Q: You co-founded 3Score Gym with a mission to redefine what strength looks like for women over 40. What inspired you to create a space specifically for this stage of life, and what gap did you see in the fitness world that 3Score fills?
AA: In my discussions with my business partner Gene, we explored many facets of aging. Throughout my career in Public Health, I’ve consistently seen glaring gaps in service for women. There is always a blaring hole when it comes to information and educated approaches to women's health and training. As I grew older, I watched many of my friends and loved ones navigate the normal stages of aging only to receive mixed messages from providers that seemed to rely on a trial-and-error approach rather than a focused plan.

At 3Score, I wanted to change that. I decided that I would use my experience, knowledge and position to take a focused approach that acknowledges experiences and difficulties in aging, without dismissing women as “just a mom,” an “old person” or “not the target market.” Here, women over 40 are exactly our target market. We care deeply about providing high-quality training and support designed for the specific stage of life you’re in, so you can stay strong, capable, and confident for decades to come.

Q: What makes 3Score Gym unique compared to other gyms in Berkeley?
AA: We focus on adults over 40 who are taking the initiative in their health and aging process. Our training approach recognizes the challenges of later life and takes a forward-thinking perspective. By consistently training at 3Score, overall concerns diminish because our strength training methodology incorporates functional movements. This ensures you’re not only loading your body to preserve and build muscle mass and bone strength but also improving stability and balance. As a result, daily activities become less concerning and you can focus on what’s fun instead of what feels sore or achy from the day before.

Additionally, we take a complete health approach. This means we are constantly expanding our network of partners. We have relationships with medical doctors, chiropractors, massage therapists, and wellness spas specializing in hormone replacement therapies and peptides. If you have a question, we can help to get it answered and share information with you or your care provider. This collaboration allows us to provide real feedback and ensure you have the data you need to address any health issues you are working on.

Q: Avelina, you bring an impressive background to 3Score. How has your personal experience shaped the philosophy of the gym?
AA: Thank you. My personal experience has shaped the philosophy of the gym in its totality from my education to athletic performance and active lifestyle. My experience isn't unique and that is what is great about 3Score. We’ve created a space where the communal experience is moving through the phases of life. From your 30’s to 40’s -navigating first babies and body changes to 40-50’s, facing perimenopause or the infamous “dad bod,” and into your 60’s-70’s aches and joint replacements may show up but the desire for an active life remains strong.

3Score says “Yup! That's right. Let’s stay strong so we’re not hunched over and feeling defeated.” We want you to be able to get up off the ground and tackle that hike or run around with family without worrying that your body is too weak or going to hurt the next day (or three).

Q: Your programs focus on barbell and functional training, which can sound intimidating to some. How do you help women feel confident stepping into strength training, especially if they’ve been told for years to “go easy” as they age?
AA: Let's be clear: Women have been told to stay away from strength training for the majority of history until recently. The pervasive mentality is that women should not be seen as visibly strong. That was a man's role and to be visible or physically strong was a masculine trait. Well, it’s utterly wrong. To have a child you have to be very strong, to gather food you have to be very strong. Squatting and hinging and carrying loads. Women just had to do it and make it look effortless. I engage in conversations with our members and show the correlation to what they do all the time. Once a real-life example is given it becomes less intimidating. We have invested in high quality equipment from Elieko to help lower the barrier to entry. Our technique focused equipment is lighter, allowing members to refine movement patterns, build confidence and develop proper form before progressing to heavier loads.

Once the movement feels natural, heavy things don’t feel so heavy anymore because your whole body is working together. That’s exactly what I teach my clients. While we’re loading the body, you’re also getting all the great cellular benefits that come with lifting barbells.

Q: You’re certified in aging and menopause, two areas often overlooked in mainstream fitness. How do those insights shape your approach to coaching and program design at 3Score?
AA: Honestly, the certification came after a few years working with an amazing group of female trainers and clients, it mostly serves to validate what we were already doing. The fitness industry is often behind and victim to trends. By working alongside career female trainers, I built an amazing knowledge base that the certification simply confirmed.

