Carolyn Cairncross’s team at AUT works with older adults exercising in a gym setting to improve physical function and overall health. They were keen to investigate the role and need for specialised equipment for this older adult cohort. However, they found that the gym instructors and the exercise programming were the major factors in the gym experience. One highlight was how much the older adult members love chatting and interacting with the young instructors, so sometimes their exercise sessions take longer!