Sports Governing Bodies Launch New Scheme To Beat Older Adult Inactivity and Loneliness With Fun and Games

British Weightlifting are delighted to partner with older adult wellbeing expert Oomph to launch an innovative new fitness programme targeting over 55’s.

British Weightlifting are delighted to partner with older adult wellbeing expert Oomph to launch an innovative new fitness programme targeting over 55’s.

Oomph! aims to tackle inactivity and loneliness with its national plan to get 27,000 older adults doing regular, fun exercise within two years. Training is already well underway for workers and volunteers in venues catering for independent older adults such as retirement villages and housing associations - equipping them with the skills, knowledge and adapted equipment to run sports classes with an element of healthy competition. Venues from Lancashire to Hertfordshire will start running modified sports classes this week. The small start-up, well-known in the care home industry for operating exercise classes and outings, is one of the largest delivery partners of Sport England’s £10m Active Ageing Fund.

All activities have been designed to be run by instructors, who will undergo comprehensive training. British Weight Lifting have designed resistance exercises using foam pool noodles and recommends the use of everyday objects such as water bottles as hand weights to allow pensioners to keep up their strength.

Ben Allen, CEO of Oomph! said:

“By ‘gamifying’ exercise for older adults we’re making it fun and sociable rather than functional. We already use sports rather than pure exercise to motivate previously reluctant participants to join our classes on a regular basis. However, this new combination of Oomph!’s expertise with the appeal and competitive edge of professional sports bodies, is game-changing.”

Zoe Metcalfe Head of Workforce at British Weight Lifting commented:

“British Weightlifting are delighted to partner with Oomph on this exciting new initiative. We have developed an innovative new programme containing a series of weightlifting exercises which have been specifically designed to target individuals aged 75+.

This is the first time that weightlifting has been adapted to this age group and we hope that the sessions will prove to be engaging. It will hopefully provide the participants with an exciting way to maintain an active lifestyle. We look forward to working together over the coming months and seeing the outcomes of the programme.”

For further details on the project please contact British Weightlifting on 0113 224 9402