Gym Workouts Will Help Your Rule the Pickleball Court

Pickleball just keeps growing and growing – in popularity and in media attention.

It’s beyond trendy now, with some 5 million people playing, many of them active agers over 50 – and beyond.

So, it’s important to point out something that many folks might not realize:

Gym workouts make you a better pickleball player.

It’s true. If you want to have more endurance on the (smaller than tennis) court, more power in your swing, and more ability to make those shots – all the time smiling – then you need to come in here and join us for stretching, strength and endurance training.

Stretching to ‘feel wonderful’

Champ Barb Wintroub, 75, stays fit for the game and advocates for stretching.

“People are getting injured as they get older because they’re not stretching,” says Barb, a Pilates instructor in Southern California. “And they’re not standing up straight. I’m continuing to do that. And it makes a huge difference.”

She demonstrates in a YouTube video how to do squats for thighs and glutes, rotational twists for the obliques, and other stretches for arms and back. “All of these stretches are supposed to feel wonderful,” she says. If they hurt – stop.

Stretching is simple, and it’s easy to learn when we show you the right moves to help your game safely and effectively. So, come in and let’s show you how to warm up before playing and cool down after.

Tim Minnick, 79, of Austin, Texas, has been cited as the world’s oldest active personal trainer by Guinness.

Strong core and glutes are essential

“Core strength is critical in pickleball, especially rotational core strength,” like it is in tennis, golf, and other sports, Tim says. “That means the ability to rotate under control as well as stop rotation to be able to hit the ball and hit where you want to hit it.”

Tim suggests lunges with a pause for balance, and simple glute bridges, or hip raises, as demonstrated here.

Pickleball requires quick stops and starts, so it’s important to stay balanced. “That means leg strength is critical here, especially power from the largest muscle group in your body, the glute muscles, better known as the butt,” Tim says.

Working the glutes with us is important for any sports, including pickleball.

“They produce the power for successful athletic performance at any level,” Tim says.

To train for endurance? Tim recommends High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), which has been proven in studies to be both effective and safe for mature athletes. HIIT means, as an example, that you run fast for a short time period – say 20 seconds – and then slow down for another time period, then repeat.

That’s how a game of pickleball goes, after all. And many games are played as part of tournaments.

“Cardiovascular fitness is critical to be able to play in tournaments,” Tim says. “It’s much more fun when you don’t have to stop and catch your breath all the time.”

>That’s true for everything in life, isn’t it? Come in to try our 21-day Strength and longevity program and keep having fun at any age!

Learning to Adapt and Stay Active

Befitting for a theatrical performer, Dan Grady’s fitness journey can be told in three acts.

Act I: A talented youth trains for years among ballet’s elite, then begins a decade-long career dancing on Broadway.
Act 2: After his dancing career ends, he grows frustrated with his body’s limitations and realizes change is essential in his attitude and action.
Act 3: Now 60 and a successful psychotherapist, he has adapted to gym workouts to remain strong, limber, and with his competitive edge intact.

“It was my choice to stop performing, and that’s a luxury not everybody gets due to injuries,” Dan recalls. “Now, knowing that it’s my choice to continue working on my fitness is very empowering. It feels like a privilege.”

After reaching a certain age, we all wish our bodies could do what they used to. But, as Dan learned, it doesn’t work that way. His story offers three-pointers to keep in mind as we journey through life and aim to remain our best.

First, adjust expectations. In his early 40s, Dan remained active in dance classes – and frustrated when he couldn’t jump as high or turn as many rotations as he did in his 20s.

“Comparison wasn’t helpful. I realized I needed to adjust my expectations,” he says. “It was sobering.”

When he got into gym fitness, he found the changes were – surprise! — sometimes positive. “My abilities are ever-changing,” he says. “I can do some things today that I couldn’t do five years ago.”

Second, remain open to new activities. Dan kept finding new ways to challenge his body.

“When I started to feel I was getting a shoulder injury from lifting such heavy weight all the time, I realized: Do I really need to be doing Olympic-style weightlifting? The answer was no.”

