Bodyguards Intensive ProgrammeBodyguards - BootCampBodyguards Healthy Eating Recipes

Toughen up to take Strain out of Age

None of us can hold back the advancing years. And former Newcastle United soccer star, Bobby Moncur, who led the team to their Fairs Cup win way back in 1969, is no exception.

It was a challenge which would have stumped Anneka Rice. "Can you do anything with this dilapidated body," inquired Newcastle soccer legend Bobby Moncur?

Relishing the challenge, personal trainer, Steve Denby, promised: "I can make you a new man."

And it's a challenge we will be following.

To be fair, Bobby is hardly on his last legs. Since hanging up his football boots he's continued to be a familiar face in the gym, but like any 57-year-old, who has played sport for a living, his body has taken many knocks over the years.

"I'm reasonably fit," he admits. "But I've had a lot of injuries. I've got a new knee, a bad ankle, and like a lot of older people I'm creaking at the seams.

"Heart wise, I'm pretty good but I do carry a lot more fat than I should, especially on my stomach and back."

He's also concerned about his balance.

In Britain an estimated 1,000 people die every year after falling on their own stairs others die after falling and breaking a hip.

The majority of victims who survive breaking a hip will never regain full mobility. But in most cases falls can be avoided.

And that's why the NHS Health Promotion Unit has teamed with the Department of Trade and Industry to produce a leaflet filled with advice on how to do just that. It includes tips on keeping in shape, making simple modifications to the home, and keeping bones strong through diet.

The reasons we should continue to exercise are almost infinite, but for older people it is imperative to keep fit, as a strong body helps avoid or cope with a tumble.

Bobby admits that as he's got older he's far more unsure of his mobility and reaction times than he was in his youth.

"As I'm going down the stairs at home I have to concentrate and that's down to a fear of a falling and hurting myself. I also find that if conditions are slippy outside I sometimes lose my co-ordination," he says.

Steve, who runs Bodyguard from a unit in Jesmond House, off Clayton Road, in Newcastle, is not surprised by Bobby's admissions.

Steve specialises in a more elderly clientele, ranging from 50 and above.

Many are referred to him by local physiotherapists and chiropractors.

"The chiropracters and physiotherapists will fix their ailments then refer them to us, because whoever their patient is, they will probably benefit from losing weight and being physically stronger. It's really post rehabilitation."

Steve said: "Other personal trainers are motivators, they'll take you out running. We look at the person's whole alignment. We advise on diet and look at improving strength and mobility. At the same time we will improve the person's confidence and improve reaction time as well."

In Bobby's case, after an appraisal, which takes account of his lifestyle, if he drinks or smokes, body fat, cardiovascular functions, postural strength, functional flexibility and range of motions around his joints, the work to get him into tip top shape begins.

In just three months, if Bobby does as he's told, Steve is confident he will have lost two to three per cent of body fat and will have improved posture and balance, by strengthening his ankles.

Steve says improving fitness needn't be mind-numbingly boring.

"Other exercise regimes tend to do things in blocks, say 20 minutes on the running machine, and then another 20 on the rowing machine.

"But there's no pattern to how we do it. The reason people get bored with their exercise is that they are repetitive. The body needs to be stimulated by different speeds and different resistances.

"We don't put the emphasis on the gym, as to some extent that's unnecessary. We put the stress on the trainer's experience, knowledge and personality."

Bobby experienced this when Steve asked him to do press-ups while keeping his feet on top of the ball.

Steve also swears by a water filled cushion, which his clients balance on, while doing exercises like touching their toes. It's a way of making simple exercises bring other muscles into the equation by making the person unstable.

Steve explains: "They are really integral to the work we do. They provide an unstable base and the person's muscles have to adapt and work twice as hard. They help improve the core abdominals on the mid-section, and if that's strong the rest of the person will be strong."

But exercise needn't be torture. It's often the most simple of exercises that reap the most rewards.

"You can start exercise from your armchair," says Steve, "by rotating your ankles and wrists."

As Steve says, the exercises and advice he recommends are designed to improve reaction time. "Older people have more accidents as they don't move away quickly enough, and that's what we help to improve."

One exercise he recommends for improving reaction is a cross crawl. You raise opposite limbs at the same time.

Another simple exercise, Steve says Bobby should do, is to brush his teeth while standing on one leg.

"These are exercises designed to improve balance, co-ordination and the function of the brain," insists Steve.

And his advice for older people contemplating taking up exercise to improve their strength and reduce the chance of falling is simple. "Have an open and positive attitude. Start by working very gently by doing shoulder rolls. And when you go for a walk rotate your wrists and ankles. They will all help improve your posture. And posture is very important. Poor posture can lead to neck and back pain, dietary problems, and a general feeling of not being well."

Keep up with Bobby's progress over the coming weeks in the Chronicle.

Win some, lose some in body check

Before embarking on the challenge, Bobby was assessed for his all-round physical fitness.

  • Weight: 101.5 kilos.
  • Blood pressure 163 over 101 - borderline to high; not a health risk but not good.
  • Resting heart rate: a very good 60.
  • Lung strength: 600ml per kg - above average.
  • Aerobic capacity (measured) VO2 39.17. Steve gave this a mark of 7.25 out of 10. Recovery rates very efficient.
  • Bobby's body fat percentage is 26.35. Steve said: "The healthy range for an adult male is 10 to 20 per cent. Bobby is over that and scores just 2.75 out of 10.
  • "He's carrying too much body fat; mainly on his stomach and the middle of his back."
  • Balance and stability around joints. Steve said: "His left leg is very unstable and collapses inwards. That's not very good for his knees. The right leg is also unstable."
  • Bobby's general ankle stability is weak and Steve will be looking at strengthening that, as it leaves Bobby at risk of injury and will effect his gait and his knees, which could lead to back pain because of poor posture.
  • About Bobby's posture, Steve said: "The main weakness is his neck. His head is too far forward and his upper back is rounded. His abdomen is protruding which will cause pressure on lower back and all this means is that he's slightly out of alignment."
  • Bobby's upper body endurance is good for his age. He did 20 push-ups before he could not do anymore. Steve scored him 6.5 our of 10.
  • Flexibility. Steve says that Bobby's front of thigh muscles and hip flexes are tight leading him to tilt slightly forward, affecting posture.
  • His quads are also tight, creating imbalance.

But it should be a different story as Bobby embarks on his challenge.

Author
Publication 'Body & Soul' - Evening Chronicle
Date Thursday 28th February, 2002


VAT No. 902673435    Sitemap