Fivex3 Blog
An Encouraging Story of Bone Health at Age 88
Emily Socolinsky
June 24, 2026
At 88 years old, maintaining strong bones is an important part of preserving independence, mobility, and quality of life. And despite what some people might think, one CAN continue to build bone and preserve bone density as one ages IF they start strength training. And yes, one can start a strength training program at any age. ANY age. My client Mona’s bone density testing over the past several years tells the story of a woman whose skeletal health has remained remarkably resilient despite the natural aging process. I met Mona for the first time in March of 2023, just about three weeks before her 85th birthday. She came with her daughter Liz to the gym one weekend. I showed her how to squat and taught her how to get down to the floor and get back up. After this impromptu session, she was hooked and started strength training with me
Previous Posts
Here is a comparison of T-Scores:
Site
November 2024
March 2026
Change
Interpretation
Lumbar...
Bone density, an often-overlooked element of women’s health, plays a critical role in our overall well-being...
Charm City Strongwoman was born from love and loss. This contest honors my sister, Charlotte Giza, who...
Bone density, an often-overlooked element of women’s health, plays a critical role in our overall well-being...
Think you're too old to lift? Think again. Strength training isn’t just for the young—it’s the key to...
In today’s episode, Rebecca and I interview a client of Rebecca’s. Leticia started training...
On today’s episode, we meet Fivex3 member, Greg Cain. Greg started with Fivex3 in March of 2023....
In today’s episode, Rebecca and I discuss an article from the Wall Street Journal entitled “Why...
This contest is held in memory of my sister, Charlotte Giza, who passed away on February 11, 2015, after...
Do you struggle to get down to the floor? Do you struggle to get up OFF the floor? Have you ever fallen...
This article originally appeared on NPR.
On a recent weekday morning, weightlifter Mona Noyes walks...
In today’s episode, Rebecca and Emily discuss strength training for the mature lifter – that...
NPR’s All Things Considered came to FiveX3 to interview Emily about why strength training is key...
In today’s episode, Rebecca and I interviewed my client, Mona Noyes, who started training a year...
I wrote this article, Strength at Every Age: A Strength Coach’s Perspective for the Nutrition Health...
In today’s episode, Rebecca and I return to the topic of pain and how we work with our clients...
When?
Sunday, December 8, 2024
Where?
Fivex3 Training, 4015 Foster Avenue, Suite 200, Baltimore,...
In today’s episode, Rebecca and I discuss how we help our clients return to training after an illness...
In today’s episode, Rebecca and I discuss the Charm City Strongwoman Contest, the who, what, when,...
You can read about the story of the Charm City Strongwoman Contest here: Celebrating Strength and Sisterhood:...
In today’s episode, Rebecca and I wrap up our Four Part Series on “Coaching” and discuss...
In part three of our four part series on finding your WHY, Rebecca and I discuss when and why you might...
In today’s episode, Rebecca and I discuss what happens after you have figured out your WHY? Part...
In today’s episode, part one of a four part series, Rebecca and I discuss finding your WHY when...
In today’s episode, Rebecca and I discuss the importance of recovery between strength sessions....
In today’s episode, Rebecca and I discuss how we help our lifters understand what tension should...
In today’s episode, Rebecca and I discuss the topic of “Fitness” and what makes someone...
This contest is a Memorial Contest for my sister Charlotte Giza who died on February 11, 2015 after 3...
In today’s episode, Rebecca and I discuss the topic of incontinence and pelvic floor concerns....
Listen HERE!!
In today’s episode, Rebecca and I discuss what to expect leading up to a first...
Stronger Together is a Strength Meet displaying the strength of two lifters working together to form...
In today’s episode, Rebecca and I discuss what is the best strength program out there….
Hint:...
In today’s episode, Rebecca and I discuss training during the holidays, why it can be a happy but...
In today’s episode, Rebecca and I discuss how we help our clients get back on track with...
In today’s episode, Rebecca and I interview Dr. Frederick Houts and discuss mental health and medication....
We are back!!! Thanks for hanging in there while we were off for the month of August. Rebecca and I are...
In today’s episode, we meet up with Manny Rechthand again to talk about his most recent powerlifting...
When? Sunday, December 3, 2023
Where? Fivex3 Training, 4015 Foster Avenue, Baltimore 21224
What? Stronger...
