I may be biased in my opinion but I think training like an athlete is the best way to train for any endeavor, for all populations. When I think of athletics I think of the ability to move athletically through space. This is exactly what the body was designed to do! We have muscles that attach to bones and create forces to generate torque and leverage which creates propulsive movement. All great athletes posses great body control, speed, agility, strength, power, balance, coordination, and flexibility. When they move, they move effortlessly. When I think of a typical weekend warrior or gym goer, the things that need to be addressed are (usually in this order)….flexibility, coordination, strength, balance, body control, power, agility, and speed. These are all the same qualities and biomotor abilities of an athlete. Basically we are improving movement quality. The issue arises when you don’t have the proper progressions/regressions for exercises and end up placing a round peg in a square hole. If you do not have the flexibility and mobility to move your body through a full range of motion at a joint then that must be developed first. This can take months/years! Especially if they have lots of history behind them.
Don’t overreact and make everything athletic. If your 70 yr old client does not have the ability to do a bodyweight push up or a proper bodyweight squat to depth, then why are we having them do 1 leg squats on a bosu ball? Yea that works balance, coordination, and core, but they will never find themselves outside of this made up scenario to have to do that task. On the other end of the functional spectrum, they will have to get out of their car seat multiple times a day (squat) and have the ability to get up off the floor after doing chores (push up). Develop adequate bilateral strength before implementing advanced unilateral exercises. There are many things going on in that exercise that your client may not have the kinesthetic awareness, spatial awareness, and body control to know what to feel.
Athletes also tend to have a well developed physique without looking too “bulky.” They develop this by lifting weights which maintains muscle, and playing their sport. Athletic movements use the most muscle in total body movements, and thus end up burning a lot of calories. Most people shy away from weights and these movements as they get older, when in fact this is the last thing you should do! Bone density, strength, and power decrease rapidly as we grow older, and the first step for injury prevention is to keep lean body mass. The key to preventing a loss in muscle mass, and thus a subsequent decline in metabolism, is to incorporate movements that use the most muscle. If you can only squat 85 lbs year after year then you probably have not gained any more muscle mass. There has been no stimulus for your muscles to change! Remember everyone is an athlete just not everyone is an elite athlete. Train smart .
