Build real strength at home after 50, try these 4 NASM-CPT exercises today.
Turning 50 doesn’t mean slowing down. This means training in a different way. Yet, many people believe that staying fit now requires long workouts, heavy weights, and numerous trips to the gym. In reality, some Most effective workouts after 50 are concise, deliberate, and can be done at home.
As always, check with your medical provider to make sure it’s safe for you to exercise before starting any new exercises.
Here are four exercises build more strength Compared to gym membership after 50.
bridge with chest fly
This exercise would ideally be completed with hand weights. If you don’t have dumbbells available at home, you can use the canned stuff to add a little weight to this compound exercise. To modify and reduce the intensity of the exercise, you can remove the weights altogether.
If you’re using weights, hold one weight in each hand while lying on the floor, with your back on a mat or carpet. Gently bend your knees and bring your feet closer to your seat. Bring the weights to your sides, palms facing up, bending the elbows.
Gently bring your hands together above your midline to complete the chest fly. Return the weight to your arms, keeping the elbows on the floor.
Lift your seat by squeezing your glutes. Stabilize the pelvis across the body, so that the hips remain aligned as you arch your back toward the floor.
Fire Hydrant for Glute Lift
To start, stand in tabletop position with hands beneath shoulders and knees beneath hips. Lift left knee out to the side, maintaining a bend in the knee to work the outside of the hip. Stabilize the core, making sure the abs don’t sag. Return your leg to the starting position below the hip.
Then, using the glutes, point the toes and lift the foot down the front of the thigh, as if you were going to strike the ceiling with your toe. Make sure the spine is not bent.
Return to starting position, and resume fire hydrant squat, followed by another glute lift.
To speed up this exercise, you can wear light ankle weights or carefully place a dumbbell behind the knee of your working leg. If working with dumbbells, you will need to squeeze the weight to keep it in place, which will ensure that you are getting the maximum benefit from the exercise.
bird dog
Start in a tabletop position, with wrists under shoulders and knees under hips. Slowly lift the right arm parallel to the floor, as you lift the left leg parallel to the floor. Make sure both arms and legs are straight, and that the spine is not arched or rounded as you complete the movement. Return to starting position and repeat on the other side.
To make this exercise more challenging, you can use arm and/or ankle weights. Alternatively, you can hold a dumbbell in each hand.
Wall Sit with Front Raises
Stand against a wall with your back straight, feet slightly wider than shoulder width. Extend your legs in front of your body, bending your knees and lowering to the point of tension. You should feel your quads engage.
Turn your palms so they face each other and raise your arms in front of your torso to shoulder height. You can use dumbbells or wrist weights to increase the intensity of this exercise. Maintain softness in elbows. Lower the arms to the starting position, but hold the squat until you have completed all of your repetitions. Avoid straining to bring your arms to the sides or reach shoulder height. If your range of motion does not allow the hands to reach shoulder height, simply take the motion to its maximum.
Aim to complete two sets of 10-12 repetitions for each of these exercises. These are all complex full-body exercises that will give you a great workout and improve strength in a relatively short period of time. While everyone is different, you should feel improvement in about three weeks.
Anne Landry, MA, NASM-CPT, CES, CNC, BCS, VCS, AFAA-CGFI
Founder, Create Movement Collective Read more about Annie