In today’s episode, Rebecca and I discuss training in the summer and the heat, how to avoid dehydration...
In today’s episode, Rebecca and I discuss deloads and why most lifters will never need to worry...
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. In today’s episode, Rebecca and I discuss our personal bouts...
In today’s episode, I sit down with my friend, Lynette Ewart, a GP and the founder of Prescription...
In today’s episode, Rebecca and I discuss how we have changed over the past 30+ years in regards...
In today’s episode, Rebecca and I discuss the concerns of some men whom we train or have known...
In today’s episode, Rebecca and I interview Fivex3 member, Manny Rechthand. Manny started training...
Are YOU a Strong Kid??
It’s BAAAAAACK!! And we are so excited!!! After a 3 year hiatus, our...
In today’s episode, Rebecca and I discuss why a gym community is important for many lifters and...
This contest is a Memorial Contest for my sister Charlotte Giza who died on February 11, 2015 after...
Happy New Year! In today’s first episode of 2023, Rebecca and I discuss New Year resolutions and...
Fivex3 Training will host our third Self Defense Seminar with Steve Wakefoose of CrossFit West Chester...
Listen here: Training during the Holidays: How to find balance
By John David “J.D.” Merrill, Fivex3 Member
On July 4, 2018 I was in my kitchen cooking eggs when suddenly...
If you didn’t already know, Fivex3 has a podcast!!! We started this podcast in May of 2020, when...
Every new client who walks through our doors to begin their strength training program is handed a composition...
When? Sunday, December 4, 2022
Where? Fivex3 Training, 4015 Foster Avenue, Baltimore 21224
What?...
This contest is a Memorial Contest for my sister Charlotte Giza who died on February 11, 2015 after...
“Weight Loss: Don’t Bother with the gym and keep your diet simple – 6 tips to burn...
When? Sunday, December 5, 2021
Where? Fivex3 Training, 4015 Foster Avenue, Baltimore 21224
What?...
This contest is a Memorial Contest for my sister Charlotte Giza who died on February 11, 2015 after a...
Coaches: Starting Strength Coaches Diego Socolinsky and Emily Socolinsky. Other coaches: TBD
Date: Saturday,...
2018 Strongwomen
The 9th Annual Charm City Strongwoman Contest is here!!
This contest is a Memorial...
Today, on June 23, 2020, we celebrate nine years of service. Nine years of coaching, training, meeting...
REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED FOR THIS MEET!
When? Sunday, December 6, 2020
Where? Fivex3 Training,...
Coaches: Diego Socolinsky and Emily Socolinsky
When is it?
Date: Sunday, February 9, 2020
Time:...
About two months ago, Starting Strength shared a video about my client, Claire, who has cerebral palsy....
Claire started training with me in August of 2018. She had fallen earlier in the year, and been in physical...
“If you are going to be an effective consumer of Personal Training, you have to understand these...
Deadlifting
Rosemary joined Fivex3 in January of 2019. She had dabbled with weights before but nothing...
I have had the opportunity to work with Robert about two years ago and was very happy with his guidance...
Registration is now CLOSED!!! If you would like to get on our wait list, please email me at emily@fivex3.com.
When?...
Jesse started with us in October of 2016. His wife, Laura, joined us in July of 2017 following the birth...
Fivex3 Coach, Craig Brooks, attended the Starting Strength Seminar in May 2016. At that time, he squatted...
The other night, one of my new lifters lost his balance when performing the first rep of his work set....
Please make sure to check them out and thank them for their sponsorship!!!! 😉
Charm City Strongwoman...
Lydia was encouraged by her mother and sister to join us last summer for training. Although she was hesitant...
Susan and Deb 2018
Friends for Life: Stronger Together
Susan and Deb have been friends since they...
The Andrews
Diana has been a member of Fivex3 Training for the past two and a half years. She began...
2018 Strongwomen
The 8th Annual Charm City Strongwoman Contest is here!!
This contest is a Memorial...
“Depression is a physical illness.” —Terry Bradshaw
In June of 2011, I was on top of the world....
Juliana joined us in September of 2018. She started training twice a week, as that was all her schedule...
Kelly at the 2016 Charm City Strongwoman Contest
Kelly is an all around bad ass woman. Lawyer, strongwoman...
Jamien began training with us in 2017. Check out his video below to learn more about his experience here...
Mackenzie joined us about a year ago after training on her own. I will let her tell her story in her...
