An Equinox Tier 3+ Coach on how to reach peak performance.
The majority of middle-aged folks aren’t spending enough time on their fitness. In fact, less than 20 percent of people ages 45 to 64 meet federal guidelines for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity, according to 2018 data from the National Institutes of Health. But sometimes, a catalyst — a change in their health, a noticeable decline in daily functioning, or newfound free time — spurs these individuals to pick up a set of weights and get their heart rate up.
Usually, these folks fit into one of three camps. The first: members who were active throughout their 20s and 30s and slowly drifted away from their sport or workout routine as careers and kids got in the way. There are also the individuals who were consistent with a movement routine, became injured, and never picked it up again, oftentimes out of fear of provoking the injury again. Finally, there’s a group of people who have simply never worked out; they might go for the occasional light walk, but legit workouts haven’t been in the cards up until now.
As they walk into the Club for the first time (ever or in a long time), each of these individuals experiences a mix of emotions — excitement, apprehension, curiosity. It can feel overwhelming. And, when left to their own devices, they might not use their time strategically.
But an Equinox coach like myself can serve as a champion and guide, leading them through a customized training program that aligns with their goals and supports their well-being as they age. If you fit the bill above and are looking for direction in your middle-age fitness routine, here's what you can expect from one-on-one sessions with a coach.
What Personal Training at Ages 50 and Up Looks Like
With any client over the age of 50, I’ll always incorporate two key elements into training: balance and mobility work. Falls are the leading cause of injury and injury death among older adults (ages 65 and up), and that’s why you’ll often see people within this age group hugging walls and using handrails. Most often, these tumbles are caused by a loss of balance — which many people don’t think to work on in their exercise routines. When training with an Equinox coach, you can bet on tackling some balance-focused exercises as a preventative measure.
As you get older, your posture also begins to fail, and your shoulders start rounding forward. Your body’s also a bit stiffer, and simple acts like climbing the stairs or getting out of chairs feel more challenging. That’s where mobility work — which helps restore healthy movement patterns — comes into play.
While you typically won’t do any crazy heavy lifting in your sessions, resistance training with weights in some capacity is a must. It’ll help you maintain bone density and muscle mass — both of which tend to decline with age — and allow you to live your best life. You’ll feel strong enough to play with your grandkids, get in and out of a chair with ease, and carry your pets. If you’re coming back from an injury, we don’t allow any fear of hurting yourself again to override the workout. I might start you off with a lighter weight to help you re-learn that lifting can be safe when performed correctly, then help you build up from there. In general, there’s no reason you won’t be able to do basic moves such as shoulder presses, rows, squats, and deadlifts.
Still, the game plan your coach designs will be tailored specifically to you. At the start of our relationship, we’ll talk through your exercise history (even the leisure activities you enjoy, such as biking or swimming), injuries and contraindications, time available, short- and long-term goals, and barriers you foresee impeding your progress — information that will all inform our programming choices. Your approach might look different from the person who ran marathons in their 20s before taking a break or the member who suffered a knee injury in their 40s, and that’s okay.
So, does the number of laps you’ve taken around the sun really matter when it comes to exercise? As the saying goes, age is just a number. In this context, your age is simply one data point — out of a whole host of data points — that helps coaches like myself program the best workout routine for you. Essentially, if your goal is to be as strong at 75 as you were at 50, we can take steps to help you safely get there.
That said, it usually takes longer to recover as you get older; you can’t bounce back after a tough workout like you did when you were a 20-year-old. During this season of life, it’s important to warm up and cool down properly, but your workouts themselves likely won’t change drastically.
The Bottom Line
Your body is like a machine, and you want to keep it functioning at its best for as long as possible. And in order to do that, you’re best off leaning on the best “mechanics” — in this case, Equinox coaches. Our goal is not to make you do 100 burpees or get you back to the six-pack you had at 27. It’s to empower you to become a strong, healthy person who feels good in their body at any age. With the right coach, the right program, and the right attitude, there aren’t any limits on what you can do in the Club.
Chris McGill is a NSCA-certified personal trainer and Tier 3+ Coach at Equinox Encino with nearly 14 years of experience. He has certifications in TRX, FMS, kettlebell, Animal Flow, and pre- and post-natal training, as well as a nutrition certification from Precision Nutrition. He frequently trains clients over the age of 50.