Here are ways to better serve your over 50 clientele!

1. Functional After
50
Brett Klika
IDEA Personal Trainer of the Year

2. Baby Boomers Are Booming
One of the fastest growing demographics seeking
personal training is over the age of 50
If you personal train the general population, you are
going to have clients in this age demographic.

3. After Today, You Should Be Able To:
Increase your understanding and ability to
connect with this demographic
Identify the needs of your specific clients based
on physical, mental, and emotional factors.
Design programs that address all of these
needs and create long-term results.
1
3
2

4. Boomer Biology
Physical
 Hormonally
• Men- Andropause
• Women- Menopause
 Significant decrease in lean muscle mass
 Decrease in bone density
 Decrease in contractility in muscle fiber
 Decrease in cardiac output, stroke
volume, and maximal heart rate

5. Boomer Biology (cont.)
 Decrease in tissue pliability and
elasticity
 Increased propensity for cardiac
disease, stroke, diabetes
 Previous injuries
• Compensations, etc.
 Medications
 Previous activity level
• Problems due to overuse?
• Problems due to under-use?
 Increased recovery time after
intense workouts

6. Boomer Psychology
Mental
• Looking for new challenges
• Stuck in their ways and previous
paradigms.
• Constantly assessing and
justifying personal training fees.
• Looking to be educated by a
trusted professional.
• They want to receive value.
• They envision results.

7. Boomer Psychology
Emotional
• Want to feel physically competent
• Want to return to the feeling of
their “glory days”
• Want to be social
• Want opportunities for success
• Don’t want to be treated like “old
people”
• They want to be excited and have
a positive emotional experience

8. Before You Start
Asses their medical profile for
contraindications to particular exercises
• Medications
• Injuries
• Etc.
Asses their baseline physical ability
(standard assessments, movement
assessments).

9. Before You Start
Communicate with them
• What activities do they enjoy?
• What activities did they do when they were younger?
• What activities do they not enjoy?
• Why?

10. Your Goal
Taking in mind general and specific limitations in addition
to their preferences design a program that addresses the
general considerations for this population while catering
to their individual needs.

11. Warm-Up
Soft Tissue Work (Improve tissue pliability,
joint range of motion)
 Tennis Ball
• Feet
• Calve
• Hamstring
• Glute
• Rhomboid
 Foam Roller
• Calve
• IT band
• Lat
• Thoracic spine

12. Warm-Up
Soft Tissue Work (Improve tissue pliability,
joint range of motion)
 Tennis Ball
• Feet
• Calve
• Hamstring
• Glute
• Rhomboid
 Foam Roller
• Calve
• IT band
• Lat
• Thoracic spine

13. Improve coordination, corrective exercise, improve
tissue pliability, increase heart rate, improve
mobility, address previous injury.
Warm Up
• Supine hip bridges
• Crab raises
• Side lying alligators
• Spidermans
• Shoulder externals
• T-raises
• Cobras
• Tail waggers
• Dirty dogs
• Bird dog and rotate
• Straight arm push-ups
• Kneeling hip flexor
• Squat to stand
• Standing rainbows
• 1-leg balance reaches
• Frankenstein walks
• Lateral band walks
• Shuffles
• Kareokas
• Marches
• Skips
• Lateral Skips

14. Improve coordination, cardiovascular conditioning, increase
bone density with impact, improve power, improve muscle
elasticity.
Speed, Agility, Quickness
• Agility ladder (1 ft, side in/out, Ali shuffle, hops)
• Footwork drills (Fwd/bck, 3-step, agility circles, x-jacks,
double jumps)
• Cone drills (Figure 8’s, s-drill, step overs)
• Reaction (Partner tag, partner mirror, ball drop)
• Balance drills (Body moves, head moves, combo, dynamic
static)
• Sports drills (Drills from tennis, basketball, baseball/softball,
soccer, etc.)

15. Improve bone density, improve lean muscle mass, increase
neuromuscular coordination, maintain contractility of
muscle fiber, favorably affect hormonal response.
Strength and Power
 Multi Directional Plyometrics (power)
• Squat jumps
• Box jumps
• Skater Plyos
 Strength
• Pushes
• Pulls
• Rotations
• Anti-rotation
• Frontal plane
• Quad dominant
• Hip dominant
• Auxillary
• Primal

16. Improve bone density, improve lean muscle mass, increase
neuromuscular coordination, maintain contractility of
muscle fiber, favorably affect hormonal response.
Strength and Power
 Multi Directional Plyometrics (power)
• Squat jumps
• Box jumps
• Skater Plyos
 Strength
• Pushes
• Pulls
• Rotations
• Anti-rotation
• Frontal plane
• Quad dominant
• Hip dominant
• Auxillary
• Primal

17. Improve cardiovascular conditioning, increase
metabolic response, increase vital capacity
Conditioning
• Circuits (supersets, timed sets)
• Intervals (60/60, 30/60, 20/60)
• Relay races

18. Cool Down Flexibility And Relaxation Design
• Breathing
• Partner massage
• Partner stretch
Improve and restore mobility, aid in recovery,
improve mental state

19. Progression/Regression
Ways to progress, regress:
• Dynamic regress to static
• 2-leg progress to one leg
• Fast regress to slow
• Bodyweight supported regress
to non-bodyweight supported

20. Other Things to Consider
Safety considerations
• Always know the limitations of your client or clients
• Progress and regress when appropriate
• Always be aware of contraindications to exercise
• Drills can be sped up, slowed down, static
Other considerations
• What music does this demographic like?
• What are their hobbies?
• What are they looking for in an exercise environment?
• Are they sore, or injured?
• Once you stop moving it, you start losing it!
• Would you rather spend time with a physical therapist or a
cardiologist?

21. In Conclusion
Clients over 50 have a variety of special
considerations, but they don’t want to be treated as
“old”. Consider what they need in addition to want
they want and prepare a program that addresses
both in a positive, engaging environment.

22. Thank You
Brett Klika
www.spiderfitkids.com
brett@spiderfitkids.com
www.7minutestofit.com