Lauren’s wrecked car
On Monday, September 10, 2018, one of my clients sent me a text with some...
Getting up. In her own way.
Lie down. And get up. Every day.
We do a lot of getting up and down here...
2018 Charm City Strongwoman Competitors
On Sunday, September 16, 2018, Fivex3 Training hosted the 7th...
Jen sets up for her squat.
Jen joined us the end of December 2017. Her daughter, Sally, trained with...
We have some AMAZING sponsors again this year!
Please make sure to check them out and thank them for...
My sister, Charlotte, was diagnosed in September 2011 with Stage 3 Colon Cancer. She was pretty lost...
Anita started training at my gym in June of 2017. Her daughter, Susan, has been a member of Fivex3...
HELLO LADIES!!!!!
The 7th Annual Charm City Strongwoman Contest is here!!
This contest is a Memorial...
Brendan and his wife, Mariza, and their child, Boomer, at the gym.
In January of 2017, I received this...
Diego and I recently had an article published on the Starting Strength website about one of our...
Charm City Strongwoman 2013
It is December 27, 2015. Just 5 more days until we are in the New Year. 2016....
Melissa and her husband, Mike, joined us around the end of November of last year. Mike had contacted...
A former client and aspiring coach stopped by the gym the other day and asked some questions about the...
We have some amazing sponsors this year!
Please make sure to check them out and thank them for their...
I recently wrote an article for Starting Strength about our young high school dancer who is finishing...
Susan with Daisy, her Runmitts model
Susan is amazing. True, I have a lot of amazing women here...
REGISTRATION FORM: Please download the registration form by clicking here:
HELLO LADIES!!!!! This contest...
Jan is my she-hero. Here’s why she should be yours too.
“Because of strength training, I am increasingly...
“The program works, especially when executed exactly as written in the books, SS:BBT3 and PPST3....
I started my strength journey the end of June of 2010. My husband Diego had already started the program...
We first met Steve when he contacted us about training his daughter, Jackie, a swimmer in college, who...
Sally deadlifts 200# on her last day of training at Fivex3.
When Sally walked into the gym on June 1,...
Charm City Strongwoman
We have some amazing sponsors this year for the 2016 Charm City Strongwoman Contest....
“Stress is simply a reaction to a stimulus that disturbs our physical or mental equilibrium. In...
Charm City Strongwoman Contest 2015
REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED FOR THE 5TH ANNUAL CHARM CITY...
Meet Jackie
My name is Jackie and until about two months ago, I was a collegiate swimmer. My senior year...
We are very excited to announce our third Self Defense Seminar with Steve Wakefoose of CrossFit...
Kevin contacted me this past May, before he even moved to Baltimore. We became acquainted via email and...
“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.”
Jim Ryun
This past August, I started...
Volume squat day for Helene.
Helene joined us in May of 2015. She came to us looking to get stronger...
Martha squats 135# for 3 sets of 5.
Martha started training with us on October 23, 2015. She visited...
“Anyone can give up, it’s the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone...
Bench at Push/Pull Meet.
Meet: Fivex3 Training Push/Pull Challenge 2015 – To benefit Gilchrist...
ALWAYS.
Strongwoman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Strongwoman refers to either a woman performing...
I am putting together a full review of the contest this week and waiting patiently for the video of the...
Anna has been a client of Fivex3 Training for the past two years. She came to us to get stronger and...
I hosted a Fivex3 Training Nutrition seminar a month ago at my gym. We had about 13 people come out on...
It’s Finally Here!!!
ATTENTION: HEAVYWEIGHT NOVICE DIVISION IS FULL
ATTENTION: HEAVYWEIGHT...
Squat.
Meet: Fivex3 Training Mock Powerlifting Meet 2015
Date: Sunday, May 24, 2015
Time: Weigh-ins are...
“Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragements, and impossibilities:...
You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in...
The video of the 2014 Charm City Strongwoman Contest. It was an extraordinary day with some amazingly...
Janine and the log.
Strength doesn’t come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things...
We will be putting together a full review post and video for the contest, but for now we wanted to get...
“The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook”~ Julia Child
“So...
As a female coach and gym owner, I attract a lot of women to my place and I put a great deal of emphasis...
Trophies
It’s here ladies! The 3rd Annual Charm City Strongwoman Contest! Whoo-hoo! We had such...
