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Tag: Arthritis

Featured Member: Ali Chase Hassan

Posted on by Jordan Thomson CPT
The Perfect Workout member Ali and her dog

Ali Chase Hassan’s balance and strength were wavering as she approached her 70th birthday so she decided to treat herself to the ultimate birthday present. The gift of better health. Here is her story…

Before joining The Perfect Workout, Ali wanted to improve her overall health and strength.

“I felt unsteady, winded at times, and wanted to improve my joints where I could feel my arthritis.”

But motivation to stay consistent and lack of know-how were challenges for Ali, so she tried a new approach.

“I did research, talked to friends and other exercise places, and self-talk in determining my priority was better strength.”

All of which lead her to The Perfect Workout. Now, after routine workouts with her Personal Trainers at the West Plano studio, Ali:

  • Can walk further distances than before
  • Increased her energy levels
  • Strengthened her hands (which was part of her goal to improve her arthritic joints)
  • Toned up her arms and abs

But her biggest achievement so far has been lowering her LDL cholesterol from 125 to 58 in 4 months… the same exact time-frame she’s been with The Perfect Workout.

“The Perfect Workout is hard but you feel great. The trainers are so great and kind, but more importantly they are right there with you, and can correct poor form or other problems immediately so you are being effective and not developing any bad habits!

I feel better, stronger, steadier, and healthier. I always feel better after a session.”

If you are new to The Perfect Workout, try a FREE workout with us.

We know strength training is important, but nutrition is also a huge piece of your wellbeing. If you'd like help learning how to implement these new habits alongside your workouts, schedule a Nutrition Intro session today! Email [email protected] to get started.

Member Feature Georgette Silver

Posted on by Jordan Thomson CPT

Member Feature Georgette Silver

Member Feature Georgette Silver

Georgette enjoying a hike

Georgette, 68, found herself 20 pounds heavier as a result of the pandemic. She wanted to get in shape for her daughter's wedding, but with a slough of orthopedic problems, Georgette knew she couldn't do traditional high impact exercises like running or jumping. She found an exercise method that would be ideal for her joints. The only thing she needed was someone to help her do them safely. Here is her story…

“Because of the pandemic, I'd become very sedentary. I’d put on about 20 pounds and my body stiffened up. I have osteoporosis, arthritis, my left knee is bone-on-bone, I've had a rotator cuff repair on the left shoulder, acromioplasty, and a hip replacement.

I've always been into fitness, but I needed to go easy, and exercises that are very high impact are not appropriate at this point in my life.

My goal was to exercise without hurting myself, and to build muscular infrastructure so that I could put off surgery as long as possible.

When I came to The Perfect Workout, I knew this was the workout for me.

I like that it is very medically oriented. I feel like the trainers really care about me as a person and don’t want me to get hurt, but still see how far they can push me.

It's very encouraging. If I were doing this alone, I don't think I could do it.”

image of Georgette preparing a healthy meal

Increasing her ability to move was a big goal for Georgette, and since joining The Perfect Workout, she’s been able to see and feel significant improvements.

“The Perfect Workout has given me more range of motion. I have a lot more range of motion on my legs, (especially that left knee) I can now extend all the way out which I couldn’t when I started. I have noticed that my arms and core have become a lot stronger too.

I love to go hiking, dancing and taking my dog for walks, and this workout has given me more endurance, muscular strength, and balance to do those things.

Since joining The Perfect Workout, I feel much stronger and better mentally and physically… It's my place to go.”

Image of a trainer showing Georgette her progress chart

Muscle Growth & Strength

With her daughter’s wedding coming up, Georgette had ordered a designer dress to wear. But when she put it on, it was too tight. Instead of letting the dress out to make it bigger, Georgette took this as an opportunity to lose the 20 pounds she gained.

“Not only did I lose those 20 pounds, [which took her 6 months] but I gained so much muscle [and reshaped her body] I had to have the dress taken in! It was a one-shoulder style and one arm was totally bare. People said, ‘Where did you get those muscles? You are ripped!’

