A few minutes after 7 in the morning at the Downtown Athletic Club, Mike Zappa was doing pushups from a modified position -- extremely modified.

	Darrell Sapp/Post-Gazette photos
	Trainer Tiffany Bender keeps an eye on Mike Zappa's form as he grits through his chin-ups at the Downtown Athletic Club.

His hands were atop a balance ball and his feet on the floor, adding a test of balance and core stability to the traditional demands of strength and endurance.

After pushups, came lateral raises with 12-pound dumbbells while he tood on a bosu ball (half a balance ball with a flat bottom), chest presses with 35-pound dumbbells, more lateral raises, lateral body pull-ups, single arm rows with a 30-pound dumbbell, more pull-ups and rows, then some variations on catch with heavy medicine balls. During the latter he stood with the rounded part of the bosu ball touching the floor, meaning he had to fight constantly with his core muscles to keep from tipping the ball and himself over.

"He's the most high-energy person in the gym," said Tiffany Bender, his personal trainer. Perhaps one of its fittest, too. Not bad considering that the Allegheny West resident -- CEO of Baker Young Real Estate Corp., and a professional race car driver -- will be 56 in about two months.

But he's not the only active Downtown Athletic Club member also old enough to carry an AARP card.

"One is going to be 90 next month, and she comes in with one in her late 80s," said Bender, the club's program and fitness director. "We have a couple males in their late 70s." Of the club's 700 members, 174 are over 50.

They're among a growing group of seniors across the nation who are deciding not to go gentle into that good night but instead work hard at getting as physically fit as possible and staying that way for as long as possible.

And for 1.5 million of them, according to American Sports Data passed on by the International Council on Active Aging, that means hiring personal trainers like Bender.

It is not, however, a step to be taken lightly because a trainer not skilled in the needs of the aging can do more harm than good. Before signing any contracts, clients should shop around to find a trainer who can meet all their physical, financial and even social needs.

"If we looked at . . . people 65-plus for a minute," said Colin Milner, ICAA's chief executive officer, "85 percent of them would have some sort of chronic health condition, so the question is: Are the people training them able to meet the needs of those with osteoporosis, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease?"

New Jersey-based Dottie Drake, a registered nurse and personal trainer certified by International Sports Science Association, has seen the results of those who don't in operating and franchising Miracles Fitness, health clubs geared to baby boomers, seniors, women and the deconditioned.

"I had a guy come in who said I've got to get my heart rate to 140 because my old trainer said I had to get it up to 140," Drake said.

Core training with a ball for strength and balanceis part of Zappa's workout with Bender.

The man was on drugs to keep his heart rate low, so that was dangerous advice.

"If you're on beta blockers heart medicine, your heart rate is never going to be over 100," Drake said. "This is the kind of guy who drops dead on the treadmill because the trainer didn't know the man was on heart-slowing medication.

"Trainers traditionally have catered to young, healthy people. Now they're addressing a whole lot of older people. We're assuming they know how to treat us and they don't."

Milner explained, "The general certification program [for personal trainers] doesn't cover [things like] that. They need to get into more specialized training," offered, for example, by the American Council on Exercise.

Some personal trainers also take college courses.

Bender got her bachelor's degree in gerontology from California University of Pennsylvania. Jerry Cukauskas, a personal trainer at The Rivers Club, minored in the same subject while getting his bachelor's in exercise science at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania.

"I deal a lot with high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke. I have post-cancer patients," Cukauskas said. "You need to do a total health history, a whole background. I do not normally confer with doctors. If there's an issue, I'll get a number and call. But doctors usually tell these people 'get your butts to the gym.' "

Retired attorney Jack Doherty, 70, of Greentree City, said both his doctors are happy he has been working with Cukauskas for 10 years.

"I didn't have [physical issues] when I first started. I went with him because I had reached the ripe old age of 60 and I wanted to continue with a physical program," Doherty said. "I used to do a lot of running but I couldn't do it as I got on into my 60s.

"Then I developed Parkinson's disease and it affected my gait a little bit and we worked on that."

Last August, Doherty suffered a stroke, but because he was in good condition, the resulting disability wasn't as grave as it could have been. He is continuing to work with Cukauskas to strengthen his left side.

While academic and certification background and experience working with seniors -- the ICAA recommends a minimum two years -- are probably the most important qualifications to look for, there are many other factors to be considered. The ICAA, in fact, has a 25-item checklist for seniors to use in finding a trainer. (See below.)

Zappa was feeling his age a bit when he decided to switch trainers and interviewed and hired Bender for the job. He also was recovering from knee and shoulder injuries.

"My joints ached. I was aging before my time, and I'm trying to delay that," said Zappa, who does 24-hour endurance racing and drives vintage and prototypes, or sports, racers.

"I asked what kind of program she was proposing. I was looking for couple of things: Weight loss, stamina and better core strength. Age is directly connected to the driving. Your joints become a little sore as you get older and I wanted to make sure I don't put as much stress on my joints.

"I also asked her for a time frame -- when I'd be in condition to feel good. She said six months. She was right about it.

"She strengthened my core and smaller muscles around the joints. I don't have joint pain anymore. I have better balance, better control and stamina."

For Zappa, doing an interview to find a new trainer more geared to his personal needs made all the difference.

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Trainer Checklist

Examples from the ICAA Age-Friendly Personal Trainer Checklist Look for a trainer who has mostly "yes" answers

Experience

Does the trainer have at least two years of experience?

Does that include experience training clients my age?

Will the exercise program be based on an individual assessment of my goals, abilities and health status?

Education

Does the trainer have education in exercise sciences and program design?

Is there specific education in gerontology or the changes that occur as people age?

Does the trainer have a personal training certification?

Does the trainer feel that you should "work through" pain you feel during exercise? (The answer should be "no.")

Personality

The trainer has told me what to expect from the sessions.

The trainer seems to have a sense of humor and personality that I like.

Business practices

The costs of the session are clearly stated.

There is a cancellation policy I understand.

The trainer will give me references to past clients.

For more information from the ICAA about its age-friendly products and services, visit its Web site at www.icaa.cc.