5 Essential Bodyweight Exercises for Maintaining Strength, Flexibility, and Autonomy Beyond Age 50
Rocking past 50 and worried about declining mobility? Dr. Devin Trachman, PT, DPT, clinic director at Physical Therapy Central, suggests toning down the iron pumping and opting for gentle, everyday movements instead. In this guide, Dr. Trachman shares five fantastic bodyweight exercises to keep your body strong and spry, even as you hit your golden years.
Bodyweight training does more than just sculpting muscles – it boosts coordination, enhances stability, and decreases the risk of injury [1]. After the age of 50, bone density becomes a concern due to an increased risk of osteoporosis and bone loss. With bodyweight exercises, you can stimulate bone remodeling and slow down the loss of bone mass, reducing the chance of fractures [2].
Another plus? You don't need a pricey gym membership or heavy equipment to reap the benefits of bodyweight training. So let's dive into those gentle yet effective bodyweight exercises for the over-50 crowd.
Say Goodbye to The Weight: Get Strong with Bodyweight Squats
Whipping your glutes, quads, hamstrings, and core into shape, squats are a must-do exercise. Stand tall with your feet planted shoulder-width apart. Bend at your knees and hips, lowering into a squat until your thighs are parallel to the floor [3].
Bird Dogs: Stretching Your Limits
Improve balance, posture, and core strength with the bird dog exercise. Kneel on all fours. Extend your left arm and right leg, hold for a moment before returning to the starting position. Repeat on the opposite side [2].
Going Forward: Lunges for Strengthening Lower Body
Lunges are a total lower body workout, targeting the glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves, and core. Start with your feet parallel and hip-distance apart. Step one foot forward, engage your core, and lower into a lunge, keeping your upper body straight. Press through your front heel and the ball of your back foot to return to the starting position [4].
Everyday Upper Body Strength Boost: Pushups
Engage your core, shoulders, chest, and triceps with a good old-fashioned pushup. From the high plank position, lower your chest towards the ground, keeping your body long and straight, then press back up.
Elevate Your Calf Game with Calf Raises
Improving ankle stability and activating your calf muscles, calf raises are a vital component of a bodyweight workout. Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart and slowly rise up onto your toes, then lower back down [5].
Whether you're recovering from an injury or looking to maintain your mobility and strength, bodyweight exercises are an excellent way to get fit and stay strong. Now that you've mastered these five gentle bodyweight moves, explore more ways to keep your body sharp and limber, such as gentle yoga poses and walking workouts tailored to older adults [6][7][8]. Stay active and enjoy the golden years!
Read this next:
- For more ways to rebuild muscle after 50, check out our guide on 5 Bodyweight Moves to Rebuild Muscle After 50.
- Discover essential add-ons to your walking routine to stay strong and slim after 40 in Walking Add-Ons to Stay Strong and Slim After 40.
- Find out five standing exercises to shrink deep belly fat with 5 Standing Moves That Shrink Deep Belly Fat.
- Ensure you protect your knees with Doctor's #1 Rule for Protecting Your Knees.
- Beyond sculpting muscles, bodyweight training boosts coordination, enhances stability, and decreases the risk of injury, making it a great choice as you transition into your golden years.
- Bodyweight exercises, such as squats, bird dogs, lunges, pushups, and calf raises, can help stimulate bone remodeling and slow down the loss of bone mass, reducing the chance of fractures.
- By incorporating bodyweight exercises like these into your daily routine, you can maintain your mobility and strength, even in the face of aging, and stave off concerns related to declining mobility.
- In addition to these five exercises, consider exploring gentle yoga poses and walking workouts tailored to older adults to further elevate your fitness and health-and-wellness.
- Essential add-ons to your walking routine, such as strengthening and stretching exercises, can help you stay strong and slim after 40, contributing to your overall fitness-and-exercise and longevity.
