Lower Body Exercises For Seniors

Strength Exercise : Seated Knee Extensions

MUSCLES WORKED

HOW TO

• Sitting up tall, in your chair, shuffle forward to the middle of the chair.

• In this position, using a cushion or a rolled up towel, place the item between your knees.

• Bring your feet in, ensuring they are in line with your knees.

• Whilst holding the cushion lightly with your knees, you’re now going to squeeze the cushion using your knees.

• Hold this for 5 seconds and relax.

• Repeat for the set repetitions.

For Video Demonstration of Seated Hip Abductions:

And there you have 10 of the best leg strengthening exercises for seniors.

Do these exercises consistently for strong, steady legs.

If youd prefer just to do exercises with me through video, here are more leg strengthening videos

Hi, Im Mike!A Seniors’ Specialist Physiotherapist and Exercise Scientist.

I have spent many years working with people over 60, in Australia and now all over the world, to help them improve their health and fitness.

If you’re over 60, I have designed this website to give YOU everything you need for you to move better, get stronger, become fitter, get healthier and look and feel better!

Exercise You Can Do Anywhere: Beginner Bodyweight Exercises For Seniors

Strength training and exercise are vital to a seniors well-being, balance, cardiac wellness and flexibility. With those benefits in mind, its important to have a series of bodyweight exercises you can do anywhere, even without gym equipment.

Without a trainer present, you have to be conscious of your own form and limits. Before you begin, practice supporting your lower back in preparation for bodyweight exercises. Make sure youre engaging your abdominal muscles so your lower back doesnt experience too much strain. Using your deep core muscles, draw your navel toward your spine, and keep these muscles activated during each different move of your bodyweight workout.

Strength Exercise : Squat

Buttocks , thighs , hips, calves, core and back.

DIFFICULTY: Moderate

• Standing up tall with your feet shoulder-width apart.

• Holding onto your chair with both hands.

• Hinging at the hips and sitting back as if you were sitting on a chair.

• As you sit back, go no deeper than 90 degrees and as you stand back up.

• Put equal weight through both legs.

• Make sure your knees dont go over the line of your toes and they arent moving inward throughout the exercise.

• Repeat for the set repetitions.

For Video Demonstration of the Squat:

PROGRESSING THE EXERCISE: This exercise can be made more challenging by using no hands, resistance bands, dumbbells, barbell.

EASIER VARIATION – PARTIAL SQUAT

Perform this variation if you have difficulty or get pain with the standard squat.

DIFFICULTY: Easy

• Standing up tall with your feet shoulder width apart.

• Holding onto your chair with both hands.

• Hinging at the hips and sitting back as if you were sitting on a chair.

• Only go to a depth of about 45 degrees before you come back up.

• Put equal weight through both legs.

• Make sure your knees dont go over the line of your toes and the arent moving inward throughout the exercise.

• Repeat for the set repetitions.

For Video Demonstration of the Partial Squat:

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Can You Build Muscle At The Age Of 70

Whether people over 70 can build muscles is tricky, but we will try to give you the best information.

Indeed, your muscle mass naturally decreases as you age, but there are ways to rebuild them even in your 70s.

You need to eat healthy diets and perform progressive resistance training consistently.

Of course, you will not gain muscle as if you were still young, but both factors help slow down muscle loss and level your fitness.

So, focus on fitness exercise designed for people over 70 and eat healthy diets to build aging muscle successfully.

Allow us to end this article that reviews seniors best upper and lower body exercise equipment.

The medical workout pieces of equipment we have reviewed are for seniors.

They are also for people with disabilities, those recovering from injuries or surgeons, or with some health conditions.

One of the best retailers of these products in the US and globally is ACTIVEnABLE.

This brand has been in this business since 1999, and its highly qualified employees are always ready for help if needed.

You can also use other resources to start online fitness classes.

Buy other fitness equipment if you dont need medical workout products but still want to do fitness exercises at home.

Thank you for reading this article. You can comment or ask questions at the bottom of this page.

We will ensure to get back to you as soon as possible.

Want To Age Well These Low

Want to age well? Add these low-impact exercises to your workout routine to build total body strength, mobility, and lean muscle mass.

If want to age well, there are certain exercises for seniors that can help you in many ways. Truthfully, the anti-aging benefits achieved through regular exercise are seemingly endless.

In this article, we will take a look at the major benefits of exercising later in life and outline low-impack exercises any senior can safely perform.

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The Health Benefits Of Exercise For Older Adults

If I were to list every benefit exercise affords seniors, Id have to write a novel. Exercise helps every system of the body in some way, and even just a small amount of light or moderate-intensity work can go a very long way.

Lets take a closer look at some of the major benefits of exercise for seniors.

