Ady Watts - The Personal Training Gym

Maybe this summer you’ve played 18 holes and still had energy afterwards. Got back on the tennis court. Cycled further than you expected.

Or maybe you've spent hours in the garden or kept up with the kids and grandkids.

Or perhaps some of those things have felt harder than you expected.

Fitness isn’t just about how much weight you can lift or how fast you can run. It’s about having the strength, fitness and confidence to keep doing the things you enjoy.

And if you've noticed certain things becoming more difficult, that doesn't mean you need to avoid them.
It might be a sign that your body needs better preparation for them.

That’s exactly why we train.

To keep saying yes to life outside the gym.

Balance isn’t really about standing on one leg. And it isn’t just about stopping yourself from falling.

It’s about:

Reducing your risk of injury
Continuing to play the sports you enjoy
Maintaining your joint health
Climbing stairs confidently
Playing with the kids and grandkids

That’s why we spend time training on one leg.

Small exercises like these help build the balance, strength and control you need for everyday life.

We don’t train balance for balance’s sake.

We train it so you can keep doing the things you want to do, for as long as possible.

At 71, Sue came into her 6 Week Trial feeling nervous and unsure whether the gym would be for her.

Six weeks later? A very different story.

Supported, encouraged and welcomed from day one.

If you’ve been thinking about getting stronger but aren’t sure where to start, our 6 Week Trial is designed to help you take that first step.

Find out more about the 6 Week Trial today.

It is easy to think that the benefits of strength training only last while you are doing it.

But this is one of the reasons strength training is such a valuable investment in later life.

A recent long-term study followed adults around retirement age after a one-year supervised strength-training programme.

Four years after the study began and three years after the supervised training had finished, the group who had completed heavy resistance training had broadly maintained their leg strength.

Meanwhile, the moderate-training and non-training groups had declined.

That does not mean one year in the gym is a free pass for life.

We still need to move, train and look after ourselves consistently.

But it is an encouraging reminder that the strength you build is not simply “used up” when you leave the gym.

It can help preserve capability for the things that matter: getting up from the floor, carrying shopping, climbing hills, travelling well, playing with grandchildren and continuing to do the activities you enjoy.

You are not just training for today.

You are building a stronger reserve for the years ahead.

Study: Bloch-Ibenfeldt M et al. “Heavy resistance training at retirement age induces 4-year lasting beneficial effects in muscle strength: a long-term follow-up of an RCT.” BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, 2024.

After a serious back injury, Laura had lost strength, independence and understandably, confidence in what her body could do.

Almost a year on, strength training has helped Laura feel more capable, less anxious about movement and better equipped to manage flare-ups when they happen.

But perhaps the biggest change is what that strength has given her outside the gym.

“I started to feel like I could live my life again, not just survive it.”

Strength training isn’t only about what you can lift in the gym. It’s about building the confidence and capacity to do more in everyday life.

If you’re unsure where to start, our 6 Week Trial gives you the chance to experience our approach with the support of our coaching team.

For many years, the accepted advice for very old or frail people was simple:

Take it easy.
Don’t lift anything heavy.
Try not to hurt yourself.

In 1990, researchers at Tufts University decided to test that assumption.

They recruited ten frail people living in a care facility. Their average age was 90, and some were as old as 96.

This wasn’t gentle movement or light stretching. They completed eight weeks of supervised, progressive resistance training.

Nine completed the programme.
Their strength increased by an average of 174%. The size of their thigh muscles increased by 9%, and their walking speed improved by 48%.

It was a very small study, so we should be careful about applying the precise figures to everyone.

But the message remains remarkably powerful.

Even in our 90s, muscle can still respond when it is challenged appropriately.

That doesn’t mean everyone should immediately start lifting heavy weights. The right starting point depends on your health, experience and current ability. Good coaching and sensible progression matter.

But age alone isn’t a reason to give up on becoming stronger.

Strength can help you continuing to play the sport you love, keeping you involved in your social circle, make it easier to get out in the garden and walk your favourite hill.

It may change how you feel about yourself too!

Perhaps the question isn’t whether you are too old to get strong.

Perhaps it is what becoming stronger would allow you to keep doing.

Source: Fiatarone et al., High-Intensity Strength Training in Nonagenarians, JAMA, 1990.

"It's not the load that's the issue. It's the load you're not prepared for."

We hear "it's just wear and tear" all the time.

After a long walk.
After a day in the garden.
After lifting something heavy.

But aches and pains don't automatically mean your body is wearing out.

Our muscles, tendons and joints are designed to adapt. When we gradually expose them to the right amount of movement and strength training, they become better prepared for the demands of everyday life.

The goal isn't to avoid doing the things you enjoy.
It's to prepare your body so you can keep doing them.

That's exactly what we help people do every day at Ady Watts.