Healthy Ageing Foundations: Practitioner Skills for Clients 45+ is an evidence-informed professional development course for fitness professionals working with adults aged 45 years and over. The course is designed to build practitioner confidence, improve decision-making and support safe, effective exercise programming for ageing clients in real-world fitness settings.
As the 45+ population grows, fitness professionals are increasingly required to work with clients who present with greater physiological, lifestyle, and recovery complexity. Healthy Ageing Foundations addresses the gap between traditional fitness qualifications and the realities of working with ageing bodies, helping practitioners understand how age-related changes influence movement, load tolerance, recovery, and long-term training outcomes.
This course introduces a practitioner-minded, whole-person approach to healthy ageing. Participants learn how to assess and adapt exercise while remaining within professional scope, using evidence-informed principles rather than clinical protocols. Key areas include understanding age-related change, managing training risk, supporting recovery, and communicating clearly and confidently with clients aged 45+.
Healthy Ageing Foundations focuses on practical application, not theory alone. Fitness professionals gain tools to modify programs, progress safely and respond to common age-related considerations such as hormonal change, joint health, chronic conditions and fluctuating capacity. The course supports practitioners to move beyond fear-based programming and deliver higher-quality outcomes for ageing clients through informed, professional practice.
What You'll learn
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
Understand why clients aged 45+ present with increased physiological, lifestyle, and recovery complexity
Identify common age-related changes that influence training outcomes, safety, and progression
Apply practitioner-minded thinking to exercise selection, load management, and communication
Adapt programs confidently for common age-related considerations (e.g. menopause, sarcopenia, joint changes, chronic conditions)
Communicate with clarity and confidence when working with ageing clients and allied health professionals
Stay firmly within professional scope while delivering higher-quality, client-centred outcomes
Course Curriculum
Module 1: Foundations of Healthy Ageing (45+)
Introduces the realities of ageing beyond midlife, including why adults aged 45+ present with greater physiological and lifestyle complexity. Establishes shared language and a whole-person lens for working confidently with ageing clients.
Module 2: What Changes With Age – And Why It Matters
Explores key biological and functional changes associated with ageing, including strength, muscle mass, bone health, joint capacity, and recovery. Focuses on how these changes influence exercise selection, load management, and progression.
Module 3: Lifestyle, Recovery & Capacity
Examines the impact of sleep, stress, nutrition, hormonal change, and life demands on training outcomes for clients aged 45+. Supports practitioners to recognise reduced recovery tolerance and adjust programs accordingly.
Module 4: Common Age-Related Considerations in Fitness Settings
Provides practical guidance for working safely with common age-related considerations such as menopause, sarcopenia, osteoarthritis, and chronic conditions — without crossing into diagnosis or treatment.
Module 5: Practitioner-Minded Program Design
Applies whole-person thinking to exercise programming, progression, regression, and session structure. Emphasises decision-making, risk awareness, and adapting training to fluctuating capacity.
Module 6: Communication, Confidence & Professional Scope
Builds confidence in client communication, professional boundaries, and collaboration with allied health. Reinforces scope of practice, referral awareness, and clear practitioner language when working with ageing clients.
Who This Course Is For
This course is ideal for:
Personal Trainers
Group Fitness Instructors
Strength & Conditioning Coaches
Professionals working with, or moving into, the 45+ demographic
It is particularly suited to professionals who feel confident delivering exercise, but want greater clarity and confidence when age-related complexity begins to emerge.
CPDs/Certification
This course is designed for professional development and CPD recognition
CPD points/CECs are applicable through recognised fitness industry bodies (pending or approved, depending on registration)
A Certificate of Completion is issued upon successful completion of all modules and assessments
(Note: This is a non-clinical, educational course and does not qualify participants to diagnose or treat medical conditions.)
Requirements
Current or aspiring fitness professional
Basic understanding of exercise programming principles
Internet-enabled device to access online course materials
No prior experience working specifically with older adults is required.