Strengthening Your Core Will Rev Up Your Balance And Stability

After a long winter with lots of isolating and maybe too little physical activity, it might be time to give your core muscles more attention.

These muscles, located throughout much of your trunk, are the key to supporting your lower back and helping you stand, get out of a chair, bend, lift, and maintain your balance. So regular maintenance and tune-ups of the core muscles are important.

“Your core muscles provide stability for the moving parts above and below them the mid-back, or thoracic, spine that helps you twist and turn, and the hips that move you up, down, back, or forward,” explains Marty Boehm, a physical therapist with Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

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Exercise Is Great For The Body And The Mind

When you follow a regular exercise routine you not only build strength, you also improve your balance. Improving balance is paramount for seniors as it greatly reduces the risk of falling. Seniors who maintain their physical fitness are able to stay active and maintain their independence. Studies have shown that the ability to perform everyday functions independently is a major contributor to the happiness and well-being of seniors.

As we age it can become increasingly difficult to stay active and exercise with regularity. However, doing so is increasingly important and can make all the difference in the world. For any senior who worries about the potential to fall or have an accident, or who is worrying about their body stiffening, aging and becoming out of shape, exercise can seem like a daunting task, but it does not need to be intimidating!

You may notice that once you start exercising your mood and perspective shift. The shift may be subtle at first, but as you keep up with your fitness routine, you will see more and more gains and you may feel a general sense of agency and positivity. This shift in perspective can be very empowering for seniors.

Know that you know the wide range of benefits that exercise can have, we will discuss the importance of daily leg strengthening exercises.

Add the following as part of a program of physical therapy for elderly legs:

Strength Exercise : Knee Flexions

MUSCLES WORKED

Back of the thighs .

DIFFICULTY: Easy

HOW TO:

• Standing up tall, holding onto your chair, with your feet close together.

• Bending your leg at the knee, lifting your foot up towards your buttocks, holding briefly and returning your foot back to the ground.

• Repeat for the set repetitions and do the same on the opposite leg.

For Video Demonstration of Knee Flexions:

PROGRESSING THE EXERCISE: Using resistance bands, ankle weights.

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Squats For Senior Citizens

Squats are great exercises for seniors as they can increase and strengthen flexibility in your calves, knees, and glutes. Start with the feet hip-distance apart, your toes pointing forward. Allow your body to lean slightly forward and engage the abdominals as you bend the knees as if you are sitting down. Hold for five seconds and return to the starting position.

If you need more tips on senior exercises, kindly book an appointment with a licensed and experienced personal trainer today.

Sign up now and get your first 25-Minute Total Body Reset class for free!

The Worst Core Exercises

In the old days, sit-ups and crunches were the go-to moves to keep your core muscles in good shape. But those exercises are not as effective as we once believed. They strengthen only a few muscles, and they pose risks for older adults.

“They’re dangerous because you’re pulling on your neck,” Boehm says. “And they don’t train your core. They train the hip flexor muscles. If those muscles get too strong, they pull on the lower back and contribute to back pain.”

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Strength Exercise : Chair Deadlift

MUSCLES WORKED

Buttocks , thighs , hips, calves, core and back.

DIFFICULTY: Harder

• Place your resistance band flat on the floor.

• Sitting up tall towards the front of your chair.

• Place your feet shoulder-width apart on the resistance band and face your toes slightly outwards and keep your knees in line with your toes.

• Reach down and grab hold of your resistance band and maintain your upright posture with your shoulders back and down and your chest up.

• Also maintain straight arms whilst holding onto the resistance band, and keep your shoulders back and down in good posture whilst holding onto the resistance band.

• Loosen or tighten the resistance band as needed to work your strength.

• From this position, whilst only holding onto the resistance, stand up, just like the sit to stand exercise now holding onto the resistance band.

• Ensure you completely straighten your knees and hips and squeezing your buttocks when you come to the top of the movement.

• Now slowly sit back down.

• Keep equal weight through both legs throughout the exercise and make sure your knees arent moving inward throughout the exercise.

• Repeat for the set repetitions.

For Video Demonstration of the Deadlift:

EASIER VARIATION: Lighter weight/resistance.

PROGRESSING THE EXERCISE: Using Heavier resistance bands, Using no chair, using a barbell.

Chair Core Exercises For Seniors

Strengthening your core and abs is crucial for improving balance and stability. Perform these chair core exercises for seniors to improve your muscular foundation and protect yourself from accidental falls. The seated exercises are great for lower back, abs, and glutes. Here are a few activities to build a strong foundation!

