Laura Childs / photo: Innverva
Strength training is becoming more mainstream, with more women resistance training than ever before and growing awareness of the importance of maintaining and developing muscular strength as we age.
The reasons for this include the rise of online fitness influencers and greater public awareness of menopause and the benefits of strength training during this time. In addition, health professionals are encouraging people to take charge of their health to live independently for longer and relieve pressure on the NHS.
Strength training can help manage and alleviate symptoms of heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, obesity and other conditions. Muscular strength also enhances balance and flexibility (two other elements of health ageing) to help prevent falls – the number one reason older people are taken to hospital.
How are you responding?
As a business, we’ve always produced equipment that supports the five elements of healthy ageing – muscular strength, aerobic fitness, balance, flexibility and social wellbeing. Despite the benefits of strength training, it’s becoming increasingly obvious that a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work for older adults and those with long-term health conditions. Members of this cohort are often deconditioned, chronically fatigued and don’t have the muscle mass to use traditional resistance kit effectively.
Power-assisted equipment offers an alternative to people who struggle to access mainstream strength training. We’re working with a growing number of public sector operators and independent organisations to create bespoke strength training spaces specifically for this market.
Located in leisure centres or in community venues, they use our power-assisted equipment, which offers low-to-moderate to high-intensity exercise, opening the doors to strength training for the people in our society who stand to benefit the most.
Our equipment allows users to build strength and muscle mass for both upper and lower body. From chronically fatigued cancer patients going through chemotherapy to Paralympic athletes to highly conditioned personal trainers, it offers resistance training either passively or actively, depending on the user’s ability.
We’re working with a
growing number of
public sector operators
as well as independent
organisations to create
bespoke strength training
spaces for older adults
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