If you want to support good health and longevity, the recipe includes a healthy diet, sufficient sleep, stress management, and regular exercise to build and maintain strength. It’s easy to underestimate the importance of staying strong, but doing so can make a major difference in your overall quality of life, ability to perform everyday chores, and participate in the hobbies you love most.
“Strength is closely tied to independence. We use it to get out of chairs, climb stairs, carry groceries, recover from a loss of balance, get up from the floor, and perform countless other everyday tasks. As strength declines, those activities can require a greater percentage of a person’s maximum capacity,” explains Albert Samano, Founder & Master Trainer at Master Trainer Fitness, who has over 20 years of experience and 34,000+ paid one-on-one training hours, including extensive work with adults focused on maintaining strength, mobility, and independence with age. “One way I explain it to clients is that strength gives you a physical reserve. The stronger you are relative to the demands of everyday life, the more margin you have before ordinary activities become difficult.”
According to Samano, the goal is choosing exercises that cover the main movement patterns the body utilizes on a daily basis—stepping, squatting, pulling, pushing, and hinging—and then making them more challenging as you progress. We’re here to get you started with five home exercises that can help restore full-body strength after 65.
Sit-to-Stands
“This is essentially a practical squat. It strengthens the quadriceps, glutes, and hips while directly reinforcing one of the most important movements for independence: getting up from a chair,” Samano says.
- Begin seated at the front of a sturdy chair with your feet hip-distance apart.
- Cross your arms over your chest so that your hands are resting on your shoulders.
- Lean slightly forward, press through your feet, and stand up tall.
- Use control to slowly sit back down.
- To progress, use less hand assistance, slow down the lowering phase, or hold a light weight.
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Step-Ups
“A low step trains the hips and legs one side at a time and closely resembles climbing stairs. It also challenges balance and coordination in a very functional way,” Samano explains.
- Begin by standing tall, facing a 6- to 8-inch step.
- Place your left foot firmly onto the surface, keeping your core engaged and chest tall.
- Press through your left heel to lift your body until your left leg is straight and you’re standing on the surface.
- Use control to lower back to the start position.
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Incline Pushups
“These strengthen the chest, shoulders, triceps, and core without requiring someone to get down to the floor. The higher the surface, the easier the movement. As strength improves, you can gradually lower the surface,” Samano points out.
- Begin facing a stable surface like a counter.
- Place your hands just outside your chest on the surface.
- Walk your legs back so you’re at a straight incline from your head to your heels.
- Keep your legs together and rise onto the balls of your feet.
- Engage your core and keep your gaze forward.
- Bend your elbows to lower your body until your chest lines up with your elbows.
- Return back to straight arms.
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Resistance Band Rows
“Rows strengthen the upper back, shoulders, and arms and help counter the forward-rounded posture that often becomes more common with age,” Samano explains.
- Start by anchoring a resistance band to a sturdy pole at chest level (or a doorknob).
- Stand tall, facing the anchor point.
- Hold the handles with both hands.
- Bend your elbows and pull the band toward your chest.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together.
- Extend your arms back to the start position.
- Gradually increase the resistance as you progress.
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Chair-Supported Hip Hinges
“This strengthens the glutes, hamstrings, hips, and back. This is the posterior chain that helps us stand, lift objects, and maintain an upright posture,” Samano tells us.
- Stand tall, feet hip-width apart.
- Place your hands on the back of a sturdy chair for support.
- Press your hips back while maintaining a tall chest.
- As you hinge forward, feel a solid stretch in your hamstrings.
- Activate your hamstrings and glutes to drive your hips forward.
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