How to Age-Proof Your Program Design Without Watering It Down
Age isn’t the limit. I’ve spent more than 16 years helping people over 50 improve longevity—well before it was a trend. Pat Rigsby even told me I might run the strongest solo training business in the country for this group.
My journey started not long into my first job. I was excelling on the sales floor, then I tore my ACL playing a casual game and walked home on it. My friend joked about fetching the car. The setback became a silver lining: I used that time to earn my NASM Corrective Exercise Specialist certification and became the go-to for clients with injuries we could fix. The gym also paid more per session if you had more certifications, so it was a win-win. When I returned, I became the “knee guy.” In a runner-filled city like Austin, that meant I trained a lot of real clients and quickly learned what worked in real life—not just in textbooks.
One day my manager asked me to work with a client who had a back issue. I admitted I hadn’t studied backs much because I’d hurt my knee. He replied, “I know. But I trust you to figure it out.” That moment changed my career.
I found Eric Cressey online—maybe you’ve heard of him? I devoured everything he published and got great results with that client. A shoulder client followed, even farther from knees. Again the same line: “I trust you to figure it out.” So I did.
Eric led me to Tony, Dean Somerset, Mike Robertson, Mike Reinold, Bret Contreras—the modern Mount Rushmore of evidence-based training for adults who don’t want to live in the PT clinic.
The deeper I dove, the more I realized this was it. I didn’t want to coach from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day. I wanted to be the specialist—the tough-but-committed coach who helps adults with past injuries, surgeries, chronic pain, or fear keep moving.
Working with enough people like that makes patterns stand out. Here are five timeless techniques I use with every client over 50 to make progress without breaking down—whether they aim to deadlift their body weight in their 70s or keep jumping in their 70s with Parkinson’s (that’s a true story).
1) Use volume instead of intensity as the overload
Many people stall or get hurt when jumping from a 15-pound dumbbell to a 20-pound one. But you can progress by adding more sets and reps gradually: 1 to 2 to 3 sets, or 8 to 10 reps. The key is building strength through volume, safely.
2) Use range of motion for overload
Most people in their 60s are tighter than a snare drum. Instead of chasing perfect form from day one, let ROM be the progression. Start with RDLs at mid-thigh, then to the knee, then below the knee, then to the floor. Do the same with step-ups or split squats—gain two inches of range each month, and in a year they’ll move with the ease of someone twenty years younger.
3) Use tempo for overload
Time under tension is your friend. Add longer pauses, slower eccentrics, and controlled transitions. It builds control, resilience, and confidence, especially for those who feel fragile.
4) Glutes and abs first. Everything else later
We spend six months prioritizing glutes and the core. Most clients come in with stiff knees and weak glutes that forgot how to contract. My progression goes: Barbell glute bridge → cable pullthrough → RDL → rack pull → trap bar block pull → floor pull, then squats. Throughout, pair every movement with isometric ab work to stabilize the pelvis and build true trunk control.
5) Push with the body, not against it
Choose options that let the shoulder blades move and the body find its own rhythm—pushups, landmines, bands. When they can do a solid pushup, we introduce dumbbells and barbells. I used to see shoulder flare-ups with many clients by week 12; now I can’t remember the last time it happened.
These are five of the tools I use daily. There are many more I could share, and if you’re curious, I cover them all on my blog at StoweTraining.com.
