Are You Over 50? These Are the Best Exercises for Aging Muscles
Get moving!
Regular physical activity is one of the most important things you can do for your health as an older adult. Not only can it help to prevent many health problems that often come with age, it helps to keep your muscles stronger so day-to-day activities are easier.
While the Centers for Disease Control recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity each week for older adults, it's important to remember that some physical activity is better than none at all, so do what you can. But the benefits usually increase with the more physical activity that you do.
The following 20 exercises are for seniors to help strength and balance. All exercises can be done without weights and with minimal movement.
If you are new to exercise, start with no more than 5 repetitions for each exercise to relieve pressure on your ligaments and tendons. If you have health conditions, it's important to understand how they might affect your ability to do regular physical activity safely. Talk to your doctor before beginning any new workout regimen.
1. Standing squat
1. Stand up straight and tall.
2. Raise your arms to shoulder height.
3. Place your feet hip’s width apart and point them straight ahead.
4. Feel most of your weight on your heels.
5. Slowly squat down to a comfortable depth, without slumping your back.
6. Slowly squat down to a comfortable depth
7. Keep your back firm, without slumping.
8. Slowly stand back up straight and tall to beginning position.
2. Seated bicycles
1. Sit on the edge of a chair.
2. Lean back on the chair.
3. Extended your knees.
4. Keep your heels on the floor with toes point upward.
5. Kick your right knee up as high as possible.
6. Extend it back to the ground/floor.
7. Then kick your left knee up as high as possible.
8. Extend it back to the ground/floor.
3. Lying bicycle
1. Lie flat on your back.
2. Keep your hips and shoulders firmly on the ground.
3. Keep your feet together.
4. Raise your left leg as high as possible.
5. Keep you left knee bent with your hips firmly on the ground.
6. Lower your left leg back to the ground.
7. Repeat steps 4-6 with your right leg.
4. Bridge
1. Lie on your back.
2. Bend your knees.
3. Keep your feet flat on the floor/ground.
4. Raise your hips as high as possible.
5. Keep both shoulder blades flat on the ground.
6. Lower your hips down to the ground to starting position.
5. Two-leg raise
1. Lie flat on your back.
2. Keep your hips and shoulders firmly on the ground.
3. Keep your feet together.
4. Raise both legs up to the sky.
5. Keep your feet together.
6. Keep your knees extended as much as possible.
7. Lower your legs back to the ground.
8. Repeat steps 4-7.
6. Lying reverse crunch
1. Lie on your back.
2. Bend your knees.
3. Keep your feet flat on the floor/ground.
4. Raise both knees as high as possible.
5. Keep your knees bent.
6. Lower your feet back to the ground to starting position.
7. Repeat steps 4-6.
7. Bird dog
1. Kneel on hands and knees.
2. Keep your hands under your shoulders.
3. Keep your knees under your hips.
4. Raise your left arm and right leg fully extended.
5. Lower your left arm and right leg back to starting position.
6. Raise your right arm and left leg fully extended.
7. Lower your right arm and left leg back to starting position.
8. Repeat steps 4-7.
8. Kneeling rear leg raise
1. Kneel on hand and knees with left leg fully extended.
2. Keep your left toe on the ground.
3. Keep hands directly underneath shoulders.
4. Raise your left leg toward the sky.
5. Keep your left knee fully extended with your left leg as straight as possible.
6. Bring your left toe back to the ground.
7. Repeat steps 4-6.
9. Kneeling plank
1. Kneeling position with palms on the floor.
2. Knuckles should be directly below the eyes.
3. Knees should be hip’s width apart.
4. Raise knees off the floor to a plank position.
5. Bring knees back down to the floor to the starting position.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5.
10. Seated leg extension
1. Sit in a chair.
2. Knees at a 90-degree angle.
3. Feet flat on the floor.
4. Raise your left foot by extending your left knee.
5. Bring your left foot back to the floor to starting position.
6. Raise your right foot by extending your right knee.
7. Bring your right food back to the floor to starting position.
8. Repeat steps 4-7.
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11. Floor seated leg extension
1. Sit on the floor.
2. Keep your back firm (don’t slump) and lean back slightly.
3. Keep knees bent at a 90-degree angle.
4. Keep heels on the floor with toes pointing up.
5. Place hands on hamstrings for back support.
6. Raise your left foot by extending your left knee.
7. Bring your left foot back to the floor to starting position.
8. Raise your right foot by extending your right knee.
9. Bring your right foot back to the floor to starting position.
10. Repeat steps 6-9.
12. Romanian dead lift
1. Stand straight up.
2. Feet shoulder width apart.
3. Arms hanging at the side.
4. Bend over by hinging at the waist.
5. Do not slump the lower or upper back.
6. Arms hanging gently toward the floor.
7. Stand back up to starting position.
8. Repeat steps 4-7.
13. Standing rotator cuff rotation
1. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart.
2. Raise your arms to shoulder height.
3. Bend your elbows to 90-degrees.
4. Lower your hands to shoulder height, while keeping your elbow high.
5. Raise your arms back to starting position.
6. Repeat 4 and 5.
14. Front shoulder raise
1. Stand tall with feet shoulder width apart.
2. Let your arms hang gently at your side.
3. Palms are pointing toward each other.
4. Raise arms forward until hands point upward toward the sky.
5. Lower arms back to your side to starting position.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5.
15. Standing spine rotation
1. Stand tall with feet shoulder width apart.
2. Raise your arms to the side at shoulder width height.
3. Bend you elbows 90-degrees with palms facing downward.
4. Keep your hips stable while rotating your shoulders to the left.
5. Rotate your shoulders in the opposite direction to the right.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5.
16. Abdominal crunch
1. Lie on your back.
2. Raise your hands to gently touch your head.
3. Bend your knees.
4. Keep your feet flat on the floor/ground.
5. Raise your head and shoulders off the floor/ground.
6. Lower your back and head toward the floor/ground.
7. Repeat steps 5 and 6.
17. Knee highs
1. Stand tall with feet shoulder width apart.
2. Let your arms hang gently at your side.
3. Raise your left knee and right arm.
4. Lower them back to the floor/ground.
5. Raise your right knee and left arm.
6. Lower them back to the floor/ground.
7. Repeat steps 3-6.
18. Quadruped arm raise
1. Kneel on hands and knees.
2. Keep your hands under your shoulders.
3. Keep your knees under your hips.
4. Raise your right arm straight forward.
5. Lower your right arm back to the floor/ground.
6. Raise your left arm straight forward.
7. Lower your left arm back to the floor/ground.
8. Repeat steps 4-7.
19. Standing knee flex
1. Stand tall with feet shoulder width apart.
2. Place hands on hips or let your arms hang gently at your side.
3. Flex your left knee and raise your foot backward.
4. Lower your left foot back to the floor/ground.
5. Flex your right knee and raise your foot backward.
6. Lower your right foot back to the floor/ground.
7. Repeat steps 3-6.
20. Shoulder flex extension
1. Stand with feet shoulder width apart.
2. Raise arms to shoulder height with palms facing each other.
3. Swing arms backward as far as possible.
4. Bring arms back to shoulder height.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4.
Kirk Charles is a Certified Personal Trainer and Corrective Exercise Specialist with the National Academy of Sports Medicine; a Group Exercise Instructor with the Aerobics & Fitness Association of America; and a Certified Golf Fitness Instructor with the Titleist Performance Institute. He has authored a self-empowerment book, Live in the Power Zone; and he has developed a unique and exciting workout program for those who are in a sedentary profession entitled The 2-Minute Office Workout.
This article was produced and syndicated by MediaFeed.
