Check here to find helpful tools to share with your PD clients. Some of the images and information are from my presentations and books, so please source the material if you use them publicly.

Tools for Exercise Professionals

Who work with People with Parkinson's Disease

PD Exercise Cocktail Plan™ Professional Toolkit

Program Design Tools

Color PD Exercise Cocktail Form

BW PD Exercise Cocktail Form

Client Evaluation Form

PD Exercise Cocktail Assessment Scoring Sheet.pdf

Exercise Professional Quick Reference Chart
Cardiac Autonomic Dysfunction and Exercise in Parkinson’s Disease

Tanaka Formula

Assessment Scoring

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Assessment & Evaluation Tools

30-Second Chair Stand

Berg Balance

TUG

Seated Medicine Ball Throw Test

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Client Worksheets

PDQ-8

PDQ-39

There is a growing body of scientific evidence demonstrating that exercise can help reduce symptoms in Parkinson’s disease. However, research consistently shows that intensity matters.

Studies such as Ridgel et al., Schenkman et al., and van der Kolk et al. highlight the importance of reaching specific training targets—including a cycling cadence of 80–85 rpm and an intensity of approximately 80–85% of maximum heart rate—to achieve meaningful results.

The Science Behind PD Exercise

The SPARX trials further illustrate the importance of exercise intensity by comparing two aerobic training levels and their outcomes:

• 80–85% MHR (High Intensity):
“Reduced symptoms and slowed progression over the study period.”

• 60–65% MHR (Moderate Intensity):
“Associated with worsening symptoms and continued disease progression.”

These findings highlight a critical distinction: not all exercise produces the same neurological response.

When exercise does not reach the intensity required to drive neurological change, the protective benefits may be limited, allowing typical disease progression to continue.

From this understanding of how exercise drives brain change, the PD Exercise Cocktail Plan™ Model was developed. The model bridges the gap between research and real-world application—guiding how exercise plans are structured to reduce symptoms, help slow disease progression, and improve quality of life.

In my work with PWPD, I have been applying these principles for years and am seeing clients maintain function and experience slowed or no disease progression—often for over two years. Foundational studies such as Daniel Corcos's SPARX, along with more recent work from leaders like Bastiaan Bloem and Jay Alberts, continue to support what we are observing in real-world application.

“Exercise can no longer be treated as general advice—it must be prescribed as a targeted, dose-specific intervention.”