He took up golf, tennis, and jogging during the pandemic shutdown.

Third, focus on the quality of movement. Dan’s success as a dancer was often measured quantifiably – and mercilessly. Later in the gym, it was the same approach. That had to change, too.

“I learned that progress is not always measured in many reps, the weight of dumbbells, the height of jumps…” he says. “It’s more satisfying to focus on the quality of the movement.”

Learning from the Best

Dan learned to be grateful and forward-thinking partly from the legendary Broadway star Chita Rivera when he danced with her in “Kiss of the Spider Woman” in the 1990s.

“She never gave up,” he recalls. “She might not have been able to do at age 65 what she could at 25, but she always worked with what she could do.
“That’s the discipline for me – not allowing my mind to go into comparison,” he says. “I get better results and am more motivated when I’m compassionate with myself.”

>What can YOU do today? What would you like to be able to do next? Let us show you the way to healthy, active aging with our 21-Day Strength and Longevity Program – Guaranteed Results! (more…)

A Fitness Love Story

In fitness and in love, Shebah and Nate are Baby Boomers who personify a Millennial phrase: #relationshipgoals.

The pair, both over 60, met and became trainers late in life. They now live together, work together, and share a robust relationship that includes healthy living at its core.

Their fitness love story offers lessons for all of us at Valentine’s Day and year-round.

How They Met

Shebah and Nate were both involved in successful careers when they interviewed for a municipal recreation job.

Nate got it, but the first time they met – at a grocery store, without knowing about the professional rivalry – Shebah was smitten.

“I turned around and looked at this guy, and he’s really fine…,” she recalls. “I applied for the job, and then I got him.”

Shebah became a catalyst for Nate’s transition to exercise and healthy eating. He had recently suffered a health scare while working a corporate job that involved a lot of travel and stress, without any time for taking care of himself.

That was more than 10 years ago, and the pair are both super-fit and devoted to helping their clients, and each other, live their best lives for as long as possible. Some of their clients are younger adults, but many are over 50, as well.

Nate and Shebah stay active inside the gym and outside of it.

“It’s important to us that we walk our talk,” Nate says. “We want to make sure we do what we suggest.”

Shebah adds, “We’re promoting this whole idea of being ageless, so we want to look that part.”

Tips for Other Couples

Part of their motivation to stay fit is rooted in their concern for each other. They share that philosophy with other mature adults who want to get fit or remain fit.

“Do you want to stay healthy long enough so that your partner doesn’t have to take care of you?” Shebah asks. “People don’t think about that. But it creates a stronger bond.”

Nate says fitness helps them grow their interdependence — common growth and experiences that make the relationship stronger. He has become a great friend to Shebah’s adult son, whose activities as a special-needs athlete keep the family moving.

Some research suggests that working out with your significant other is good for both your workouts and your relationship. But sometimes, one partner is ready to exercise and eat right, while the other one isn’t yet on board. This couple cautions against applying too much pressure if that’s the case.

“You can only do it for yourself – you can’t do it for somebody else until they want it,” Nate says.

“You have to make up your own mind that fitness is for you,” Shebah adds. “The other person doesn’t always listen. You can lead by example.”

That idea of being “ageless” means something different to everyone, and Shebah and Nate urge people over 50 to focus on posture, alignment, balance and nutrition, along with strength and cardio training.

“It’s not about trying to be 25 again,” Nate says. “It’s about dealing with your issues and getting on with your life the way you want to. Getting old isn’t for weaklings.”

Fight Serious Illness the BEST Way

Our friend James is concerned about his 82-year-old mother, who lost her husband and sister within a couple of months this year.

She’s showing signs of depression, which can be grave. Plus, she was recently diagnosed with AFib, or atrial fibrillation, and is working with her doctors to bring her heart to a proper, steady rate. AFib can lead to stroke, heart failure, and other problems.

