Top 5 Weight Lifting Exercises Adapted for Seniors

A few years ago, I attended a meeting with seniors. Part of the panel discussion focused on a healthy lifestyle for seniors. The doctor who led the health and wellness section emphasized that most seniors are not exercising as they should. Some gave excuses like not having access to treadmills, exercise bikes, and walking pads. Others complained about the lack of a nearby gym. However, the doctor mentioned that exercise goes beyond using gym machines, stating that some routines (especially beginner-friendly ones) don’t require machines. Exercise can help you stay healthy, balanced, active, and agile as you age, so a sedentary lifestyle doesn’t catch up with you, even if it tries to!

Weight lifting exercises are among the many activities you should include in your routine. Contrary to what some seniors believe, weight lifting is not just for younger adults and bodybuilders; it’s beneficial for everyone! It also boosts mental well-being, reduces the risk of joint-related illnesses, increases muscle strength, and enhances metabolism. Now that you understand how vital weight lifting is for your body, you may wonder: What exercises should I do? I have the answer to that question! Here are the top five exercises designed for your weight-lifting journey.

Squats 

When you squat, you’re working your butt, hips, thighs, knees, and shoulders at the same time. You may not realize this, but you squat as you do your daily activities, from sitting on chairs and toilet seats to bending to pick up objects around the house. As you age, your bones can weaken, which might make certain activities more challenging. As such, this makes squats especially important! Fortunately, they’re easy to do and fun. All you need is your body weight! However, you can add dumbbells and kettlebells to make it harder. 

How to do a basic squat:

1. Spread your mat on the floor, stand tall with feet hip-distance wide apart, and toes pointed out.
2. Lock your fingers and extend your arms or carry dumbbells for stability.
3. Maintain balance with your hips shifted to the back, towards your heels, and knees bent until thighs are parallel to the floor.
4. Slowly lower down until it feels like you’re about to sit in a chair and bring yourself back up again. Another way to do this is in front of a chair and gently lower your weight to the point your butt is almost touching the chair.
5. As soon as you’re close to sitting, return to standing.  

Pro Tip: If you’re having problems with your back or joints, you should start squatting slowly with a seat behind you. At the end of the move, sit down, pause a little before progressing. 

Incline Pushup 

While regular pushups strengthen the shoulder, chest, and back muscles, incline pushups are tailored to your shoulder and chest muscles. That’s because you exercise your back and lower chest muscles when you perform a pushup on an incline like a bench, chair, staircase, or wall. If you’re just starting pushups, you should begin with a high incline, such as a chair. This will allow you to exercise with low intensity. As you progress in the pushups and build strength, you can do lower inclines, such as a staircase. Incline pushups are an easy weight lifting exercise you can do from the comfort of your home, so you don’t need to leave your house. Keep reading to find out how to do an incline pushup.

How to do an incline pushup:

1. Choose an incline you’re comfortable with and stand in front of it.
2. Next, place your hands on both edges of the incline with your feet extended back, keeping your body straight from head to heels.
3. Then, lower your chest toward the surface, bending your elbows so they extend out from your sides and shoulders towards your hands.
4. Ensure your back remains straight while lowering yourself, then push your body back up.
5. If this is your first time, perform five push-ups daily, and as you gain strength, increase it to ten. 

Pro Tip: As you become familiar with incline push-ups, gradually reduce the incline from a higher surface to a lower one, bringing your body closer to the floor. This change will make the exercise more challenging and enjoyable. 

Triceps Kickback 

To make daily movements such as lying down, getting up from the bed, and picking up objects, you’ll need to use your triceps and elbows. To do that, your elbow must be in shape, and your body weight must support the objects you lift. To make the exercise effective, you’ll need dumbbells of desirable weights. Depending on your strength, you can carry weights ranging from 2.3 kg to 5.4 kg (5 to 11 pounds) if you’re new to weight lifting, and weights ranging from 10 kg to 18 kg (22 to 39 pounds) if you’re an expert. Like the previous exercises, you can do triceps kickback from home or the gym. 

How to do tricep kickbacks:

1. Spread your mat on the floor, stand with knees bent forward, and hold a dumbbell in each hand.
2. Next, you surge forward from the waist with your elbows by your sides at 90 degrees.
3. Then, extend your arms to the back, maintaining a slightly bent position, before returning to the initial position. 

Pro Tip: You can start the kickbacks without dumbbells to see how the exercise works, then add them as you progress. If you have a history of knee problems, you can sit or use only one hand instead of two, whichever works for you. 

Lunges

While performing lunges, you’re working the muscles of your quads, calves, glutes, and hamstrings. In addition, it improves your strength and stability to support your body weight even as you age. Seniors tend to fall from staircases or miss their steps as they move around the house. To improve your balance, regularly do lunges. To make the exercise a bit harder, add resistance like dumbbells to both hands. You can do the front, reverse, or both styles of lunges. 

How to do lunges:

1. Stand with feet hip-width apart, your hands on your hips, or hold down dumbbells on both sides.
2. Next, move one foot to the front away from the other foot, not directly in front of it, and slowly lower your body, bending your knees to 90 degrees.
3. Ensure the front knee is not extended beyond your toes while the other knee is bent close to the ground, keeping your body straight.
4. You could alternate lunges by switching between feet and pausing for a few seconds before bouncing again. 

Pro Tip: Lunges can be challenging for seniors because they involve the knee joints and bending your body for a while. You can start with dumbbells in your hands or hold a stable object while you lower your body. 

Step-Ups

The last weight lifting exercise you can do is the step-up. Do you know why this exercise is so important? Because as we age, it’s normal for the bones and muscles in the leg to experience difficulty climbing stairs, walking over rough surfaces, and climbing over barriers. This can be dangerous, increasing your risk of falling and injuring yourself. Step-ups help develop your leg muscles and glutes, making it easy to move your feet off the floor.

How to do step-ups:

1. The first thing to do is find a sturdy surface to stand on; it could be a bench, a stool, or a box, provided it is below your knees.
2. Next, stand in front of the surface with dumbbells on either side, or you can do the exercise without them.
3. Then, place your right foot on the surface at a 90-degree angle, lean forward slightly, and push off with your heel to raise your left foot.
4. Lastly, lower your left foot, extend it outwards, and land on your heels first.
5. You can alternate both feet or stick with one. 

Pro Tip: When doing step-up exercises, consider using a wall or another sturdy object in front of you to hold onto, as this will help you maintain balance. Additionally, to get the most out of your workout, ensure the surface you’re stepping on is elevated enough. 

Final Thoughts 

When you begin these exercises, you will feel the effects in your hands, legs, waist, and shoulders, depending on the type you are doing. You shouldn’t let that discourage you. Instead, remain consistent. Consistency is the only way to achieve results! Speaking of consistency, you can ask Alexa to remind you of your daily exercise time, and also have a group of friends do these exercises together. With that, you’re set for a fitness journey. Your body will be grateful for it!

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