programme to someone new to exercise. As with all clients, it’s important to use your professional judgment.

Remember that helping clients to make exercise and physical activity a regular part of their lives can make a huge difference to their health and independence as they age.

Learn How To Train All Types of Clients

If you want to learn how to become a personal trainer and work with people of all shapes, sizes, and ages, our personal training study programmes are the perfect solution.

Find out more about everything you will learn and how our courses can help you kickstart or elevate your fitness career on our website.