Lessons From Training Your Grandma

Lessons From Training Your Grandma

Most trainers will post or reflect on highlights from their training or training their most "fit" clients/athletes, and I get why. That's where all the glitz and glam lies. That's sexy. That's where the industries primary focus is in general. In my years of training, I have learned tremendous lessons from an often forgotten/overlooked sect of the fitness space - the advanced age population. Now while nobody wants to talk about it, again because it's not sexy, the vast majority of those whom fitness is of primary importance are OLDER. So, as a trainer, I've trained my fair share of older people ("Danny's Grannies" anyone?). And I'll tell you something that shocked me - I learned more from training them than I ever did from training any other population. Here are the three biggest lessons i took away from training clients much older than myself.

Lesson 1: "You are not going to be young forever." This seems like the most obvious, of course. A real "duh." But consider the following scenario. You spend a tremendous deal of time and energy, building a foundation for exercise constructed purely on the desire to achieve a certain level of aesthetics. EVEN IF you do get to that level, it is fleeting. You will one day get to a point where it becomes impossible to maintain (whether that be due to lifestyle constraints or age). I find it incredibly motivating to watch someone in their advanced age, someone whose results and aesthetic change will almost assuredly come much slower if at all, show up to the gym excited to put in work. This is something I think many younger lifters could take something from.

Lesson 2: "I wish I started this earlier." This might be the single most common phrase I hear from my advanced age clients. People often have to overcompensate later in life for the mistakes they made in their youth. Not prioritizing activity, nutrition, and healthy lifestyle choices probably the most common of these mistakes. As a coach, I have had tremendous success in helping older clients implement small, habit-based, lifestyle changes that change their health and fitness for the better. Despite the seemingly simple nature of said changes, the large return on minimal effort is always eye-opening for clients (of any age for that matter). The lesson here might not be for you, but perhaps it can incentivize you to help those people in your life who simply do not prioritize their health at all. A small change and starting NOW can make all the difference.

Lesson 3: Appreciate the value of wisdom. Ok, this tip is from me. I started training at the ripe age of 18 (literally the youngest you can be and hold an accredited personal training license). Do you want to know what I knew when I was 18? A whole lot of nothing. I knew a little bit about exercise, and even less about life. Creating a relationship with clients (specifically those with more wisdom than myself) was, and still is, the single most transformative thing I have ever done for my personal growth. There simply are things in life you can only truly understand with experience. While it might give your ego a nice jolt to think you have this thing figured out, I can tell you life has a way of putting you on your ass when you least expect it. Something a little wisdom can help a great deal with. So, whether or not you're a trainer, I challenge you to surround yourself with people who have wisdom. Ask them some questions. Use your ears and mouth in proportion, and I think you would be shocked to see how much value there is in simple conversation.

Thanks for reading, Oh, and before I forget - pick up the phone and call an elder. They Love you and they wont be around forever.

Coach D