{"id":149296,"date":"2023-01-27T15:35:42","date_gmt":"2023-01-27T14:35:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=149296"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:26:37","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:26:37","slug":"stijn-weterings-designed-a-strength-training-programme-for-people-with-intellectual-disabilities-doing-research-is-like-solving-a-puzzle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2023\/01\/27\/stijn-weterings-designed-a-strength-training-programme-for-people-with-intellectual-disabilities-doing-research-is-like-solving-a-puzzle\/","title":{"rendered":"Stijn Weterings designed a strength training programme for people with intellectual disabilities: \u2018Doing research is like solving a puzzle\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stijn Weterings earned his PhD last week with a thesis that explored the question of whether strength training is feasible for people with an intellectual disability. This target group is living longer, but has a comparatively higher rate of health problems. Can getting and staying in better shape help them improve their health? Weterings (46) was born in Nijmegen, studied mechanical engineering for a short time and graduated in 2003 as a physiotherapist.<\/p>\n

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I read in your acknowledgements that you were happy to be done with your studies at the time.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYes. I always want to learn, but mainly what I want to know myself, and that isn\u2019t always what the school wants. So I was glad it was over and I could just start working.\u201d<\/p>

Why physiotherapy?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI like to exercise, as do many physiotherapists. And I thought this was a fun, active way to help people. During my studies, I did an internship at a school for children with intellectual and physical disabilities. That was a lot more fun than I ever imagined. It\u2019s often a huge puzzle to find out what exactly is going on. You have to adapt to the tempo of the person you\u2019re working with. That means you have to use a lot of creativity and fun to get people on board.\u201d<\/p>

Strength training for people with a disability: how does that work in practice?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYou do a lot of observing. They can\u2019t do many things in terms of motor skills, so if you want to train something you have to activate it in a unique way. That also means gaining trust. They often have more complex problems, so it\u2019s like a puzzle as well.\u201d<\/p>

That\u2019s a bit more challenging than yet another case of mouse arm, isn\u2019t it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI thought so. But after working as a physiotherapist for adults with intellectual disabilities for ten years, I wanted to deepen my expertise and I decided to pursue further education. That would allow me to become a policy adviser, teacher or researcher. The latter seemed interesting to me because then I could look for answers to my questions. More puzzle-solving, but in a different way. So I started my PhD.\u201d<\/p>

What did you think of that?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe best part is that you\u2019re discovering something new at a high level. I stopped working for two years to really do it properly. I had already heard that if you do your PhD part-time, you\u2019ll actually be too busy and won\u2019t have time for all the side tasks, like courses and conferences. In the end, you just have to finish it and that means plodding on until you get there. I have a family, so that was good planning as far as when to start and when not to, and then letting go.\u201d<\/p>

And how about the less enjoyable moments?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI currently have an article which has already been rejected multiple times. That\u2019s tough. You have something interesting, and then no one wants it. And after each rejection you also have to do work to resubmit it to another journal. One journal thinks the target group isn\u2019t interesting, and the other thinks the topic is just a bit too specific.\u201d<\/p>

\u00a0What did you tell the hairdresser when they asked what you do in your everyday life?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThat people with an intellectual disability are more likely to have health problems and we\u2019re researching whether strength training is possible for them, in order to improve their health. And I\u2019m working on the first step: seeing if it\u2019s possible.\u201d<\/p>

Is krachttraining effectiever dan bijvoorbeeld cardio?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cA combination is best. But with cardio you notice that they\u2019ll stop as soon as they start to sweat a little or feel their heart beat faster. Strength training is lifting something ten times, followed by a break. It\u2019s a bit easier to get them to do that.\u201d<\/p>

So, it is possible?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve put together a set of exercises with alternatives that many people with intellectual disabilities can do to get a total body workout. An intensive strength training programme is certainly possible with those exercises, but it requires intensive supervision.\u201d<\/p>

Was the hypothesis that they could do it on their own?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThat was my hope, but it didn\u2019t happen. The trainer couldn\u2019t leave them by themselves.\u201d<\/p>

How will society benefit from your thesis?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s great to show that people with intellectual disabilities can do this, too. And it opens up possibilities to look at how we can improve their health without the need for medications. Healthcare has evolved so much that they\u2019re living just as long as the rest of the population. Their life expectancy was much shorter 30 years ago. If they\u2019re in better shape, they can do more on their own, they\u2019ll have more control over their life and their quality of life will increase.\u201d<\/p>\n\t

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