To have that compliment was amazing.

I feel like The Perfect Workout is a gift. If you have an orthopedic issue, arthritis, are diabetic, or have some other issues, that doesn't mean you can't workout. This is a safe environment where you feel that people really care about you. And that's the gift I want to pass on.”

image of a female posing for a photo in the woods

“Since coming to The Perfect Workout, I feel like my whole life has changed.

I’m 68 years old and I look in the mirror and think, ‘Wow. I can't believe my body looks like this.”

I'm so hopeful for the future. I'm engaged and I'm looking forward to getting married. There are so many wonderful things to look forward to in my life. And I really credit The Perfect Workout for propelling me forward to be able to do all these amazing things.

Georgette Silver, 68
Southwest San Jose
Member at The Perfect Workout

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Arthritis & Strength Training

Posted on by Jordan Thomson CPT

Arthritis & Strength Training: How it helps

Arthritis & Strength Training: How It Helps

Arthritis & Strength Training guide

Wake up in the morning feeling like… the Tin Man?

Creaky, painful, stiff joints. Movement feels hard. You might even feel achier when it rains or gets cold.

Sound like you? You might have arthritis. You and 58 million other US adults. (CDC)

In this article, we discuss the impact arthritis has on joints and how strength training can improve the quality of life for those who deal with the disease. For the purpose of this article, we focus specifically on arthritis of a few major joints – the knee and hip; however, the information can be applied to most affected joints. Let’s dive in…

Jump to a Topic

  1. What is Arthritis?
  2. Osteoarthritis
  3. Rheumatoid Arthritis
  4. Dangers of Arthritis
  5. Strength Training & Arthritis
  6. Next Steps

What is Arthritis?

Simply put, arthritis is inflammation of the joints. Those who have arthritis commonly experience symptoms such as pain, stiffness, decreased range of motion, and swelling. The most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is the breakdown of joints to the extent where movement becomes painful. In the case of the knees, arthritis typically occurs when the padding between the upper and lower leg bones (the femur and tibia) is partially or completely worn out, allowing for direct bone-to-bone contact.

The wear and tear can ultimately lead to chronic pain, uneven walking, compromised mobility, and disability.

Unfortunately, osteoarthritis has become so common that it's now synonymous with aging in general.

Over 22 million Americans between 25-74 years old have moderate to severe osteoarthritis. It can develop as the result of chronic overuse (i.e. arthritis in the knees of long-time runners), past injuries (especially fractures and ACL tears), or chronically incorrect movement patterns (i.e. bowed legs).

Rheumatoid Arthritis

“Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disorder that can affect more than just your joints. In some people, the condition can damage a wide variety of body systems, including the skin, eyes, lungs, heart, and blood vessels.” (CDC)

Unlike osteoarthritis, RA isn’t caused by wear and tear. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the immune system is triggered and the body attacks itself, affecting the lining of the joints.

The results of RA can also cause more extreme issues such as joint deformity and bone erosion.

Doctor diagnosing arthritis in the hand

Dangers of Arthritis

Think of arthritis as a spectrum when looking at the symptoms, treatments, and results.

According to the CDC, 49.6% of seniors have diagnosed arthritis. Some people can continue with day-to-day activities with no issues and find their arthritis more of an inconvenience. Whereas others experience life-changing events and debilitating pain as a result of the disease.

Joint Replacement Surgery

Although surgery isn’t the first step in treating arthritis, it is a common final step for older adults and those who have years of damage to their joints.

The hip joint, for example, is one of the most common sites for arthritis. It’s especially common for people who have experienced years of more-than-normal force on the joint.

These individuals typically have a background in athletics, dance, distance running, or people who have been obese.

With arthritis, people lose hip mobility, the joint feels tight, stiff, and painful, and about a third of people with hip arthritis get a joint replacement [4].

