The Gym Venice is for exercisers over 40

A sign on the sidewalk outside the Venice gym promised, “Your 40+ comeback starts here.”

“Well, how about we bring back the 80s-plus,” my mom joked as we headed inside.

She turned 83 a few days ago and came to Los Angeles from the East Coast. She is a retired but still feisty judge who now works as a mediator. And while she wasn't much of an athlete when I was growing up in Philadelphia, she now considers herself a “geriatric athlete.”

“I do Silver sneakers on Zoom almost every day,” she boasted of her online fitness training. “Let's see what they show me here.”

It turns out that there is a lot.

Gym Venice specializes in preparing bodies over 40 years of age with different needsthan younger athletes when it comes to strength training, says owner Chris Herbert. First, older people, especially after years of sedentary lifestyles, are more susceptible to injury. Conditions such as osteoporosis and arthritis can lead to weakened muscles, brittle bones and joint instability, as well as balance problems.

Herbert's gym isn't the only place where middle-aged and older adults work out. There's still fitnessin Lomita and 4th quarter activein Woodland Hills, both coaching athletes over 50 years of age.

The niche approach has good reasons. As we age, we also lose muscle mass—as much as 3% to 5% per decade After age 30, according to the National Institutes of Health, our metabolism slows, which can lead to weight gain. When strength training later in life, Herbert says more emphasis needs to be placed on building joint strength and strengthening the body's posterior, or posterior, chain.

“Most of the clientele here have very sedentary jobs, sitting at desks, and they [can] receive technical neck and their back and posture may be compromised, causing lower back pain,” he says. building skeletal muscle mass — which helps improve metabolism, bone density, regulate hormones and all that stuff — as well as strengthen your back and posture so you can support yourself.”

“Cool. I'm in!” said my mother. She was wearing her favorite T-shirt with the picture Rosie the Riveter and the text “Still, she persisted.” “Where do we start?”

The former guitar store on Venice Boulevard, with its arched ceiling, exposed wood beams and polished concrete floor, limits attendance to five clients and their trainers at any given time, so the environment is calm and visitors can better focus on their workouts – no huge gym sound system blasting hip-hop, just background chatter and random sounds the clang of metal from the rods. 95% of the gym's clients are between 40 and 65 years old, with a few clients between 70 and 80 years old, as well as a few teenagers who come to work out with their parents. The gym's seven trainers are mentored by 42-year-old Herbert and 45-year-old gym manager Ed Gemjian. They are taught how to train older people's bodies and modify movements when clients have limitations. They then shadow other trainers before working with clients one-on-one. Gemjian also conducts weekly workshops on various aspects of training for older adults.

“They need to understand our specialized equipment,” Herbert says of his trainers, “as well as how to meet clients where they are—which may mean limited mobility or joint issues—to train them safely and correctly.”

When Herbert explained all this, my mother nodded enthusiastically. She has osteoporosis and arthritis and is concerned about her bone density. She also had two hip replacements. But after Herbert explained how his trainers work with clients, she felt like she was in good hands.

“He seems to know his stuff,” she said, “especially about the issues women face as they age.”

Our mother-daughter session began as any new member would: with a full-body assessment, followed by mobility and ability tests so Herbert could create a personalized training program for each of us. He made us step on a body composition scanner that looked like thin scales. After wiping our palms and soles (to increase conductivity), we stepped on it and waited about a minute. He then printed out a sheet of charts and graphs. This gave us detailed muscle-fat analysis, including our total skeletal muscle mass in pounds, basal metabolic rate (the number of calories we burn at rest), total body fat percentage, and a “segmental fat analysis,” which broke down the percentage of fat on each arm, leg, and our torso. Most importantly, it showed the level of visceral fat, that is, the fat around our organs.

“This is very important for disease prevention,” Herbert says. “We try to keep that low.”

Body assessment was intimidating at first—I mean, who really wants to know their exact belly fat percentage? But my mother found this information encouraging.

– So you, like, will create a special program especially for me? – she said almost with tears in her eyes. (I explained that all trainers do this, regardless of whether the client is over 40 or not. But nonetheless, she was impressed with Herbert and sang the gym's praises as we moved on to the next round of testing.)

“If I lived here, I could track my progress on the body scanner every week,” she said, following Herbert. “I like it!” (Mom is delighted.)

The mobility test involved lying on a floor mat while Herbert helped us do three lower limb stretches—like a spinal crunch—followed by three upper body stretches, like shoulder raises, with light bands.

We then conducted an aptitude test, assessing how we performed various compound movements—that is, multi-joint movements using major muscle groups—on machines or with hand-held weights, cables, or bars.

“We want to make sure our clients can move through a full range of motion and without pain,” Herbert says. “This way we can test what you can and can't do in the gym to create a program for you. Then we'll strengthen your back – making you strong for everyday activities like carrying groceries.”

Mom was crushed: “Count me in,” she said (a favorite phrase), checking her shape—and her freshly dyed hair—in the mirror as she did bicep curls with a 5-pound kettlebell.

The gym also has special equipment suitable for older people. For example, many strength machines are designed to be less stressful and therefore gentler on your 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 “special bars” to avoid impact on the shoulders. “This way, you can work safer and stronger,” says Herbert.

He led us to a shiny piece of metal by the window. It looked like a medieval torture device… or something you might see in San Diego Comic-Con.

“It’s a belt squat machine,” Herbert explained as he pulled the padded belt around his waist. “It's designed for people with shoulder problems or spinal compression. It takes all the stress off the spine and allows you to do resistance squats.”

He then pointed to other equipment. “It’s a bilateral leg press,” he said. “If you have an imbalance, you can work one leg at a time.”

Mom watched, eyes wide with the possibility, as if Herbert was showing her a luxury timeshare on the island of Maui.

“I could do “This place, for someone like me – I have two bionic hips, you know – feels like a safe place to try something and fail at first, but then, through hard work and support, eventually be able to do it.”

Despite her enthusiasm, I doubted my mom would have joined Venice Gym if she lived in Los Angeles. The gym offers a one-week trial for $99 that includes a body composition scan, mobility tests and three personal training sessions. But the per-session rate after that ranges from $140 to $175, which is a steep figure by any standards.

However, I was surprised when I asked my mother about it later.

“I would do it because I'm still working,” she said. “It’s expensive, but it’s your choice and what better way to do that than to try to improve your health and extend your life.”

I told Herbert about this by phone.

“That’s what gives it meaning to me,” he added. “I'm excited to help everyone age gracefully, to help people regain control. As the years go by, we all get older, but we don't have to get old.”