Restoring leg strength does not require gym equipment, it requires consistency. If you do the following moves every day at home, you can keep your muscles strong and your nervous system primed, even after 60.
A gym workout is an event. You have to drive to the gym. You have to warm up before, shower afterwards, and then come home. When your schedule gets busy, it’s hard to make extra time. Four workouts every week turns into one workout a week. Then a few weeks pass by and you realize you still haven’t gone back to the gym. That’s why it’s often easier and more effective to take ten dedicated minutes every day at home to build strength.
You can easily fit these five leg exercises into your daily routine. But that doesn’t mean they won’t be challenging. You’ll still have to work hard. These exercises will challenge your thighs, glutes, and shins and help you restore and maintain overall leg strength. Perform the 5 exercises back to back as a circuit and complete 3 total rounds of all 5 moves from start to finish.
Split Squat
The split squat focuses on each leg individually. I use this with my clients over 60 because it allows you to build strength for both sides equally. Because you stay in one position the whole time, the split squat is easier to control than a typical lunge.
Set your feet into position and lower straight down rather than moving forward. Make sure to hold on to a chair if the balance is challenging for you. Place your weight over your front ankle and back toes. Let the front leg do most of the work as you lower and raise. The back leg just provides balance.
How to Do It
- Step one foot back into a long stance
- Hold a chair for balance if needed
- Lower straight down toward the floor
- Keep your weight in the front heel
- Press back up to standing
- Complete 10-12 reps and switch sides.
RELATED: 4 Couch Exercises That Flatten Belly Overhang Faster Than Gym Workouts After 60
Standing Hamstring Curl
The hamstring is the most neglected muscle in leg workouts. Strong hamstrings keep your knees strong and prevent leg injury. After 60, most people’s hamstrings are tight and underactive. That’s why we need to strengthen them.
Hold onto a stable object. Bend one knee, bringing your heel towards your butt. Lower with control because the eccentric portion, or the lowering portion, is where the muscles gain the most strength. You can attach ankle weights to make the exercise more challenging after you perfect your form.
How to Do It
- Stand tall holding a counter for balance
- Bend one knee and lift the heel
- Keep both thighs level with each other
- Pause briefly at the top
- Lower slowly under control
- Complete 12-15 reps
- Alternate sides.
Standing Hip Abduction
Your legs need to move laterally, not just forward and backward. Your abductors and glute medius are responsible for side to side movement. If these muscles lose strength, the body compensates by shortening the steps you take and walking becomes harder. Stronger abduction also prevents knee injury because your hips are allowed to create side to side motion instead of asking the knee joint to bend in an unfamiliar way.
Hold the counter and lift one leg straight out to the side. Keep your toes slightly turned in. Lift as high as you can manage with good form.
How to Do It
- Stand tall holding a counter
- Lift one leg straight out to the side
- Keep your toes pointing forward
- Stop before your torso starts to lean
- Lower slowly under control
- Perform 6 to 8 reps
- Switch sides and repeat.
RELATED: If You Can Hold a Plank This Long After 60, Your Core Strength Is Top-Tier
Single-Leg Glute Bridge
Your glutes are the strongest muscle in your body, most people rarely use them. Because we sit for hours and hours every day, the glutes atrophy faster than any other leg muscle. I use the single-leg glute bridge with clients over 60 because it makes sure that you stay balanced. It’s also more challenging than the two-leg version because one leg must lift twice the amount of weight.
Press through your foot and lift your hips until there’s a straight line from your ankle all the way down to your knee.
How to Do It
- Lie on your back with knees bent
- Extend one leg out straight
- Press through the opposite heel
- Lift your hips until the body is straight
- Hold two seconds with hips level
- Lower slowly
- Repeat 4 to 8 reps
- Switch sides.
RELATED: 5 Standing Exercises That Tone Back Fat Faster Than Rows After 60
Standing Toe Raise
This final move trains the muscles along the front of your shin. These muscles help lift your toes as your legs walk forward. Most people rarely train their tibialis anterior, and their ankles get tighter over time. This exercise mobilizes the ankle, restores strength, and reduces shin splints.
How to Do It
- Stand with your back against a wall
- Place your heels a few inches forward
- Lift both sets of toes toward your shins
- Pause briefly at the top
- Lower slowly to the floor
- Repeat for 15 to 20 repetitions.
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