Gym Vince is for over 40 exercisers looking to strength train.

A sidewalk sign outside Jim Vance’s promised: “Your 40+ comeback starts here.”

“Well, how about an 80-plus return,” my mother whispered, as we walked inside.

She just turned 83 a few days ago and was on her way to LA from the East Coast. She is a retired, but still reluctant, judge who now works as a mediator. And while he grew up in Philadelphia when he wasn’t much of an exerciser, he now considers himself a “geriatric jock.”

“I use Silver Sneakers on Zoom almost every day,” she boasted of her online fitness routine. “Let’s see what they show me here.”

Turns out, a lot.

Vince’s Gym specializes in training bodybuilders over 40, who have different needs when it comes to strength training than younger exercisers, says owner Chris Herbert. For starters, older bodies—especially after years of sedentary living—are more susceptible to injury. Conditions such as osteoporosis and arthritis can lead to weak muscles, fragile bones and unstable joints, as well as balance issues.

Herbert’s Gym isn’t the only place that trains adults in midlife and beyond. Yet Achieved Fitness, in Lomita, and Q4 Active, in Woodland Hills, both train more than 50 exercisers.

Times staff writer Deborah Winkin, right, and her mother, Sandra Mazer Moss, take an “aptitude test” at Jim Vance.

(Katherine Zielinski/For The Times)

Appropriate behavior is for good reason. As we age, we also lose muscle mass—3% to 5% per decade after age 30, according to the National Institutes of Health—and our metabolism slows, which can lead to weight gain. When strength training later in life, more attention should be paid to building strength around the joints, and strengthening the posterior, or posterior, chain of the body, says Herbert.

“For the most part, customers here have very redundant jobs sitting at desks and they [can] “So it’s all about building skeletal muscle—which helps with metabolism, bone density, hormone regulation, everything—and strengthening your back and posture so you can support yourself,” she says.

“Okay, I’m in!” My mother said. She wore her favorite t-shirt, with a picture of Rosie Reuter and the text “However, she carried on.” “Where do we begin?”

The former guitar shop on Venice Boulevard – with its bow ceiling, wooden beams and polished concrete floor – limits attendance to five customers and their trainers at any one time, so that the environment is calm and visitors can better concentrate on their workouts – the big box gym sound system’s hip-hop mat background and the background sounds of metal claps disappearing. Barbells 95% of the gym’s customers are between the ages of 40 and 65, with a few customers in their 70s and 80s and a number of teenagers who come to work out with their parents. The gym’s trainers — a staff of seven — are directed by Herbert, 42, and gym manager Ed Gamdjian, 45. They are taught how to train older bodies and modify movements when the client has limitations. They then shadow other trainers before working one-on-one with clients. Gemdjian also holds weekly workshops on various aspects of training older adults.

“They have to have an understanding of our specialized equipment, as well as how to meet clients where they are – whether that means limited mobility or joint issues – to safely and correctly guide them through exercise,” Herbert says of his trainers.

As Herbert explained all this, my mother nodded enthusiastically. She has both osteoporosis and arthritis and is concerned about bone density. She also had two hip replacements. But after Herbert explained how his trainers work with clients, she felt she was in good hands.

“It seems like she knows her stuff,” she said, especially when it comes to issues that women face as they age.

Our mother-daughter session began as every new member intends: a full-body assessment followed by a mobility and fitness test so that Herbert can design a customized training program for each of us. He steps us on the body composition scanner, which looks like a thin scale. After rubbing our hands and soles (to increase mobility), we stepped on it and waited for about a minute. Then he printed out a page of charts and graphs. It gave us a detailed analysis of muscle fat, including our total skeletal muscle weight in pounds, our basal metabolic rate (the number of calories we burn at rest), our body fat percentage, as well as a “classified fat analysis” that breaks down our fat percentage into each arm, leg, and our trunk. Most importantly, it showed our visceral fat levels, meaning the fat around our organs.

Sandra Mazer-Moss undergoes a “full body evaluation” at Gym Venus, so owner Chris Herbert can design a strength training program for her. (Katherine Zielinski/For The Times)

“It’s huge for disease prevention,” says Herbert. “We try to keep it low.”

Body assessment was scary at first – I mean, who really wants to know the exact percentage of fat on their stomach? But my mother found the information powerful.

“So, like, you’re going to design a special program especially for me?” she said, almost with tears in her eyes. (I explained that all trainers do this, whether the client is over 40 or not. But still, she was impressed with Herbert and complimented Jim when we moved on to the next round of testing.)

“If I lived here, I could track my progress week by week on a body scanner,” she said. she said, behind Herbert. “I love it!” (Mom excited.)

The mobility test involved us laying on a floor mat while Herbert instructed us to do three lower extremity stretches—spinal twists, for example—and three upper body stretches, such as shoulder shrugs, with light joints.

After that we did an aptitude test, determining how well we performed various compound movements – meaning several joint movements using large muscle groups – on machines or with hand weights, cables or bars.

Times staff writer Deborah Winkin performs squats as part of a “fitness test” at the gym.

(Katherine Zielinski/For The Times)

“We want to make sure our customers can perform movements with full range of motion, pain-free,” says Herbert. “That way we can test what you can and can’t do in the gym, so we can create a program for you. Then we bullet-proof your back—getting you stronger for everyday things, like carrying groceries.”

Mom was down: “Count me in,” she said (a favorite phrase), while checking out her figure — and her freshly highlighted hair — in the mirror as she flexed her biceps with 5-pound weights.

The gym also has special equipment that caters to older bodies. Most weight machines are designed to be low-impact, for example, and therefore kinder on the joints. The bench pad used is 4 inches wider than a standard bench pad, eliminating shoulder pain and protecting the chest and shoulders. They also use “special bars” to prevent impacts on the shoulders. “So you can push yourself safely,” says Herbert.

Sandra Mazer-Moss does a late pulldown at Gym Vince as owner Chris Herbert guides her.

(Katherine Zielinski/For The Times)

He led us to a metal ledge by the window. It looks like a medieval torture device…or something you’d see at San Diego Comic-Con.

“It’s a belt squat machine,” explained Herbert, slipping a padded belt around his waist. “It’s for people with shoulder impingement or spinal compression issues. It takes all the pressure off your spine and allows you to squat under resistance.”

Then he pointed to another piece of equipment. “It’s a double leg press,” he said. “You can work one leg at a time if you have an imbalance.”

Mom watched, eyes wide with anticipation, as Herbert showed her a vacation timeshare in Maui.

“i can does “This place, for someone like me — I have two bionic hips, you know — it feels like a safe place to try something and fail at the beginning, but then with hard work and motivation eventually be able to do it,” she said.

Despite her enthusiasm, I doubted my mother would attend Jim Vance if she lived in Los Angeles. The gym offers a $99 week-long trial that includes a body composition scan, mobility ability tests and three personal training sessions. But after that the price per session is $140 to $175 – which is more than anyone’s budget.

I was surprised, however, when I asked my mother later.

Sandra Mazer-Moss, left, and Deborah Winkin after a mother-daughter workout.

(Katherine Zielinski/For The Times)

“I’m going to do it because I’m still working,” she said. “It’s expensive, but you make choices and what better choice than to improve your health and extend your longevity.”

I sent it to Herbert on the phone.

“That’s what gives it meaning to me,” he added. “I’m passionate about helping people of all ages in a fun way, helping people take back control. As the years go by, we all get old; but we don’t have to get old.”