James’ mother has friends and family to support her. She’s in good health and has been reasonably physically active. Working out with resistance bands at home, tracking her steps, and going to yoga classes before her husband began ailing a few years ago.

James has learned that depression and AFib are common, serious problems for people over 50.

“I’ve also learned we have a powerful tool to treat them,” he says. “Exercise.”

Depression Is A Serious Illness

The American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry says 15 percent of people over 65 have symptoms of depression that interfere with their physical, mental, and emotional health.

Researchers at the University of Washington say mature adults with significant depression have healthcare costs 50 percent higher than those without it. The World Health Organization says that by next year, depression will be the second leading cause of premature death and disability around the world.

The good news? Research proves that exercise:

Improves mood
Reduces anxiety
Increases the ability to handle stress
Improves sleep

Scientists at the Duke University Medical Center tested exercise against antidepressants in 156 outpatients 50 and older. The two treatments worked about the same in eliminating symptoms, and exercise was better than medication in keeping depression from recurring.

A Connection to Heart Disease

Depression brings a higher risk of heart disease and exercise improves fitness, of course, and helps lower the risk of both, according to a study published in the JAMA Network.

“Depression doesn’t exist in a vacuum,” said Dr. Madhukar Trivedi, who wrote the report.
“Especially for people who are older, depression has a complicated relationship with other major medical diseases.”

Among the findings:

Fit people are 16 percent less likely to develop depression.
Fit people are 61 percent less likely to die from heart disease.
Even among people with depression, those who are fit have a 56 percent lower risk of dying from heart-related problems.

“Exercise not only reduces your risk of heart disease but also improves your depression, so I really see it as a bonafide treatment related to depression,” said Trivedi.
“I want primary care physicians to prescribe not only antidepressants but also prescribe a dose of exercise for the treatment of depression.”

Serious Issues We Can Fight

Experts say physical activity is usually good for people with AFib, according to WebMD.

“But before you start ramping up your workouts, ask your cardiologist (your heart doctor) if you need any tests.”

The Mayo Clinic says doctors routinely recommend exercise and a healthy diet for patients with AFib. Again, talk to your doctor.

And the American College of Cardiology says:

Studies show that compared with people with AFib who do not exercise, those who do:

have fewer AFib episodes,
go to the hospital less often, and
report better quality of life

As for James’ mom, he’s going with her on doctor appointments, helping her maintain social routines – and encouraging her to exercise.

“These are serious issues,” he says. “But we can fight them.”

See your doctor for more information about depression and heart disease, including AFib.

What is Inversion Therapy?

Terry Cobb

Inversion therapy involves hanging upside down, in a head down position on an inversion platform. In theory, inversion therapy takes gravitational pressure off the nerve roots and disks in your spine and increases the space between vertebrae. Inversion therapy is one example of the many ways in which stretching the spine (spinal traction) has been used in an attempt to relieve back pain.

Some people find traction temporarily helpful as part of a more comprehensive treatment program for lower back pain caused by spinal disk compression. Although it has been helpful to some in easing low back pain, it isn’t safe for everyone. Certain positions, such as the head-down position could be risky for those suffering from high blood pressure, heart disease or glaucoma.

As with any new activity, especially inversion it is a good idea to start slow and stay at very mild angles for the first week or so. Most people will find the 40-45 degree position the angle they will use most often once they acclimate to the table.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER IS NOT TO OVERDO IT. INVERSION IS NOT A “NO PAIN, NO GAIN” SITUATION. AS SOON AS YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE HAD ENOUGH, STOP! THE STRETCHING OF MUSCLES, LIGAMENTS, TENDONS, NERVES, ETC. IS MUCH STRONGER THAN YOU REALIZE WHEN YOU ARE DOING IT ON THE GRAVITY TABLE YOU MAY NOT REALIZE YOU OVER STRETCHED UNTIL THE NEXT MORNING WHEN YOU CANNOT GET OUT OF BED DUE TO A PULLED MUSCLE IN YOUR NECK OR BACK.

Find more information about the cons and pros of inversion therapy.

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