Senior and Older Adult Fitness Training Certification (SFOA)

Specialist in Fitness for Older Adults Certification(SFOA)

By the year 2030, the number of Americans over the age of 65 will grow to over 63 million. This group now constitutes the fastest growing segment of our population.

Each year, hundreds of men and women in their seventies, eighties and nineties who participate in marathons and triathlons dispel the old belief that sickness and deterioration are a necessary part of the aging process. Scientific evidence accumulates daily, proving that with regular exercise, older adults can experience good health and vitality for the duration of their lives. Study after study has shown that seniors are not only capable of strenuous exercise, but can vastly improve their health, strength, mobility and independence, using exercise as a tool.

Now, after several years of intensive preparation, the ISSA has brought together some of the finest minds in fitness training science to create a breakthrough senior fitness certification program for personal trainers who wish to work with older adults. While this burgeoning segment of the personal training market constitutes a lucrative opportunity, the real value is in the joy you'll experience in changing people's lives.

Included in the Specialist in Fitness for Older Adults course

• Specialist in Fitness for Older Adults: The Complete Guide (214 pages)
• SFOA Curriculum Guide to enhance your knowledge
• BIOMarkers - The 10 Keys to Prolonging Vitality, by Dr. William Evans & Dr. Irwin H. Rosenberg, MD—Professors of Nutrition and Medicine at Tufts University (297 page soft-bound book)
• Exercise Programming for Older Adults (108 page soft-bound book)

20 Years of Personal Training Certification

Since 1988, the ISSA has certified and provided continuing fitness education to nearly 100,000 people just like you who want to help others feel better, look better and improve the quality of their lives.

We are unconditionally committed to providing expanded access to the highest quality personal training certification and continuing fitness education programs available, advancing our industry as a whole, and developing greater access to career opportunities for those who share our vision of Creating a Stronger, Healthier World™.

Try our Career Calculator to calculate how much extra money you could earn this year by turning your passion for fitness into profit as a personal trainer with just a few clients a week.

ISSA Specialist in Fitness for Older Adults Study Options

It all starts with home study materials. Our course is self-paced, so you can take as much or as little time as you need to complete it, up to two years. The home study materials you receive are all that is necessary to pass your exam. We also provide one-on-one toll-free phone support Monday through Friday to our students at no additional charge.

Enhance Your Studies With Online Learning

We also provide the ability to enhance your home studies with online learning at no additional charge. ISSAtrainer.com, our exclusive members-only site, includes interactive quizzes, online educational support, as well as audio muscle and supplement glossaries (so that you know how to pronounce the new terms you learn) and a video exercise library that demonstrates proper form for some of the most common and most effective strength exercises.

You receive both the home study materials and online access when you enroll in ISSA.

ISSA Specialist in Fitness for Older Adults Certification Exam

Your final examination consists of five parts:

• SECTION I: The first part of your SFOA Examination is worth 30 points and consists of 30 anatomy questions (1 point each)
• SECTION II: The second part of your SFOA Examination is worth 105 points and consists of 30 short answer questions.
• SECTION III: 3 case studies (worth 25 points each)
• SECTION IV: 5 long essays (worth 20 points each)
• SECTION V: References (10 points)

How long does it take to complete the certification?

You have up to two years from the date of enrollment to complete your course. However, you may complete the course as quickly or as slowly as you would like within that 2 year period.

Help us Create a Stronger, Healthier World.™

Enroll Online or call us toll free at 800-892-4772 to speak with one of our enrollment representatives.

Student Support

We are most proud of the fact that ISSA's personal training course offerings do not just begin and end with a book and a piece of paper. While we are committed to providing top-quality course materials to potential fitness trainers, our course offerings do not stop there.

We also provide unlimited one-on-one support to all ISSA students as they study for their personal training certification exam—both online and LIVE via our toll-free help line—at no additional cost.

But, best of all, the ISSA's support doesn't end once you pass your exam. Included with your course fee is unlimited access to our ISSAtrainer.com web site, where you can access hundreds of job listings, ISSA exclusive opportunities and discounts, and our online forum where you can post client or business challenges and receive guidance from members of the ISSA family worldwide.

And access to this site is available for as long as you remain an ISSA personal trainer in good standing.

Specialist in Fitness for Older Adults: Table of Contents

Section 1 - Age and Exercise

Chapter 1: Introduction

• Grow Well, Not old
• Age is No Excuse for Infirmity

Chapter 2: Biomarkers

• Common Biomarkers of aging
• Gerontology
• Theories o Aging
• Life Span/Metabolic Theory
• Programmed and Metabolic Theories
• Extrinsic and Error Theories

Chapter 3: Physiology of Aging

• Lungs
• Heart
• Brain
• Kidneys
• Body Fat
• Muscle
• Sight
• Hearing
• Personality
• Gender Issues and Aging
• Men's Health
• Women's Health

