Good Form in Exercise: Why There's No Single Right Way to Move After 55
You can start training today, over 55, in the body you've got, exactly as it moves right now. You don't have to get fit before you begin, and you don't have to learn to move properly first. Turning up as you are is what gets you going, and moving is what has you feeling better in yourself.
I've trained people over 55 for years, and the question I hear most is some version of, am I doing this right? The answer is kinder than most people expect.
What does good form actually mean?
Form is just the shape a movement takes when you do it. Plenty of trainers talk about it as though there's one correct shape that fits everyone, a single right way to do a squat or a lift or a stretch. There isn't. Your body carries its own history and its own range, shaped by the injuries you've had and the way you're built, and all of that decides how a movement works best for you.
The research on how people learn movement backs this up. Give someone strict instructions about the correct way to move, and they tend to find their own way to do it anyway, because their body overrides the rule. Studies on motor learning show that people self-organise their own movement solution, and that constant, rigid correction can get in the way of the self-correcting your body does on its own. Good movement is something you find, not a rule you're handed.
So when people ask me whether there's a correct way to exercise, my honest answer is that moving well over 55 has very little to do with matching a textbook shape. It has everything to do with moving in a way that suits the body you're in.
How I keep exercise safe at Jim's Gym
None of this means anything goes. Safe movement matters, and looking after it is my job. I do that two ways, and neither one involves shouting “form!” across a room.
First, movement preparation. Before any of the harder work, you warm the body and take your joints through what they're about to do, so nothing gets asked of you cold. Second, pitching each exercise at the right level for you. If a movement isn't right for you today, there's a version that is, and you do that one. Safe, prepared, and scaled to the person in front of me. That's the work, and every class on the timetable is built that way.
Exercise technique matters more, not less, as you age, which is why a one-size correction barked from the front of a class does so little good.
The part that genuinely annoys me
There's one thing in all this that gets under my skin. People decide they don't move well enough to train, so they don't train at all. They wait to get better before they start, and the waiting is what holds them back. They miss out on everything movement gives a person, and they miss it for a reason that was never true in the first place.
That's the real cost of treating form like a test you have to pass. It talks people out of the very thing that would help them. You don't need anyone's permission to begin, least of all permission from a perfect squat.
You're welcome exactly as you are
So come as you are. Whatever your body does today, that's your starting point, and it's a good one. I'll meet you where you're moving and build from there. You've still got it, stiff mornings and all.
The easiest first step is a free Fitness MOT. No pressure and no sales pitch. I look at how you move, you tell me what you'd like to be able to do, and you leave with a clear, honest picture to start from.
Or join Jim's Gym for £12.99 a month.
Our affordable monthly membership is great for those just starting out or may need to take a break for a big adventure! The yearly option gives you two months FREE membership with a 30 day money back guarantee.
Frequently asked questions
What does good form mean in exercise?
Form is simply the shape a movement takes when you do it. There's no single correct shape that fits everyone, because every body has its own range and its own history. Good form is the way of moving that feels stable and controlled for you, not a textbook position you have to copy.
Is there one correct way to exercise?
No. Studies on how people learn movement show that everyone finds their own way to do a given exercise, even when handed strict instructions. Your body adapts the movement to suit itself. What matters is that the exercise is prepared for, scaled to you, and done in a way you can control.
Can I exercise if I don't think I move well?
Yes, and this is the bit I most want people to hear. You don't need to move well before you start. You train in the body you have right now, and movement is what helps it feel better. Waiting until you move well enough only keeps you from the thing that helps.
How does Jim's Gym keep exercise safe?
Two ways. Movement preparation comes first, so your joints are warm and ready before any harder work. Then each exercise is pitched at the right level for you, with an easier version always on hand. Safe, prepared, and scaled to the person, rather than corrections shouted across a room.
About the author
James Hilton is the founder of Jim's Gym, an online fitness community for adults over 55, based in Stroud, Gloucestershire. He set it up for people who want to keep doing the things they love, with classes, community and a fair bit of laughing along the way.
References and further reading
[1] D. Orth, J. van der Kamp, and C. Button, "Learning to be adaptive as a distributed process across the coach–athlete system: Situating the coach in the constraints-led approach," Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1080/17408989.2018.1557132
[2] F. Otte, K. Davids, S. Millar, and S. Klatt, "When and how to provide feedback and instructions to athletes? How sport psychology and pedagogy insights can improve coaching interventions to enhance self-regulation in training," Frontiers in Psychology, 2020. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01444
[3] R. Lindsay, J. Komar, J. Chow, P. Larkin, and M. Spittle, "Different pedagogical approaches to motor imagery both demonstrate individualized movement patterns to achieve improved performance outcomes when learning a complex motor skill," PLoS ONE, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0282647
[4] B. Tassignon et al., "An exploratory meta-analytic review on the empirical evidence of differential learning as an enhanced motor learning method," Frontiers in Psychology, 2021. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.533033
[5] J. Bruineberg and E. Rietveld, "Self-organization, free energy minimization, and optimal grip on a field of affordances," Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2014. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2014.00599
[6] L. Seifert, G. Hacques, and J. Komar, "The ecological dynamics framework: An innovative approach to performance in extreme environments: A narrative review," International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2022. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19052753
[7] K. F. Davies et al., "Assessing the motivational climates in early physical education curricula underpinned by motor learning theory: SAMPLE-PE," Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1080/17408989.2021.2014436
