Walking speed after 70 drops because you can’t walk at an appropriate stride length.
I’ve coached adults over 70 and the pattern is very similar: the step shrinks, and the pace goes with it. Each foot lands closer to the other. Walkers that age push off less through the ankle and don’t drive the leg as far behind them. Fear of falling shortens the step further. The standard advice to improve gait speed is to walk more and strengthen the legs. Both help, but walking more with the same short step keeps the step short. That’s why I train the step itself. In a trial of adults averaging about 77 whose walking had begun to lose its rhythm, stepping-and-walking practice improved walking speed more than twice as much as standard exercise.
The five exercises below each train one job in the step: driving the leg back, pushing off, turning, walking tall under load, and lengthening the stride. Keep a counter nearby, and have a resistance band, light dumbbells, two chairs, and a clear hallway ready. Train the step, and the speed follows. If you have balance problems, a heart condition, or a recent joint replacement, check with your clinician before starting, and use the counter for support on the standing drills.
Banded Standing Hip Extension
A longer step starts behind you. When the hip stops extending, the front foot lands short. That shuffle leaves you a few paces behind your family on the sidewalk. I program this often for clients over 60 because it teaches the glutes to drive the leg back against resistance.
Loop the band around your ankles and hold a counter. Stand tall, squeeze the glute, and drive one heel straight back with a quick, deliberate push. Keep your hips square and your lower back still. Return slowly against the band’s pull. The drive back is where a longer step comes from.
How to Do It
- Loop a band around both ankles
- Hold a counter and stand tall
- Drive one heel straight back
- Squeeze the glute at the end
- Return slowly against the band
- Complete 10–12 reps per sides.
RELATED: 4 Kitchen-Counter Exercises That Restore Leg Muscle Faster Than Gym Classes After 65
Staggered-Stance Push-Off
Every step launches from the back foot. I use this drill with older clients because it trains push-off inside a real step, not as a heel lift in place.
Stand with one foot back and one hand on the counter. Shift your weight forward and let the back heel rise. Press through the big toe until that foot drives your body forward. Let the back leg swing through into a full step. The push should move you forward, not up.
How to Do It
- Stand staggered beside a counter
- Shift weight toward the front foot
- Press through the back big toe
- Drive forward into a full step
- Step back and reset
- Repeat 8–10 times per side.
Figure-8 Walk
Real walking means weaving down a crowded store aisle, stepping around a curb, or turning through a doorway. This drill’s job is turning and adjusting your step at speed. Fearful walkers take shorter, wider steps. Rehearsing turns at a steady pace keeps your step full when the path bends.
Set two chairs about six feet apart. Walk a figure-8 around them at a brisk but steady pace. Keep your eyes up and your steps full through each curve. Switch directions after a few laps so both sides learn the turn. Smooth turns keep your speed from leaking away.
How to Do It
- Set two chairs six feet apart
- Walk a figure-8 around them
- Keep a brisk, steady pace
- Look ahead through each turn
- Keep steps full on the curves
- Reverse direction after 3–4 laps.
RELATED: 4 Wall Exercises That Restore Muscle Tone Faster Than Gym Classes After 65
Dumbbell Farmer’s Carry
When you carry groceries from the car, it’s easy to hunch forward, and the step turns short and choppy. The farmer’s carry trains walking tall under load, so you can keep your trunk upright and your step length solid.
Hold a light dumbbell at each side and stand tall. Walk the hallway with full, even steps, shoulders down and back. Don’t let the weights pull you into a shuffle.
How to Do It
- Hold light dumbbells at your sides
- Stand tall with shoulders back
- Walk 20–40 full, even steps
- Keep your chest tall
- Turn slowly and walk back
- Set the weights down with control.
RELATED: 4 Standing Exercises That Flatten Your Midsection Faster Than Crunches After 60
Long-Stride Walk
This final movement ties the other exercises together by lengthening the step itself. The hip drive from the band work and the push-off from the staggered drill both show up here, inside a real walk. That practice carries over when you need to clear the crosswalk before the signal runs out. I finish sessions with this drill because it turns strength into stride.
Walk at a brisk pace and reach each step slightly farther than feels normal. Push off from the back foot, let the hip extend behind you, and keep your trunk upright. Land softly on your heel. Over time, the longer step becomes your normal step.
How to Do It
- Find a clear hallway or path
- Walk at a brisk pace
- Reach each step slightly farther
- Push off from the back foot
- Keep your trunk tall
- Walk 20–30 steps, then rest and repeat.
The post 5 Exercises That Restore the Walking Speed You Had at 40 After 70 appeared first on Eat This Not That.
