Personal training for people over 40

The Right Fit is a personal training business with four studios in Auckland: Epsom, Ponsonby, Takapuna and Remuera. A large share of our clients are over 40, and much of how we train has been built around them.

Somewhere around 40, training tends to fall off. Work gets heavier, kids need you, injuries take longer to clear, and the gym starts to feel like somewhere you used to go.

It is also the decade where training starts paying its biggest dividends.

Why training matters more after 40, not less

From around 30 onwards you lose muscle steadily unless you are actively working against it, and that loss picks up speed with age. Bone density follows a similar curve, particularly for women through perimenopause and after.

This is one of the more reversible things in health. Not slowed, reversed. People in their 50s, 60s and 70s build strength and bone in response to training, and faster than most expect.

What strength training does

Builds and protects muscle. The most effective defence there is against age-related muscle loss, which underpins nearly everything else here.

Loads your bones. In the LIFTMOR trial published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research in 2018, post-menopausal women with low bone mass did twice-weekly, 30-minute supervised sessions of heavy resistance and impact training for eight months. Bone density in the spine and hip improved, and researchers recorded no serious training-related injuries, in a group normally advised to avoid heavy loading altogether.

Supports sore joints. Counter-intuitive, but strengthening the muscles around an arthritic knee or hip is first-line care. The 2019 American College of Rheumatology and Arthritis Foundation guidelines strongly recommend exercise for knee and hip osteoarthritis, ahead of most other options.

Keeps you independent. Stairs, shopping, grandkids, getting off the floor. This is the one people mention years later.

What cardio and nutrition support add

• Lower blood pressure, better cholesterol, reduced type 2 diabetes risk

• Higher aerobic fitness, one of the strongest single predictors of how long and how well you live

• Enough protein to hold onto the muscle you are building, with support from our on-site nutritionist

• Weight management that does not cost you muscle, which is the flaw in most diets after 40

How much is enough

New Zealand's Ministry of Health guidelines recommend muscle-strengthening activity on at least two days a week alongside regular aerobic activity. For people 65 and over, the guidance is two muscle-strengthening sessions plus three flexibility and balance sessions weekly.

Most of our 40+ clients train two or three times a week.

What your first month looks like

Week one, we find out where you actually are. A conversation about what you want, what hurts, what you have tried, and what your week realistically allows. Then a movement assessment. No fitness test, no leaderboard, nobody watching.

Weeks two and three, you learn the movements. Light loads, lots of coaching. The goal is that you leave knowing what you are doing and why, not that you leave wrecked.

Week four, we start adding load. By now the pattern is familiar and sessions get progressively harder in a way you can feel but sustain.

You will be matched with one trainer who works with you consistently. Sessions run 30 minutes, one-on-one, two-on-one, or online.

Who you will be working with

All our trainers hold Cert IV and Cert V in Fitness or an exercise science degree, and complete our own internal training and assessment before working with any client. You will be matched with one trainer rather than passed around.

What it costs

Personal training starts from $75 per session, and two-on-one from $95. New clients also pay a one-off $199 starter fee, which covers your first programming session with your trainer plus two sessions with our nutritionist.

Your package includes access to all four studios, all group fitness classes, a complete training plan and nutritional support. No lock-in contract and no minimum term.

Full detail is on our pricing page.

Our guarantee

Follow your programme completely for the first eight weeks and if you do not achieve the results we agreed on, we will refund your money and give you $500 for your time.

What our clients say

Joining The Right Fit has been one of the best decisions we've ever made. Don't let age be an excuse. Start where you are, stay consistent, and trust the process. Having a supportive team around you makes all the difference. Remember, health is wealth.

— Elenita and Eduardo

Common questions

I haven't trained in years. Is that a problem?

No. It is the most common way people arrive here. We assume no prior experience and build from wherever you are on day one.

I'm too old to start, aren't I?

No. Strength and bone respond to training at every age studied, including in people well into their seventies and eighties. Starting later means less lifetime benefit, not none.

I have arthritis. Should I really be lifting weights?

Usually yes, and it is often the single most useful thing you can do. International treatment guidelines recommend exercise, including strengthening work, as first-line care for knee and hip osteoarthritis. Talk to your GP first, then tell us what they said and we will programme around it.

I'm post-menopausal and worried about my bones. What should I be doing?

Loaded, progressive resistance training. Walking and swimming are good for you but they do not load bone enough to change density. See your GP about a DEXA scan if you have not had one, then bring us the result.

How often do I need to come in?

Two to three sessions a week is where most of our 40+ clients sit, and it meets the national guidelines.

Do I need to get fit before I start?

No. That is what starting is for.

Which studio should I go to?

Whichever is closest. Epsom, Ponsonby, Takapuna or Remuera.

We also run strength training for teenagers from thirteen.

The research behind this page

Watson SL, Weeks BK, Weis LJ, Harding AT, Horan SA, Beck BR (2018). High-Intensity Resistance and Impact Training Improves Bone Mineral Density and Physical Function in Postmenopausal Women With Osteopenia and Osteoporosis: The LIFTMOR Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, 33(2), 211–220. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jbmr.3284

American College of Rheumatology / Arthritis Foundation (2019). Guideline for the Management of Osteoarthritis of the Hand, Hip and Knee. https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2021/0115/p120.html

Ministry of Health (2013). Guidelines on Physical Activity for Older People (aged 65 years and over). https://www.health.govt.nz/publications/guidelines-on-physical-activity-for-older-people-aged-65-years-and-over