Ageless Fitness Goes National

Santa Barbara Senior Exercise Studio
Fills Need for One-on-One Attention

By Tyler Hayden | August 24, 2023

Find the rest of our 2023 Active Aging Guide here.

Cofounders Emmanuel Verduzco and Julie Pollard didn’t create the Ageless Fitness model intending to franchise it. But after five years of successfully serving Santa Barbara’s seniors — and with a new studio opening on Micheltorena Street — that’s exactly where they find themselves: They just cut the ribbon on a second location in Florida with yet another Sunshine State studio on the way.

“We didn’t expect it, but we’re grateful,” said Verduzco of Ageless Fitness’s fast growth. “We saw the benefit to our clients locally and knew we wanted to reach older adults elsewhere.”

Their unique approach is filling a void in care, Verduzco explained, as it caters specifically to the physical abilities of seniors, as well as the individual needs of each client. General exercise classes for older people exist, he said, but they rarely address a person’s particular injury or health concern, which can put them at risk for further problems. “One-on-one fitness for older adults is really a scarce resource,” he said.

Some of Ageless Fitness’s clients are in their sixties and seventies and come to them with a physician’s referral after surgery, said Verduzco, a former social worker and medical transportation provider. They’re looking to get back to a comfortable baseline of physical activity, or perhaps recover their golf swing. Others in their eighties and nineties may need a little extra help from trainers staying limber and balanced so they can reach luggage overhead and grandkids down below.

“Our goal is to empower seniors to maintain an active lifestyle and enhance their overall well-being,” said Pollard. Lately, she’s seen an increase in clients looking to break the sedentary habits they adopted during the pandemic, as well as the social isolation it created. The enjoyment of face-to-face interactions with trainers goes both ways, she said. “We love chatting with people, hearing about their lives,” she said. “We want this to be something they look forward to doing.”

The company’s studios are designed with comfort and accessibility in mind, explained Pollard, who studied kinesiology as an undergrad at Cal Poly and got her master’s in gerontology and longevity sciences from USC. You won’t find any big weight-lifting machines in them. In fact, they feel more like a home than a gym, with pleasant workout spaces and approachable equipment. “We like our clients to exercise in here so they can move out there,” said Pollard. “That’s our purpose.”

While most of their work is done one-on-one during 45- and 60-minute sessions, Pollard said, Ageless Fitness does offer small group classes as well as a Mom and Me program that invites family members to join. While their services were created for seniors, they’re perfect for everyone, she said.

Learn more at agelessfitness.us.