8. Look at your goals. Look at your behavior. Does your behavior match your goals? – See more at:...
“Average people: Focus on food quality & quantity
Remember:
if you’re exercising for general...
The scale. Let it be your tool.
“It can be an effective tool,” said Jennifer Linde, an associate professor...
We are very excited to announce our third Self Defense Seminar with Steve Wakefoose of CrossFit West...
“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book...
You can’t help getting older, but you don’t have to get old.
George Burns
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/getting_older.html#8ib2iLIg2Q9vuhK3.99
I...
About two months ago, I received an email from a strength coach I know who was doing a presentation at...
Last November, I wrote the post below about my own experiment with being photoshopped. After seeing Buzz...
Nice!!!!
As many of my clients know, I am a HUGE fan of training the posterior chain. And thanks to Bret...
2013 Charm City Strongwoman Contest
“We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided.”
J.K....
A sister can be seen as someone who is both ourselves and very much not ourselves – a special kind...
Last week, I posted an article called 5 Reasons to Skip Breakfast on my Facebook page. You can read the...
In addition to all of our lying down and getting up, we also do a fair bit of crawling on the floor....
The other day, I posted an article/video from Dr. John Berardi of Precision Nutrition on my Facebook...
Getting up. In her own way.
Lie down. Get up. Every day.
We do a lot of getting up and down here at Fivex3...
Disclaimer: “This is not meant to be the literal solution if your house is on fire.” 😉 This...
“You CAN make an omelet without breaking eggs. It’s just a really bad omelet.”
– Steven Colbert
I...
After the Baltimore's Women Classic 2013
My sister is amazing. She was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon...
I get asked a lot of times from my clients about supplements. What do you take? What kind do you...
“No matter who you are, no matter what you did, no matter where you’ve come from, you can always...
“Labels are for filing. Labels are for clothing. Labels are not for people.”
Martina Navratilova
A few...
Ladies.
Please.
Stand up straight.
Now.
I see them all the time. Young women. Walking, jogging, sitting,...
Always.
My motto when it comes to training? Keep it simple. Stay consistent. It’s great to want...
What are you waiting for?
THE FUN GROUP AND THE ADVANCED GROUP ARE BOTH FULL. PLEASE EMAIL EMILY AT emily@fivex3.com...
The laziest man I ever met put popcorn in his pancakes so they would turn over by themselves.
W. C....
Seriously. 😉
One month ago, I started running. From what, you might ask? Ahhh, yes, you would be right...
This guest post comes from one of my clients, Harper Kubicek. And even though I now know that she reads...
“Every strength coach I’ve ever been around, it’s glute, glute, glute — always,...
This Good Eats post is a guest post courtesy of one of my clients, Shannon. She is a baking fiend and...
“I always give my bird a generous butter massage before I put it in the oven. Why? Because I think...
“It’s not knitting class.”
No, it’s not knitting class and to put it bluntly,...
Want to earn your pizza??
Hey ladies!!!
Do you want to be stronger? Do you want to build a firmer body?...
Oh, pumpkin, how I love thee!
I have re-discovered pumpkin. But don’t you eat pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving,...
February is Eating Disorder Awareness Month. Not a very pleasant topic to talk I know but a subject that...
“There is no easy way to do a deadlift – no way to cheat, which explains their lack or popularity in...
I don’t get women into my gym by promising them a great ass. They acquire their awesome asses as...
“With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.”
Eleanor Roosevelt
2013. By tomorrow, 2012 will...
I am keeping this post short and to the point. You need to warm up before you train. The end.
But seriously....
My mother always told me that if I had nothing nice to say about someone, I should keep to myself. Unfortunately,...
“Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what’s for lunch.”
Orson Welles
Whenever my nephew spends...
A few weeks ago, I received an email from one of my clients who inquired about a barre class that I used...
I wrote the piece below in November of 2012, one year after my sister had been diagnosed with Stage 3...
Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.
Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
Food Diary
4/4/98
Bowl...
I love band pull a parts. Seriously, I really do. Just ask my clients. I do them. My clients do them....
It has been an incredible first year at Fivex3 Training, and I am lucky to work with a group of dedicated,...
“True healthcare reform starts in your kitchen, not in Washington” ~Anonymous
What an awesome quote....
When a woman rises up in glory, her energy is magnetic and her sense of possibility contagious. Marianne...