Living With Pain

The Arthritis Foundation says, “Many people who have arthritis or a related disease may be living with chronic pain. Pain is chronic when it lasts three to six months or longer, but arthritis pain can last a lifetime. It may be constant, or it may come and go.”

For instance, someone with a less severe form of arthritis might carry heavy groceries without issue, but someone with severe arthritis and chronic pain may experience tremendous elbow pain and need to take lighter loads or get assistance to alleviate that burden on their elbow.

The Mayo Clinic states that “destructive mind-body interactions” including depression can be a result of living with the pain of arthritis if left untreated.

Losing Independence

About one in every 14 seniors require personal care assistance, according to the CDC. About one in every six adults age 85 years and older live in a nursing home.

The loss of independence is due to a few factors and arthritis is one of them. Being a prevalent source of pain, arthritis can limit physical abilities like walking upstairs, washing your hair, or carrying groceries–and could lead to relying on others more and more.

Strength is one of the biggest factors in determining how well we can physically function.

Woman Strength Training with Arthritis

Strength Training and Arthritis

The diagnosis of arthritis is not a guarantee of future disability. Lifestyle habits play a key role. Fortunately, you do have a say in how and if the disease progresses. With that in mind, let's dive into the research to see how strength training can help.

Men and women 55 years or older with knee arthritis participated in four months of strength training in one study [1]. The program featured two workouts per week using lower body exercises (i.e. leg press, leg curl, leg extension, etc.).

After starting with three weeks of easy to moderately challenging weights, the program featured relatively challenging resistances on the exercises.

As you would expect, the four-month program was effective in increasing strength:

  • the arthritic knees became 71% stronger.
  • pain and function improved… significantly.
  • pain decreased 41% while function increased 44%.

With less pain and an improved ability to use their knees, you can imagine that the participating men and women were happy with their results.

A second study looked at strength training with women over a six-month span [3]. The women in this study also used challenging weight loads but this time, slower repetition speeds (6-9 seconds per rep) were implemented.

The exercises were all lower body-based: the leg press, calf raises, leg curls, leg extensions, hip adduction, and hip abduction.

As a result of the study, the women:

  • improved their leg strength
  • reduced their arthritic pain
  • improved leg function
  • the rate of disability among the women decreased

The researchers stated that improving strength of the muscles around the knee is especially important for maintaining normal bone alignment, which is critical to preventing future disability. Specifically, they targeted the quadriceps as the key muscle group for those with knee arthritis to do custom exercises for.

Members of The Perfect Workout can target specific muscle groups like the quadriceps in their hand-picked exercises customized by a trainer for their needs.

Rheumatoid Arthritis and Strength Training

Many RA patients are less physically active than their healthy counterparts (2). However, strength training will not worsen rheumatoid arthritis. In fact, experts and physicians overwhelmingly recommend it. An increase in strength means the muscles can better support your joints.

Additionally, RA can accelerate sarcopenia, the loss of muscle mass with age, which in turn accelerates the loss of bone mass. In RA, this is called rheumatoid cachexia. It is especially important, then, for individuals with this condition to participate in regular, safe, effective strength training like at The Perfect Workout to prevent both muscle and bone loss.

Strength Training Helps Arthritis, Now What?

If you struggle with arthritis symptoms, we suggest performing regular (1 to 2x per week) high-intensity slow-motion strength training workouts.

The Perfect Workout trainers are certified in our SuperSlow method to ensure your workout is tailored specifically to your needs while providing the absolute safest method of resistance training.

Our method's enhanced safety is due to the slow movement, which minimizes the force produced on your joints and maximizes the muscular effort at the same time. This muscular challenge results in the body adapting with increased muscular strength.

Simply put, you don't have to accept arthritis as the end to a high quality of life and the activities you enjoy. Effective strength training improves the strength of the muscles supporting the joint, reduces arthritic pain, and helps prevent future disability.

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If you would like to learn more about our method of strength training, read about our methodology. If you are new to The Perfect Workout, try a workout with us and book a FREE Introductory Session.