Chapter 4: Healthy Aging and The Positive Influence of Exercise

• Cardiovascular System
• Vascular Adaptations to Training
• Blood Pressure
• Heart Disease
• Cardiovascular Training
• Benefits Seen in the Cardiovascular System
• Benefits Seen in the Respiratory System
• Musculoskeletal System and Exercise
• Skeletal System
• Studies on Bone Density in Women
• Mobility, Flexibility, and Posture
• Posture
• Muscular System
• Sarcopenia
• Muscle Mass and Strength
• Benefits Seen in the Skeletal System
• Benefits Seen in the Muscular System
• Body Composition
• Benefits Seen in Body Composition
• Nervous System
• Mental Capacity
• Mental Flexibility
• Mental Health
• Benefits Seen in the Brain

Section 2 - Chronic Conditions

Chapter 5 – Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Conditions

• Overview
• Cardiovascular Conditions
• Cardiac Rehabilitation
• Hypertension
• Hyperlipidemia
• Peripheral Vascular Disease
• Pulmonary Conditions
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
• Asthma

Chapter 6 – Neurological Conditions and Other Chronic Conditions

• Acquired Brain Injury
• The Brain
• Aphasia
• CVA
• Diabetes
• Arthritis
• Questions and Answers
• Rotator Cuff Injuries

Chapter 7 – Sensory Disorders

• Hearing Disorders
• Visual Impairments
• Summary

Section 3 – Programming

Chapter 8 –Programming for Strength

• Strength Training Guidelines
• Phases of a Strength Program
• About Strength Exercises
• Exercises
• Frequency and Intensity
• Safety
• Progressing
• Guidelines for Conducting a Safe Program

Chapter 9 – Programming for Flexibility

• Optimal Conditions for Eliciting a Stretch
• Active Stretching
• Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation
• Stretches

Chapter 10 – Cardiovascular Programming and Assessments

• Programming for Cardiovascular Endurance
• Ergometers and Activities
• Borg Scale
• Intensity of Exercise – Target Heart Rate
• Safety
• Progressing
• Moderate Activities
• Vigorous Activities
• Assessments and Considerations
• Health History Questionnaire
• Assessments for Cardiovascular Endurance
• Assessments for Muscular Strength
• Assessments for Flexibility

Chapter 11 – Controversial Exercises: Do's and Don'ts

• Controversial Exercises
• Exercises to Eliminate
• Special Precautions to be Aware of with Older Adults
• Facts and Contraindications
• Common Questions
• Fads to Avoid
• Summary

Section 4 – Motivation and Teaching

Chapter 12 - Motivation the Older Adult

• Knowledge as a Motivator
• A Different Era
• Socialization
• Goal Setting
• Reasons for Resistance to Exercise

Chapter 13 – Effective Teaching

• How to Teach the Older Adult
• General Principles of Learning
• Instructional Strategies
• Visual Domain
• Auditory Domain
• Kinesthetic Domain 179 Behaviors of Effective Teachers
• Professional Conduct of Teachers of Older Adults
• Teaching Tips for Working with Older Adults

Chapter 14 – Marketing 183

• Where the Seniors Are
• What to Do
• Employer versus Independent Contractor
• Where is the Greatest Financial Opportunity?
• The Trainer as a Business Person

References

Glossary

Index

Course Authors & Advisors

Dr. Karl Knopf - Author

Dr. Knopf is the co-author of the ISSA Specialist in Fitness for Older Adults Certification program. He began his teaching career at Foothill College in Los Altos, California in 1976 as the coordinator of Adapted Physical Education. The program has evolved into the largest in California. Dr. Knopf has been instrumental in developing programs for mature adults, persons with arthritis and chronic pain, persons with disabilities, and the developmentally delayed. He has written three books: Water Workouts, Fitness Over Fifty, and his most recent, Senior Fitness for the ISSA. Dr. Knopf has been writing, consulting and speaking professionally throughout his career and is a frequent guest on television and radio talk shows. Since 1986 he has been a consultant with Stanford School of Medicine for older adult research projects and is a recent recipient of the respected NISOD, Excellence in Teaching Award. The ISSA is proud to have Dr. Knopf join our growing staff and lend his expertise in the field of Adaptive Physical Education and Older Adult Fitness.

Bob Delmonteque, ND - Advisor

For the past 50 years, master trainer Bob Delmonteque has helped tens of thousands of people achieve proven, dramatic results with his celebrated training method that combines expert training advice and sound nutritional counseling. Delmonteque’s no-nonsense approach to physical conditioning and weight loss has worked miracles for Hollywood stars such as John Wayne, Errol Flynn, and contemporary stars like Matt Dillon. He also trained the original Apollo astronauts.

Delmonteque has owned and operated over 500 health clubs and is currently the technical advisor to some of the most renowned names in the fitness industry. He is also the senior model and technical advisor for California's largest health club chain.

Delmonteque has become synonymous with fitness for older adults and is America’s premier senior fitness consultant. He is in his late-70s and still runs marathons, cycles 120 miles at a time, and bench presses over 250 pounds.

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