In conjunction with our Strongwoman contest on August 19, Fivex3 Training will be holding a training...
“The most effective way to do it, is to do it. – Amelia Earhart.”
In Part I of “Empower...
We are thrilled to announce our next special event: A Charm City Strongwoman Contest!
The contest will...
“The strength of a woman is not measured by the impact that all her hardships in life have had on her;...
Disclaimer: I am not a registered dietician nor an expert on nutrition. These are my thoughts about what...
KALE. My new favorite food. 🙂 I put this in my egg scramble in the morning and I always add the garlicky...
In an interview with USA today about 4 days ago, Katie Bayne, Coca-Cola’s 45-year-old president...
We’re in a situation now where weight and extreme weight and heart disease is the biggest killer...
One year ago, June 18, 2011, we opened our doors, and what a year it has been! Amazing how time flies...
We are pleased to announce a special class in May! We are very excited that Shauna Harrison, of Equinox...
“Real fights, happen in the space of a phone booth.” – Tony Blauer
On Saturday, February 18, 2012,...
Do or do not, there is no try.
– Yoda
When it comes to training clients, I think kids are the...
I have a number of clients that come to me from commercial gyms. They tell me that they “work...
I teach people how to move. I help them understand why their bodies move the way they do, why moving...
This is the first of our Client Profile posts. Each month, we will recognize a client’s or clients’...
In years past, my New Year’s Resolutions were always the same. Cut the cheese. Lose weight. Get...
We are very excited to announce our third specialty workshop at Fivex3 Training and the first workshop...
“Anyone can give up, it’s the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when...
“Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”...
Please join us on Sunday, December 18 from 1-4pm for our first Fivex3 Training Holiday party and Feats...
It is that time of year again. The holidays. For some of us, they want to make us scream and run away,...
This month I am keeping things simple. Since the end of September, I have been struggling a little with...
My mother put me in a dance class when I was about 4 years old. She wanted to buy ballet slippers so...
Training Log – 10/25-10/30
I usually train on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Now that...
On Sunday, October 30, 2011, 16 people braved the chilly morning to join Shauna Harrison and myself for...
Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure. ~Don Wilder and Bill Rechin
As coach Dan John...
Flirty Girl Fitness. Bad Kitty Sassy Fitness. Yoga Booty Ballet. It is enough to make your head spin....
A Fivex3 Training Specialty Workshop
To benefit the Susan Cohan Colon Cancer Foundation
Sunday, October...
I have decided to share my training logs with you so you get an idea of exactly what I do when I am not...
My goals have certainly changed over the years. To become a professional dancer. (Check.) To become a...
For the past 10 weeks, I have had the pleasure of training one of the most determined and hard working...
Push-ups, sit-ups, and a strict diet of raisins. That’s my plan.
Jack Black
It took me a long time...
The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;
Little we...
The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person’s determination.
–...
Right now my training program consists of the big lifts – squat, deadlift, press (bench is a work...
Recently, I read a letter to the editor in The Baltimore Guide about some very basic things that people...
Today, I would like to show you two pictures of myself. Taken exactly twelve months apart. In the first...
We are very excited to announce the first in our series of specialty workshops. On August 20th, we will...
Now that summer is here, I can share my top five exercises for a flat belly:
Close the refrigerator.
Squat.
Deadlift.
Pushup.
Farmer...
We want to move, we should move, but when we move our options are limited by our abilities to move well....
I am a woman. I own a strength and conditioning facility. So, the subject of “working out”...
(I am not a registered dietician nor an expert on nutrition. These are my thoughts about what has worked...
Last Friday, I had the privilege of talking with a group of dancers at Towson University. My friend,...
(These are in no particular order…but see if you can catch the theme)
1. Eat. And eat Healthy.
2....
It’s Mother’s Day. A day to celebrate the woman in your life who not only gave birth to...
If you have ever wondered what it would be like to get together with about 200 like-minded individuals,...
We have a new article on strength training for women in the May issue of Baltimore’s Child magazine. ...
Conquering Pain, Gaining Strength
I can’t remember exactly how or when I hurt my back, but I can’t forget...
This subject has been covered to death. For a refresher, see here, here, here, here, or here. Suffice...
Older folks often think that they are too old to get into the gym and improve their physical condition....
Five sets of three. Three sets of five. Whichever way you read it, FiveX3 spells strength. Low reps and...