WHAT IS THE SLOW COOKER?
A comprehensive 20-week online small group strength & conditioning program designed for women ages 40+
Appropriate if you are perimenopausal or postmenopausal, training with knee or hip arthritis, have osteopenia or osteoporosis, or working with persistent pain. Led by physical therapist and strength & conditioning coach Caitlin Casella.
Sustainable, impactful exercise strategies you can use for a lifetime of healthy aging, durability, and generally feeling like a badass.
WHY SO SLOW?
INSIDE THE SLOW COOKER WE ARE REALISTIC ABOUT THE TIME IT TAKES TO SHAPE BEHAVIOR CHANGE, BUILD HABITS, AND DRIVE THE PHYSIOLOGICAL ADAPTATION NECESSARY FOR SUSTAINABLE FITNESS AND AGING WELL
THE SLOW COOKER PROGRAM IS BUILT ON THREE PILLARS
1. STRENGTH - Slow and heavy
- Benefits: Enhance life activities, maintain independence, build muscle mass and bone density, support cognitive and metabolic health, foster a sense of confidence and capability.
- What you will learn: Simple and effective strength routines that can be sustained independently. Understand appropriate weight and rep ranges to drive strength adaptation through slow and steady progression.
2. CARDIO CONDITIONING - Low intensity long duration + high intensity intervals
- Benefits: Improve metabolic health, enhance sleep, optimize body composition, support heart health, reduce disease risk, and boost mental focus and mood.
- What you will learn: How to monitor heart rate and adjust exercise intensity based on heart rate zones. Develop strategies for building cardiovascular endurance progressively.
3. POWER + IMPACT - Explosive
- Benefits: Increase tissue durability, build muscle mass and bone density, maintain independence, keep up with the kids, reduce falls risk, and make workouts fun and invigorating.
- What you will learn: Safely introduce jumping and power moves to incorporate explosive strength training into your routine.
20 WEEKS OF PROGRESSIVE STRENGTH & CONDITIONING PROGRAMMING WITH TWICE-WEEKLY ZOOM SUPPORT
Slow Cooker Basics Includes:
—Intake Session: One 30 min one-on-one Zoom meeting with Caitlin at the start of the program to discuss your current baseline of activity and goals.
—Live Group Zoom Support Sessions: Two 30 min sessions per week covering tutorials, coaching, Q&A, exercise principles and rationale, form checks, and troubleshooting. Group sessions are recorded and saved to the course page for ongoing reference.
The live Zoom sessions are NOT led as workouts in real time. They are for your understanding so you can begin effectively and confidently training yourself.
Basics Zoom Schedule: Mondays & Fridays 8:30-9am EST. Replay vides are available on the course page.
—Course Page: New material is released weekly. You'll move through the program synchronously with your cohort. The course page includes weekly workout programming, exercise tutorials with options for working with a variety of equipment at home or in a gym, lessons on the how and why of strength training and cardio conditioning formats, and journaling prompts to keep you motivated and focused on building sustainable habits.
—Community Support: A messaging platform right inside the course page. It's just like a Facebook group, but not on Facebook!! You can ask questions to Caitlin and the whole group, upload videos and photos for form checks, receive support on equipment set-up, and share about all the new thoughts, feels, and fitness gains you're experiencing.
—Forever Access: Lifetime (Caitlin's lifetime) access to the course platform, along with any future additions and edits.
Registration is currently closed. The next Basics cohort starts July 21, 2025.
Limited to only 10 new Basics level participants per cohort to allow for individualized coaching and support from Caitlin. Doors open only two times per year.
Please use the button below to add your name to the waitlist. You'll be the first to know when registration opens, receive bonus educational materials, and $300 off the basics level price.
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
Weekly independent training responsibility over the 20 week period**
—Strength: Two 15-25 min sessions
—Cardio: You will gradually work up to three or four 25-30 min low-intensity sessions plus one 15-25 min high-intensity interval session. This is the goal, not necessarily where you will begin. It all depends on your current activity levels and we'll build from there.
—Power + Impact: Less than 1 minute at a time, sprinkled throughout your other workouts in the week. This will be introduced later in the program and progressed gradually.
**Some days might include strength and cardio in the same day, or the same gym session. You will learn about stacking your exercise stimulus for optimal work and recovery timing throughout the week.
Equipment requirements
—Access to a gym or home gym with weights and cardio equipment. If you don't have access to cardio machines, you will use brisk walking and/or walk-jog intervals for your cardio.
—A heart rate monitor (fitness tracking watch or wrist / chest strap heart rate monitor)
PLEASE NOTE
By design, The Slow Cooker will provide you with the skills and confidence you need to train INDEPENDENTLY FOR LIFE.
Unlike led group classes, or always having a trainer telling you what to do, The Slow Cooker prepares you with the know-how and discernment to be autonomous in planning and executing highly effective workouts.
"It took a while to sink in, but your explanation in our Zoom today made me realize that my workouts—cardio and strength—have been very disorganized. A combination of too much strength work without enough progressive overload coupled with too much HIIT/ too little lower intensity cardio has resulted in minimal gains and a lot of fatigue! Your program has helped me plan the right amount of workouts around my sessions with my clients and I am seeing and feeling results!"
— SUZAN B.
“Thanks for all of your direction and encouragement. Getting your feedback and hearing everyone else’s questions and concerns makes me feel like we’re all in this together, which is a nice feeling to recall when I’m huffing and puffing up our steep hill!"
— COLLEEN M.
2025-2026 DATES
The Slow Cooker is a synchronous small group cohort that runs twice per year. The program spans 20 active weeks of live Zoom check-ins and programming, skipping a couple weeks for holidays. The Basics and Sustain & Refine levels span the same dates every cycle.
SPRING 2025: Jan 20 - the week of June 9 (skips week of Memorial Day, 5/26)
FALL 2025: July 21 - the week of Dec 15 (skips weeks of Labor Day 9/1, and Thanksgiving 11/24)
SPRING 2026: Jan 19 - the week of June 8 (skips week of Memorial Day, 5/25)
TWO EXPERIENCE LEVELS
After your initial 20 week cycle is complete, you will have the option to continue your participation at the next level. This will allow you to progress into more robust exercise and add variety to your training.
Basics: Focus on building habits, learning gym fundamentals, and understanding strength and cardio conditioning for general health and longevity.
Basics Zoom Schedule: Mondays & Fridays 8:30-9am EST
- Mondays: Weekly kick-off, form and skills session
- Fridays: End of week check-in
Sustain & Refine**: Become an expert at training yourself for life. Ongoing live Zoom check-ins (one weekly Zoom for 50 minutes). New skill development, collaborative program planning, specific goal focus, and next level challenges.
Sustain & Refine Zoom Schedule: Mondays 9-9:50am EST
**All participants must complete a full 20-week Basics cycle before moving into Sustain & Refine or permission from Caitlin if you've been attending classes or one-on-one movement coaching sessions.
Basics Level Investment
$380/month over 5 months
— $1,900 total when you join the waitlist and sign up early
— Regular price $2,200 total ($440/month over 5 months)
Limited to only 10 new Basics level participants per cohort to allow for individualized coaching and support from Caitlin. Doors open only two times per year.
Registration is now closed. The next Basics cohort starts July 21, 2025.
Please use the button below to add your name to the waitlist. You'll be the first to know when registration opens, receive bonus educational materials, and $300 off the basics level price.
Sustain & Refine
$280/month over 5 months
— $1,400 total for the 20 week cycle
For those who have completed Slow Cooker Basics. You will receive information at the end of your program with an invitation to join at this level. You may also reach out to Caitlin for details: caitlin@practicehuman.com