11. Tummy Twists for Abs

Sit up straight with your feet flat on the ground. Hold your arms at a ninety-degree angle with your elbows at your sides and your forearms extended in front of you. Rotate your upper torso to the left through a full range of motion. Keep your lower body still, and brace your core by imagining youre sucking your belly button toward your spine. Return to the middle and twist to the right. Perform ten repetitions on each side, for a total of twenty. This exercise strengthens your obliques, abdominal muscles used for trunk rotation, and will help you maintain good posture. Also, check out the best back braces to improve poor posture.

12. Captains Chair

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Strength Exercise : Hip Extensions

DIFFICULTY: Easy

Buttocks , and back of the thighs .

HOW TO:

• Placing both hands on your chair and standing up tall.

• Keeping your legs straight slowly bring it back behind you and then bring your feet back together.

• Repeat for the set number of repetitions and do the same on the opposite leg.

For Video Demonstration of Hip Extensions:

PROGRESSING THE EXERCISE: Using resistance bands, ankle weights.

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The Top 5 Benefits Of Strength Training For Older Adults

Your body changes as you age and in ways that you dont like or expect. Even normal, healthy aging includes reduced muscle strength or mass, increased body fat, stiffer joints, slower metabolism, and reduced bone density. Here are some of the top five advantages associated with consistent strength training for seniors:

Standing Leg Exercises For The Elderly

This is a great exercise for keeping yourself mobile and boosting your coordination.

Step 1: Rest your hands on the back of the chair for stability, with your feet hip-width apart.

Step 2: Bend your knees as far as is comfortable, aiming to get your knees in line with your toes.

Step 3: Slowly stand back up before repeating.

When you perform this movement try and be mindful to keep your knees in line with your feet as your knees will likely want to drop into your midline.

This exercise will help strengthen the muscles surrounding your hips, helping to improve your coordination and stability.

Step 1: Rest your hands on the back of the chair with your feet hip-width apart.

Step 2: Keeping your toes facing forward, lift your left leg out to the side, as much as is comfortable to do so.

Step 3: Slowly return your left foot to the starting position, the slower the better.

Repeat this movement five times before switching to your right leg.

This is a great exercise to improve your balance and strengthen your glutes.

Step 1: Rest your hands on the back of a chair with your feet at hip-width apart and toes facing forwards.

Step 2: Keep your foot flexed and your eyes facing forwards as you lift your left leg back as far as is comfortable while maintaining an upright posture.

Step 3: Hold this for 5 seconds, making sure not to arch your back. You should feel tension in your buttocks as this is the muscle that should be doing all the work.

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Why Do A Lower Body Workout

Exercising the muscles of the lower body has several benefits. It

• Creates a stronger foundation for better balance
• Helps with arthritis and osteoporosis by strengthening muscles and bones
• Improves confidence of moving through you daily tasks
• Can ward off hip, knee, and back pain
• Increases stamina for fun activities like walking, golf ,tennis, cycling, etc.

This video is only 10 minutes long!

Who cant find 10 minutes to help avoid a nasty fall, hip injury or decline in ability to remain independent as long as possible?

Not to mention fitting more comfortably in your jeans.

So join me as we choose to remain strong and FEEL GOOD!

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Standing Hip Flexor Advanced

Last, but certainly not least on our list of stretches for seniors is the standing hip flexor. As one of many hip flexor stretches for seniors, this stretch is a great way to alleviate tightness or pain in your hips. However, it should be noted that this is a difficult exercise and may be better suited for more advanced folks. Heres how to do it:

• First, grab a sturdy chair and stand with your feet facing the back of the chair, be sure to distance yourself far enough from the chair to lift your leg up.
• Then, holding onto the chair with both hands, keep one leg straight and lift your opposing leg towards your chest with your knee bent, bringing your knee as close to your chest as possible.
• Hold this position for about 10 to 15 seconds and repeat with your other leg.

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Why These Exercise Work

These leg strengthening exercises for seniors are manageable for most as they are risk free, according to Turgis.

“There is virtually no risk for seniors exercising their legs if they don’t have any underlying conditions and start exercising with a physio until they are independent in their exercises.

“There are no leg exercises that seniors should avoid doing as long as the intensity is reasonable and adapted to their condition so they don’t injure themselves.”

However, he stressed the importance of first having a physio assessment before carrying out any of the movements, as underlying conditions or prior operations could limit the type of activities available.

For example, “It is forbidden for someone with a hip replacement to do a leg raise, as that could dislocate their hip. That’s one of the reasons why a physio assessment is necessary,” he advised.

Nonetheless, both experts emphasize the clear benefits of regular, manageable exercise for seniors.

“All the above is really important as it keeps seniors autonomous and independent for the longest time possible, which helps them stay social with others and not damage their mental health which is the key factor for a long life,” Turgis said.