Train Smart for National Senior Games Open Sports

/ / Published in Health & Well-Being

By Andrew Walker, MPH; NSGA Director of Health & Well-Being

An older athlete leaps to hit a volleyball over the neck on a beach volleyball court.

Beach Volleyball competition at the 2022 National Senior Games presented by Humana.

With four months to go, there are still opportunities to participate in the nation’s premier celebration of active aging through sports – the National Senior Games.

Anyone age 50+ can participate in select Open Sports at the 2025 National Senior Games presented by Humana. The list of options includes Power Walk, Powerlifting, Disc Golf, Billiards and more. Athletes can register for an unlimited number of Open Sports!

If you’re drawn to the friendly competition and festivities of The Games, train smart now to compete well.

Essentials of Smart Training
Working within the window of time prior to the opening of the Games; it is important to train smart. Thoughtful training is especially crucial for higher-intensity options like 1-Mile Road Race, Beach Volleyball, Powerlifting, Power Walk and Triathlon Relay.

Everyone should consider these four things when preparing for The Games.

  1. Fitness Assessment
    Start with an older adult specific fitness assessment like the physical therapist designed Sustained Adult Fitness Exam (SAFE) to better understand your overall fitness and evaluate deficits in strength, flexibility and balance.
  2. Corrective Exercise
    Focus on improving any weaknesses or deficits found in your assessment. Your preparation should be built on a strong general fitness foundation.
  3. Train for Strength and Mobility
    Participate in strength training and mobility work maintaining a regular, well-rounded, sport-specific training program that gradually increases intensity.
  4. Alternate Easy and Hard Workouts
    When building your fitness, establish a pattern of hard workdays preceded and followed by easy recovery days. Although the frequency of exercise is important, senior athletes need to be mindful to not to train too often, too long or too hard. Basic fitness requires 3-5 workouts a week. Easy days can be complete days off from any practicing or efforts limited to 65-70% max heart rate for sports like power walking or running.

Keeping these keys to effective and safe training in mind will help you be fully prepared to compete in The Games this summer. Remember, registration closes May 15!