As you age, it is natural for your body to experience some changes, including the loss of strength and muscle mass. This process, known as sarcopenia, can begin as early as your 30s and can have a significant impact on your physical strength, function, and overall health.
While it is not possible to completely stop muscle loss with age, there are steps you can take to minimize its impact. Regular exercise, particularly strength training is one of the most important things you can do to maintain or even increase muscle mass.
Here are the top 3 exercises you can do to stay strong and healthy as you age.
Squats
Squats are a great way to build strength in the muscles and bones of your hips thighs and spine. Proper technique is important. Start by pushing your butt back as you lower down. Keep your weight over the center of your foot and your butt behind your feet.
If your butt drifts over your feet, you won’t get the work at your hips and it will put more stress on your knees. Your knees should not collapse in either. As you can see in the video, your knees should stay lined up with the center of your foot.
Start with 2 sets of 10 reps and hold for 5 seconds at the bottom. Do these 2 to 3 times per week. Try to work up to 3 sets of 15 reps. You should feel this mainly in your butt and thighs. As this gets easier, you should start using weight to increase the difficulty.
Deadlift
Deadlifts are especially good at developing strength in the bones and muscles of your spine and hips. A couple key points:
- It’s really important to keep a slight arch in your low back throughout the movement. You should not bend forward at your back at all. You’ll see in the video the bend is happening at the hips and knees
- Start with the weight on a chair or gym bench instead of the floor. Even starting with no weight and just practicing the movement can be helpful.
- Don’t worry about lowering the weight all the way to the floor. Start just trying to get your hands to knee level. This will help you maintain good form
- Start with 3 sets of 10 to get used to performing the movement correctly. Don’t worry about trying to make the weight heavy when you first start.
Split Squat
Split squats build strength of your core, quad strength on your back leg, and glute strength in your front leg.
They also challenge your flexibility and balance. These are 2 other key variables to moving well as you age.
As you lower yourself down, stay tall and don’t bend at your hip on the back leg. Your shoulder, hip and knee of your back leg should stay in a straight line the entire way down.
Hold for 5 seconds at the bottom and then return to the start position. Start with 2 sets of 10 and work up to 3 sets of 10. Do these 2 to 3 days per week.
It’s really important to start with minimal or no weight on all of these exercises to get used to doing them correctly. As they get easier, you will need to add some resistance to get further benefits. You can add resistance by holding weights, wearing a weight vest, or using resistance bands.
When you’re ready to add weight, start by doing 2-3 easy sets at light weight to warm up. Then do 3 to 5 sets of each exercise for 5 to 8 reps on each set.
How much resistance is light and how much is heavy? Use this table to guide you based on how difficult each set feels:
The number of repetitions remaining means that is how many more repetitions you could have done at that weight. If you’re using the right weight, the easy sets should be a rating of 3 to 4. The heavy sets should be a rating of 7 to 8.
If this seems really overwhelming or you’ve tried it and something doesn’t feel right, we can help you!
At Solutions Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine in Alexandria and Springfield, VA, we’re experts at helping you stay strong and active as you age.
Call us at 703-299-3111, or click here to request an appointment.
A member of our team will schedule you an appointment with one of our expert physical therapists.
What happens if you don’t have a plan to stay strong and active as you age?
- You miss out on events with family and friends because you get tired easily
- Your kids or grandkids beat you at sports because you can’t keep up with them
- You are more likely to get other diseases and injuries like arthritis and joint pain
But WITH a plan to strong and active as you age you can live the life you want.
The exercises above are a great way to get started. They don’t require a ton of time and are pretty easy to do correctly. They can help you get moving and living an active life again.
But if you want an expert to listen to your unique problems and guide you to success, a Solutions Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine physical therapist in Alexandria or Springfield, VA will create a plan specifically for you.
You’ll feel confident that you have the knowledge and ability to stay string and active as you age and do all the things you want.
Call us at 703-299-3111, or click here to schedule your appointment and get started.
Working to keep you living your best life,
The Solutions Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine Team
