Strength Training for Seniors : An Instructor Guide for Developing Safe and Effective Programs

From The Critics

Reviewer: Steven Hoffman, PT,ATC,SCS(North Hills Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy)
Description: This text addresses exercise considerations for instructors who prescribe strength training for seniors.
Purpose: The purpose is to provide instructors who train older adults with a research based approach to designing strength training programs. This is a worthy objective for this area of strength training. A basic discussion of the many parameters one needs to consider when developing and overseeing fitness programs is provided.
Audience: The target audience is primarily the personal trainer and rehabilitation professional who renders service to the over 50 population group. Physical therapists, athletic trainers, physical education instructors, and physicians will also benefit from this information. The authors are both certified strengthening and conditioning coaches with a wealth of knowledge and experience in health and fitness research as well as practical training. They combine their expertise to present a book that is informative, easy to read, and applicable to all who oversee fitness programs for the over 50 individual.
Features: In addition to standard chapters on training principles, the authors include nutritional aspects for senior trainers and also information for special populations such as those with osteoporosis, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The book is replete with pictures, graphs, diagrams, and demonstrations of proper/improper training techniques which provide the reader with more than enough information to design and implement a legitimate fitness program for the senior client. At the end of the text are references for each chapter, which lends to the scientific validation of the points presented. These references are up to date and plentiful.
Assessment: This book provides information previously unavailable to the health professional who oversees strengthening or conditioning training for the senior members of the population. I recommend that it be used as a resource in all commercial health facilities as well as rehabilitation clinics where information and advice are dispensed to assist the older individual in physical therapy training.

Steve Hoffman

This text addresses exercise considerations for instructors who prescribe strength training for seniors. The purpose is to provide instructors who train older adults with a research based approach to designing strength training programs. This is a worthy objective for this area of strength training. A basic discussion of the many parameters one needs to consider when developing and overseeing fitness programs is provided. The target audience is primarily the personal trainer and rehabilitation professional who renders service to the over 50 population group. Physical therapists, athletic trainers, physical education instructors, and physicians will also benefit from this information. The authors are both certified strengthening and conditioning coaches with a wealth of knowledge and experience in health and fitness research as well as practical training. They combine their expertise to present a book that is informative, easy to read, and applicable to all who oversee fitness programs for the over 50 individual. In addition to standard chapters on training principles, the authors include nutritional aspects for senior trainers and also information for special populations such as those with osteoporosis, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The book is replete with pictures, graphs, diagrams, and demonstrations of proper/improper training techniques which provide the reader with more than enough information to design and implement a legitimate fitness program for the senior client. At the end of the text are references for each chapter, which lends to the scientific validation of the points presented. These references are up to date and plentiful. This book provides informationpreviously unavailable to the health professional who oversees strengthening or conditioning training for the senior members of the population. I recommend that it be used as a resource in all commercial health facilities as well as rehabilitation clinics where information and advice are dispensed to assist the older individual in physical therapy training.

Booknews

Provides instructors of older adults with principles for safe and successful strength training programs. Covers general guidelines, teaching strategies and training procedures, standard free-weight and machine exercises, sample free-weight and machine workout programs, alternative exercises, assessment, special population training, and nutrition. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

3 Stars from Doody