“I am stronger, no longer struggle to carry bags of mulch or the five gallons of gas for the lawnmower, my urinary incontinence is nearly gone, and I’ve lost about six pounds which has allowed me to wear my ‘skinny’ jeans again”
That’s the feedback one member of Bone Builders gives when asked about her experience in the past eight months of participating in the small group strength training class at Elite Fitness in Lisbon. The program, run by doctor of physical therapy, Becca Fetter of Ability Physical Therapy in Mount Vernon, is targeted to post-menopausal women with the goal of improving their bone density, muscle strength, and balance.
“Many ‘senior’ exercise classes focus on a lot of sitting exercises and lifting light weights, which is great — if that’s challenging for you. But for many people that just isn’t going to be enough to challenge them to get stronger. To truly gain strength, we need to apply what’s called ‘progressive overload’, meaning, you have to lift more than you did the week or month before. These women have absolutely blown me away by how strong they are, with many of them being able to lift 100 or more pounds off the ground in just a few months of class” says Dr. Fetter. “And by doing this in a supervised environment, a lot of focus on form before lifting heavy, it’s been very safe, with no injuries to any of the participants.”
One of the things that can hold people back from joining a group like this is often fear. Fear of not knowing what to do, of getting hurt, that you won’t be able to do things because of prior injuries.
“No reason to fear; our instructor, being a physical therapist, can structure exercises that you can do successfully and comfortably,” said Janet Griffith, participant since May 2022. “And EVERYONE in this demographic has some body part that doesn’t work well: it’s just a question of which one, and adaptations can be made.”
“Bone Builders opens a lane to exercise emphasizing lifting and balance to those of us who start out leery of any heavy lifting led by Becca who is knowledgeable and so encouraging. It’s great! We all hate to ever miss,” said Nancy Hinrichs.
Aside from the physical benefits, the women have seen other improvements in life as well. “I have gained confidence in other areas of my life. It actually helps with negative thoughts and depression when you challenge and work out your body. I show other people the videos of me squatting and deadlifting and they are amazed that a 60+ woman can lift weights like this. It’s encouraging to others.” said participant Susan Hoyler.
Bone Builders classes are held at 8am and 9am on Tuesdays and Fridays, with class size limited to eight participants to allow for individual attention. Cost is $110/month. Contact Becca at [email protected] or call Ability in Mount Vernon at 319-895-8655 with questions or to join the class.