Older members of the general public are motivated by the social aspect of fitness


helps lower the risk of injury while still building on performance, he says. Additionally, Searle focuses more heavily on stretching and core stability than he used to, again to help avoid injury. Meanwhile, golf is one of the few


sports to provide a competitive playground for players over the age of 50. In order to compete at the highest level, golfi ng legends such as Bernhard Langer have had to change the focus of their training regimes to ensure they can continue their love affair with the game. Having played year-round for over


30 years in different climates and on different terrains, European Senior Tour players are encouraged to balance their skill sessions with yoga and fl exibility- related exercises. There’s a greater emphasis on muscle management than performance optimisation, as – explains Dr Paul Hurrion, golf biomechanics coach – players fi nd it more diffi cult to build up strength as they get older. The European Senior Tour also takes considerable measures to safeguard the longevity of the golfers’ careers: instead of playing four rounds of golf per tournament, the competitions last only three rounds. And AC Milan FC is renowned for the


longevity of its players’ careers, with the likes of Paolo Maldini retiring from the club in 2009 at the age of 41. This has been attributed to the ‘MilanLab’ and its appliance of the latest thinking in the fi eld of sports medicine. Using neurology, biochemistry, psychology,


august 2011 © cybertrek 2011


chiropractics, modern physical training techniques and kinesiology, the MilanLab aims to maintain fi tness and detect potential injuries, thereby keeping the players going for longer. The man behind the MilanLab is


Belgian chiropractor Jean-Pierre Meersseman. Meersseman’s prudent idea was to predict injuries – a common issue in veteran athletes – and prevent them; indeed, research undertaken at the MilanLab has demonstrated an ability to predict injury with 70 per cent accuracy. Using specially designed IT systems by


Microsoft, MilanLab monitors, measures and checks the various elements that make up the wellbeing of the athlete in a systematic and rigorous manner. From this, it’s possible to identify which element(s) require attention and what action is needed to strengthen the area in question and achieve the ultimate goal of optimum fi tness. For example, part of the assessment


includes a ‘dynajump’, in which muscle work and knee angles are measured using electromyography. The collated data is inputted into the IT system and fl exibility, speed and strength of the knee is analysed. From this, the risk of injury in the knee can be calculated and appropriate, athlete-specifi c exercises can be prescribed to reduce injury risk. However, MilanLab is based on a


concept of total wellbeing, striving to maintain the balance between not just the


Read Health Club Management online at healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital 41


physical but also the social and mental wellbeing of the athletes to prolong their playing career; the MilanLab therefore includes a ‘glassed-in mind room’ where athletes can relax and unwind. Since the introduction of the MilanLab


in 2002, AC Milan has reported: “Total practice days lost down 43 per cent, use of medicines down 70 per cent and player injuries dropped by two-thirds.” Tony Majakas, VP of health and


green for Technogym – which supplies equipment to AC Milan – says:


“Through the adoption of scientifi c training principles and with the use


The Keiser Institute on Aging provides


information to older people on how best to maintain health


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