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  1. Baker, K. R., Nelson, M. E., Felson, D. T., Layne, J. E., Sarno, R., & Roubenoff, R. (2001). The efficacy of home based progressive strength training in older adults with knee osteoarthritis: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Rheumatology, 28, 1655-166.
  2. Cooney JK, Law RJ, Matschke V, et al. Benefits of exercise in rheumatoid arthritis. J Aging Res. 2011;2011:681640. Published 2011 Feb 13. doi:10.4061/2011/681640 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3042669/)
  3. Foroughi N., Smith R. M., Lange, A. K., Baker, M. K., Fiatarone Singh, M.A., & Vanwanselle, B. (2011). Lower limb muscle strengthening does not change frontal plane moments in women with knee osteoarthritis: A randomized controlled trial. Clinical Biomechanics, 26, 167-174.
  4. Quintana, J.M., Arostegui, I., & Escobar, A. (2008). Prevalence of knee and hip osteoarthritis and the appropriateness of joint replacement in an older population. JAMA Internal Medicine, 168(14), 1576-1584.

Neuropathy, Diabetes, & Arthritis – (how she did it…)

Posted on by Jordan Thomson CPT

exercise with neuropathy, diabetes & arthritis: How she's stayed active through it all

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When lifelong athlete Bryna Rifkind found herself struggling to exercise with neuropathy, type II diabetes, and arthritis after cancer treatment, she tried something new.

She found slow-motion strength training, and for over 6 years has been religious about staying consistent with her workouts.

Bryna Featured Image

In 2001, Bryna Rifkind was diagnosed with cancer. Throughout her treatment she developed neuropathy in her feet. Neuropathy is a “disease or dysfunction of one or more peripheral nerves, typically causing numbness or weakness” (Oxford).

She could not wear shoes, certain items of clothing, and her activity was limited. 

“I couldn't even do swimming because the mere action of moving your feet back and forth felt as though somebody was whipping my feet.”

As a self-proclaimed “jock,” she had always exercised and knew she needed to remain active. But her limitations and level of pain made that challenging.

After doing research, Bryna found that strength training was the smartest exercise solution for her. She began to lift weights at her local YMCA, but she experienced pain in her knee and the workout just didn’t “feel right.”

In 2013 Bryna was diagnosed with type II diabetes and she realized she couldn’t do this alone. She needed help.

“I needed to have something formal, something that somebody could help me with.” 

Bryna came across an article about a doctor who used to bicycle and run but traded those methods in for a different way of exercising: slow-motion strength training. The doctor’s personal story and affirmations saying this method was good for cardiovascular health was just enough to get her to try it herself.

Dr. Howard Testimonial

In August 2014, Bryna joined The Perfect Workout’s San Mateo studio.

“I believed in weightlifting, so I joined. After I read everything [about the science] and went through the practice workout, I said, ‘Yep, this works.’ And I've been very religious about it.”

And she wasn’t kidding! Ever since joining, Bryna has trained with her Personal Trainers twice a week, every week, even when she traveled to the East Coast. 

At the time we didn’t have Virtual Training, which allows you to train from anywhere. Luckily we had studios in Bethesda, MD and Alexandria, VA to keep her workouts consistent week-to-week.

“This has been really, really an important part of my life.”

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In addition to battling cancer treatments and diabetes, Bryna has faced a number of ailments. In 1992 she injured her hip in a car accident which developed into arthritis. She’s also had injuries in both shoulders. 

But no matter the injury or issue, her Personal Trainers adapted her workouts. 

 

Bryna’s 20-minute workouts have also:

  • Helped her get stronger
  • Increased her stamina for daily life
  • Become a tool to combat depression


“This is a gift I give myself.”

Bryna believes the quality of the Trainers at all of the studios she’s visited has been exceptional. She’s always felt close to them and appreciates that they make accommodations for how she’s feeling. 

“I really do feel cared for. And, that is exceptional. I expect to be doing this for a long time.”

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