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GAMUT: The AAHF Training Series — SrFit™
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“Applying
these
materials to senior programs should make a remarkable improvement in
the
training outcomes.”
-- Wayne L. Westcott, Ph.D., CSCS
The
SrFit™ Specialist Training Program was developed to address the need for
fitness training for Baby Boomers and beyond. The aging of the American
population has created a large group of older adults who are even more
susceptible to the detrimental effects of physical inactivity than are
younger people. This is not news to those in the fitness industry, but
many of us are not prepared to deal with this growing segment of the
population.
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From 1998 -
2004, the number of frequent fitness participants aged 55+ zoomed by
33%, compared with a growth rate of 13% for Baby Boomers aged 35-54,
and zero growth for the "traditional" fitness participant aged
18-34. These were among the findings of the 18th annual
SUPERSTUDY® of Sports Participation, conducted among 14,684
Americans nationwide in January 2005 by American Sports Data, Inc.
(ASD). It was also reported that people aged 55+ represent 25% of the
6.1 million Americans who paid for the services of a personal trainer
in 2004.
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25% of
the
nation's 41.3 million health club members are now over 55, the
quintessential statistic that -- according to ASD president Harvey
Lauer -- "represents not only a vast change in American attitudes and
perceptions, but also an imminent restructuring of the health club and
fitness industries, and most crucially -- the seed of monumental
healthcare reform in the United States.”
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Let’s
look at a few more statistics. In the year 2000, roughly 35 million
people (13% of the population) were age 65 or older. By 2030, that
number is expected to double to 70 million. According to the Active
Aging Partnership National Blueprint, 88% of these people have at least
one chronic health condition that in many cases could be improved or
managed with physical activity. In addition, 35-50% of women age 70-80
have difficulty with general mobility tasks like walking a few blocks,
climbing a flight of stairs, or doing housework.
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Once
adults
pass their physical prime in their teens and 20’s, they lose
an average of 10 ounces of lean body mass per year. This loss is mostly
in the form of muscle tissue and can be masked by the fact that overall
body weight tends to increase by approximately one pound per year.
Another way to look at this is to realize that the average person gains
about 1 pound and 10 ounces of body fat per year.
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Another important reason for older people to strength train is that
evidence suggests that exercise might decrease the rate of bone loss
associated with osteoporosis and reduce the likelihood of falls that
result in hip fractures. A frightening statistic is that almost 24% of
people over age 50 who have hip fractures die within a year. Falling is
a serious public health concern among the elderly because of its
frequency and the cost of the necessary healthcare.
So what does all this mean to you? As
a personal trainer, you need to
know how to safely and effectively serve this clientele. And
it’s for you that the book, SrFit, was written, and the
SrFit™ workshops and distance learning programs have been
created.
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