There is one thing nearly every coach at Dabbs Fitness has in common: we are constantly trying to get our parents to strength train.
Some train with us at Dabbs. Others follow programmes elsewhere. Some embrace it immediately; others require considerably more persuasion. But the message from their sons and daughters is always the same: you need to be doing this.
That may be the greatest endorsement of our training philosophy.
It is easy for a fitness professional to follow their own programme. Training is part of our identity, our work and our daily routine. But our parents are different. They are the people whose health matters most to us, and strength training is the one thing we consistently encourage them to prioritise.
Not because we want them to look a certain way. Not because they need to become athletes. Because we want them to remain capable.
We want them to climb stairs confidently, carry their own shopping, get up from the floor and travel without worrying about whether their body can cope. We want them to retain their balance, strength and independence for as long as possible.
Strength becomes more important with age
Most conversations about exercise focus on losing weight, getting fit or changing how the body looks. As we get older, the purpose becomes much more fundamental.
Muscle mass, strength, power, balance and bone health all become increasingly important. Without a reason to preserve them, these physical qualities gradually decline. Everyday tasks become harder, confidence in movement decreases and the consequences of falls or periods of inactivity become more significant.
Strength training cannot prevent every aspect of ageing. But it can help build a more capable and resilient body.
This does not mean everyone needs to lift enormous weights or train like a professional athlete. It means the body needs an appropriate challenge: learning to squat, push, pull, carry, balance and produce force safely.
The exercises can be adapted. The underlying requirement cannot.
We are training for the life outside the gym
A successful programme for an older adult should not be judged by what happens during a single session. It should be judged by what that person remains able to do everywhere else.
Can they get out of a low chair without using their hands? Can they pick something up from the floor? Can they catch themselves if they lose their balance? Can they carry a suitcase, play with their grandchildren or continue enjoying the sport and travel that make life meaningful?
These abilities can easily be taken for granted, until they begin to disappear.
That is why we see strength training as preparation for life. The gym provides a controlled environment in which we can safely practise and develop the physical qualities that everyday life demands.
A split squat is not simply a leg exercise. It develops the strength and stability needed to climb stairs and recover balance.
A deadlift is not about lifting the heaviest possible bar. It teaches someone to produce force safely when picking something up.
Loaded carries are not merely conditioning. They prepare the body to carry bags, move objects and maintain posture under load.
The training has to connect to something real.
Good coaching matters
Many parents understand that they should exercise. The problem is knowing what to do.
Walking is excellent, but it does not provide every stimulus the body needs. Random exercises copied from social media are rarely a coherent plan. Large group classes may not account for previous injuries, confidence levels or individual ability. Ironically, these points apply to all people of all ages — it just matters more when you’re older.
This is where coaching becomes particularly valuable.
Good strength and conditioning starts with the person in front of you: their training history, health, movement, goals and current capacity. Early progress might be better technique, more range of motion or simply feeling steadier. Not necessarily more weight.
The objective is not to exhaust someone. It is to build them.
It is also, frankly, why our parents ended up in gyms rather than on exercise bikes in spare rooms. A coach knows that generic advice will not get a seventy-year-old squatting safely, and knows precisely how much is being left on the table when it is not done properly. That knowledge is difficult to keep to yourself when it is your own mother.
It is never too late to start
One of the most damaging beliefs around ageing is that becoming weaker is simply something we must accept.
Ageing changes the body, but it does not remove its ability to learn and adapt. Someone does not need decades of training experience to begin benefiting from a properly structured programme.
The starting point simply needs to be appropriate.
For one person, that might mean learning to sit down and stand up with control. For another, it might involve loaded squats, deadlifts and sled work. Both are strength training. Both can progress.
The goal is not to compare a 65-year-old beginner with somebody who has trained throughout their life. It is to help that individual become stronger and more capable than they are today.
The people we care about most
At Dabbs Fitness, we talk about bringing the principles of professional sport to everyday people.
That does not mean treating everyone like an elite athlete. It means giving them the same level of thought: proper assessment, intelligent programming, expert coaching and a clear reason behind what they do.
Our parents may be the clearest example of why that matters.
We do not encourage them to strength train because it is our business. We encourage them because we understand what strength can protect: confidence, capability, freedom and independence.
We want them to enjoy longer lives, certainly. But more importantly, we want those years to remain active and full.
That is what strength training is ultimately for.
And if it is the training we insist upon for the people we love most, it is the standard of training we believe everybody deserves.
