Physical therapists urge older adults to build strength to avoid "1 rep max" living

VERONA, Wis. — Forward Physical Therapy physical therapists Michelle and Kristen visited the Verona Senior Center on Oct. 5, 2025, to present "1 rep max living," a concept that describes when the demands of daily life approach or exceed an individual's maximum physical capacity. The morning program included demonstrations of movement-based “vital signs,” and the presenters offered on-site grip-strength testing after the talk.

The concept, presented by Michelle (physical therapist) and Kristen (physical therapist and owner of Forward Physical Therapy), frames common daily tasks — lifting a laundry basket, climbing stairs, getting up from a chair — as physical demands that can move a person closer to a critical threshold of function. "If you think lifting is dangerous, try being weak. Being weak is dangerous," Michelle said during the presentation.

The presenters said clinicians can screen older adults with simple measures they called movement vital signs: gait (walking) speed, the timed up-and-go test, grip-strength testing with a handheld dynamometer,…