Turns out, a lot.<\/p>\n
The Gym Venice <\/a>specializes in training bodies over 40-years-old, which have different needs<\/a>, when it comes to strength training, than younger exercisers, says owner Kris Herbert. For starters, older bodies \u2014 especially after years of a sedentary lifestyle \u2014 are more susceptible to injuries. Conditions such as osteoporosis and arthritis can lead to weakened muscles, fragile bones and unstable joints as well as balance issues. <\/p>\n Herbert\u2019s gym isn\u2019t the only locale training adults in midlife and beyond. Still Got It Fitness<\/a>, in Lomita, and Q4 Active<\/a>, in Woodland Hills, both train exercisers over 50. <\/p>\n Times staff writer Deborah Vankin, right, and her mother, Sandra Mazer Moss, undergo an \u201cability test\u201d at the Gym Venice. <\/p>\n (Catherine Dzilenski \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n The niche approach is for good reason. As we age, we also lose muscle mass \u2014 as much as 3% to 5% per decade<\/a> after age 30, according to the National Institutes of Health \u2014 and our metabolism slows, which can lead to weight gain. When strength training later in life, more attention must be paid to building strength around the joints, Herbert says, and strengthening the posterior, or back, chain of the body.<\/p>\n \u201cFor the most part, the clientele here has very sedentary jobs sitting at desks and they [can] get tech neck<\/a> and their back and posture can get compromised, causing lower back pain,\u201d he says. \u201cSo here, it\u2019s all about building skeletal muscle mass<\/a> \u2014 which helps with metabolism, bone density, regulating hormones, everything \u2014 and getting your back and posture strong so you can support yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCool. I\u2019m in!\u201d my mom said. She was wearing her favorite T-shirt, picturing Rosie the Riveter<\/a> and the text \u201cNevertheless, she persisted.\u201d \u201cWhere do we start?\u201d<\/p>\n The former guitar shop on Venice Boulevard \u2014 with its bow truss ceiling, exposed wood beams and a polished concrete floor \u2014 limits attendance to five clients and their trainers at any given time, so that the environment is calm and visitors can better focus on their workouts \u2014 no big-box gym sound system blasting hip-hop, just background chit-chat and the occasional sound of clanking metal from barbells. 95% of the gym\u2019s clientele is between the ages of 40 and 65, with a few clients in their 70s and 80s and several teenagers who come in to work out with their parents. The gym\u2019s trainers \u2014 there are seven on staff \u2014 are mentored by Herbert, 42, and gym manager Ed Gemdjian, 45. They\u2019re taught how to train older bodies and modify movements when clients have limitations. Then they shadow other trainers before working one-on-one with clients. Gemdjian also holds weekly workshops on various aspects of training older adults.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have to have an understanding of our specialized equipment,\u201d Herbert says of his trainers, \u201cas well as how to meet clients where they are \u2014 which could mean limited mobility or joint issues \u2014 to safely and properly put them through a workout.\u201d<\/p>\n As Herbert explained all this, my mom nodded enthusiastically. She has both osteoporosis and arthritis and is concerned about her bone density. She\u2019s also had two hip replacements. But after Herbert\u2019s explanation of how his trainers work with clients, she felt she was in good hands.<\/p>\n \u201cHe seems to know his stuff,\u201d she said, \u201cespecially about issues that women face as they age.\u201d<\/p>\n Our mother-daughter session began as any new member\u2019s would: with a full body assessment followed by mobility and ability tests so that Herbert could design a customized training program for each of us. He had us step on a body composition scanner, which looked like a slender scale. After wiping off our palms and soles (to increase conductivity), we stepped onto it and waited about a minute. Then it printed out a sheet of charts and graphs. It gave us a detailed muscle-fat analysis,<\/a> including our total skeletal muscle mass in pounds, our basal metabolic rate (the number of calories we burn at rest), our overall body fat percentage as well as a \u201csegmental fat analysis\u201d that broke down our fat percentage across each arm, leg and on our trunk. Most importantly, it showed our visceral fat level, which means the fat around our organs.<\/p>\n Sandra Mazer Moss undergoes a \u201cfull body assessment\u201d at the Gym Venice, so that owner Kris Herbert can design a strength training program for her. (Catherine Dzilenski \/ For The Times) <\/p>\n \u201cThat is huge for disease prevention,\u201d Herbert says. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to keep that low.\u201d<\/p>\n The body assessment was intimidating at first \u2014 I mean, who really wants to know the exact percentage of fat on their belly? But my mom found the information empowering.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, like, you\u2019d design a special program especially for me?\u201d she said, almost teary-eyed. (I explained that all trainers do that, whether the client is over 40 or not. But still, she was impressed with Herbert and sang the gym\u2019s praises as we moved into the next testing phase.)<\/p>\n \u201cIf I lived here, I could track my progress on the body scanner week to week,\u201d she said, trailing behind Herbert. \u201cI love that!\u201d (Mom\u2019s enthusiastic.)<\/p>\n The mobility test included our laying on a floor mat while Herbert guided us in doing three lower extremity stretches \u2014 a spinal twist, for example \u2014 followed by three upper body stretches, such as a shoulder raise, with light bands.<\/p>\n After that we did the ability test, gauging how we performed different compound movements \u2014 meaning multi-joint movements using major muscle groups \u2014 on machines or with hand-held weights, cables or bars.<\/p>\n Times staff writer Deborah Vankin performs squats as part of an \u201cability test\u201d at the Gym Venice.<\/p>\n (Catherine Dzilenski \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to make sure our clients can do the movements with full range of motion, pain-free,\u201d Herbert says. \u201cThat\u2019s how we can test what you can and cannot do at the gym, so that we can create a program for you. Then we bullet proof your back \u2014 make you strong for everyday things, like carrying groceries.\u201d<\/p>\n Mom was down: \u201cCount me in,\u201d she said (a favorite phrase), while checking out her form \u2014 and her freshly highlighted hair \u2014 in the mirror as she did a bicep curl with a 5-pound weight. <\/p>\n The gym also features special equipment that caters to older bodies. Many of the weight machines are designed to be lower impact, for example, and therefore kinder on the joints. The bench pad used is 4 inches wider than a standard bench pad, eliminating shoulder overhang and protecting the chest and shoulders. They also use \u201cspecialty bars\u201d to avoid impact on the shoulders. \u201cSo you can push yourself safely, harder,\u201d Herbert says.<\/p>\n Sandra Mazer Moss does lat pulldowns at the Gym Venice as owner Kris Herbert guides her.<\/p>\n (Catherine Dzilenski \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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