3-Step Fitness Training Process for Older Adults in Santa Barbara

“First move well and then move often.”

– Gray Cook, Physical Therapist

My Personalized 3-Step Fitness Training Process

Older adults are the most physically diverse adult population and, to age well, should always strive to optimize physical function. Optimizing physical function requires the harmonious interaction of our muscles, joints and nervous system working together – call this trio our movement platform or foundation. Older adults often have movement platform challenges/limitations due to short-comings (deficits) in joint mobility & stability, muscle flexibility, dynamic balance or neuromuscular control/coordination. When we consider these common challenges, it’s clear the best path to older adult functional fitness is to establish a sound movement platform with solid fundamental movement skills & body control before developing other “regular fitness” aspects like muscular strength, power or endurance. This concept of first establishing a sound movement platform is nicely expressed by physical therapist Gray Cook’s famous twin axioms “first move well and then move often” and “don’t add fitness to dysfunction”. I follow an individualized 3-step fitness training process to make “first move well” a reality for you.

INITIAL CONSULTATION: HEALTH HISTORY AND FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT

We establish & document your goals/issues/concerns and assess your individual movement platform characteristics, movement ability, current functional status and physical challenges

PHASE 1: IMPROVE YOUR MOVEMENT PLATFORM & FUNDAMENTAL MOVEMENT ABILITY

We implement supportive exercises/methods to upgrade to a more functional movement platform by improving joint mobility & stability, muscle flexibility, dynamic balance/postural control and other fundamental movement/body control skills

PHASE 2: DEVELOP INTEGRATED FUNCTIONAL FITNESS PARTICULARLY OF THE LOWER BODY

Optimizing older adult functional fitness is most frequently about lower body fitness improvement – we must train our “wheels” or we will not age well – since the lower body is often where we find the most impactful functional deficits or limitations. So, we prioritize from-the-hips-down functional fitness that improves functional domains like strength, power, global mobility or movement ability, dynamic balance and neuromuscular coordination & control. Our objective is to help you reach your personal physical goals while simultaneously improving your functional capacity for movement and elevating your physical reserves & resilience (bounce-back ability) to optimize aging ability