The simplest approach is validation and acceptance. The experiences are real. The feelings are real. The injuries are real. That makes my approach real. Flexibility is key as our members are navigating their own unique health journeys. I program progressions, but I also understand that on any given day we may need to adjust. I care, and I listen.

Emotional and mental health are huge determinants of overall physical well-being. I tend to focus on output, or RPE (Rep Perceived Effort). I want to ensure effort output stays consistent with training programs. Even if the weight doesn’t increase that day, it’s perfectly OK. The impact of stress on the cellular level is huge. Our bodies, at times, are stressed to the max so any bit of stress is interpreted as negative. This is tremendously negative for our goals, of gaining strength and progression. Therefore, we adjust and move.

This approach keeps clients consistent and moving. There are no excuses not to show up and move because we acknowledge the sleep disruptions, rage, and emotional roller coasters that exist and come with this stage in life. Through it all the 3Score community is there to support you.

In the long term, when you’re working with adults over 40. movement and consistency is what drives lasting impact. I’m not a participation trophy trainer. I want that to be clear. What I am is a great coach and great coaches find ways to keep you moving. That’s exactly what we do at 3Score: we keep you moving throughout life.

Q: Looking ahead, how do you hope 3Score will influence the broader conversation around women’s health, longevity, and empowerment after 40?
AA: 3Score is dedicated to changing the story around health, longevity, and empowerment for both men and women after 40. We want to create an environment where adults of both genders feel seen, heard, and supported—where strength training is not about competition or comparison, but about building resilience, confidence, and real-world capability at any stage of life. By highlighting honest experiences with aging, recovery, and hormonal changes—for men as well as women—we aim to break the silence around topics like menopause, testosterone shifts, bone health, and injury prevention focusing on changing the conversation from simply longevity to healthspan.

Looking ahead, my hope is for 3Score to influence the broader conversation by showing how inclusive, science-driven approaches to fitness can help adults embrace longer, healthier, more empowered lives. If we can become a model that leads other health institutions to see value in the needs and strengths of the after 40 population, then we’ll know we’ve created lasting impact.

Q: Beyond physical strength, what kinds of transformations (mental, emotional, or community-driven) have you witnessed among women training at 3Score?
AA: Mostly confidence in taking on things in life. We can share a few of the many success stories from our 3Score community:

One client in her late fifties had a work trip to Colorado and had worked seven days straight and a ten-hour day, then offered to go on a hike at Elevation. We are based in Berkeley, California, so elevation hikes are difficult. She said yes and effortlessly completed a 5-mile hike. She came back elated, saying “Thank you, training at 3Score!” She could feel the impacts of strength training on her ability to complete the hike, and it gave her the confidence to do it.

Another client also in their fifties, shared that while mowing the lawn they hit a bump and the lawn mower tumbled over. They went tumbling too but didn't fall because they were able to get their balance back, regain stability and didn’t feel any pain. They said that would have put them out for a few days to a week before strength training with 3Score.

Here’s another great one: I was working with a client in his 60’s on bench press and he felt pain in his shoulder. We stopped that movement right away and I referred him to a trusted local practitioner. He went in, was diagnosed and given a series of exercises to strengthen the weakness identified. We discussed his new limitations, adapted the program, and changed movements. We were able to use a specialized bar that enables folks with shoulder impingements to safely squat with a barbell and load their body. That day, he lifted more than he ever had before that day! At the end of our session, he told me that he was feeling really discouraged when he walked in. In the past, when he would get injured, he would stop working out while going through rehab and would face a setback. This time he was able to keep moving. He said never thought he could keep it up and was really happy that training at 3Score allowed him to not lose momentum. That was a special day for me because I work hard to ensure that I stay up to date with training methodologies and movement patterns that allow for adaptability, so that we can keep people moving while still addressing what life throws at us. At 3Score, that’s what we do: we find a way forward, together.