Down's syndrome: Disability is not an inability

Spanish sport science expert Álvaro Puche highlights the importance of physical exercise and strength training as facilitators of healthy life for the Down's syndrome community

Carlota Fominaya

Madrid

Friday, 21 March 2025, 10:36

People with Down's syndrome have a great capacity to learn and be resilient, dedicated, stubborn and determined, as Spanish sport science expert Álvaro Puche highlights.

Puche specialises in physical exercise and strength training for the elderly and for people with special needs. He explains that physical training is of key importance for the physical and mental health of people with Down's syndrome, who tend to lose muscle tissue, have low bone mineral density and joint instability due to hyperlaxity, and are more susceptible to hypothyroidism, heart disease and obesity.

Puche strongly believes in promoting metabolic reversal through physical activity, so that people with Down's syndrome decrease their chance of suffering from the effects of an innate condition.

When can we start working on the development of physical and psychomotor skills in people with Down's syndrome?

As early as possible, from the age of three months. It is very important to bear in mind that early environmental stimulation will mark the future of the person with Down's syndrome. Exposure to psychomotor, kinaesthetic-tactile, muscular work, visual and auditory stimuli are key to upward development. The person with Down's syndrome needs a higher level of exercise than a person who does not have this condition, since they normally do not meet the minimum doses of physical activity and physical exercise. There is no organic health without muscular health. What is good for the body is also good for the mind and what is optimal for physical health is to take care of a healthy state of the muscles. Therefore, strength training is key for a person with Down's syndrome. Their great capacity for effort, perseverance and learning will help them adhere to their regular practice.

What is the relevance of strength training for people with Down syndrome?

It will help them improve their muscular health and have better endocrine and immunological functioning, greater bone mineral density, greater joint stability, better fat oxidation capacity, greater cardiac and pulmonary capacity and, in general, greater oxygenation of the tissues, better psychomotor skills, more stability, better coordination and balance. They will become less likely to sustain fractures and falls. Many of the risk factors they are born with are fundamentally combated with physical exercise and environmental stimulation.

Are gyms equipped for them?

Of course they are. Today's gyms are not only spaces for physical integration, but also social integration. Remember that people with Down's syndrome are great socialisers, which helps in two ways: on the one hand, they will have a higher level of adherence and, on the other, their gym will benefit from their beautiful energy. Proper use of the gym is one of the best tools for preventing or reversing heart disease, diabetes, excess weight and fractures.

What are your experiences in training people with Down syndrome?

They are all wonderful. I have learned a lot thanks to them. I have witnessed how, through training, they can improve in each of their biomarkers: blood tests, strength, degree of autonomy and independence, motor and cognitive abilities, blood glucose management, lifestyle and relationship to their environment in general. I would like to strongly emphasise the importance of the support and examples they receive from their immediate surroundings. If the family is active and trains, they will also be active and train.

Last but not least, exercise should always be adapted and this is where the role of the professional coach comes in.

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