5 Morning Exercises That Restore Leg Muscle Faster Than Walking After 65

Strong legs can help you lead an active life—it’s as simple as that. Aging brings on many bodily changes, including the natural loss of lean muscle mass and strength.

“This age-related loss of muscle mass, strength, and function is called sarcopenia. It’s tied to slower walking, trouble with stairs and chairs, more falls, and eventually losing independence. Sarcopenia responds to treatment, and resistance training is the best tool we have against it,” explains Dr. Anthony Pavlich, PT, DPT, CSCS, ACP, Airrosti’s Senior Team Lead of Clinical Innovation and Implementation.

Let’s be honest: An older life without strong muscles isn’t much fun. Just think about how much your legs do for you throughout the day. From sitting down at your kitchen table and carrying grocery bags to taking your dog for a walk or flying a kite with your grandchild, you need strong leg muscles.

“Your quads, glutes, calves and hip muscles are what let you stand up, walk at a healthy pace, get down stairs safely and catch yourself after a misstep. Stronger legs are linked to faster walking speed and better mobility over time. Leg weakness is also one of the fall risk factors we can actually change, and power, meaning how quickly you can produce force, may predict falls even better than strength alone,” says Dr. Pavlich.

To help you optimize your workout routine, we learned five morning moves that can help you build strong legs faster than walking after 65.

“We all know that walking is amazing for your heart health, your mood, and for being gentle with your joints. But from an exercise physiology standpoint, walking doesn’t directly build much muscle in your legs. Muscles adapt based on what we ask of them, which is called the overload principle from exercise physiology. Because walking doesn’t necessarily overload your leg muscle, we want to be very specific about how we can make your lower leg stronger or more powerful,” explains Dr. Milica McDowell, Doctor of Physical Therapy, AVP of Education, Author, Exercise Physiologist at US Physical Therapy with more than 20 years of experience in sports/orthopedics.

Dr. McDowell says muscle is a “critical safety net.” If you begin to lose your balance or stumble, your muscular system can kick in to help you catch yourself before you fall. Below are some go-to exercises to add to your morning routine that can help you build leg power and strength.

Power Sit-to-Stands

“The timing is what’s really important about this exercise, and this helps to boost lower body power,” says Dr. McDowell.

1. Begin seated at the front of a sturdy chair with your feet hip-distance apart.
2. Cross your arms over your chest so that your hands are resting on your shoulders.
3. Lean slightly forward, press through your feet, and quickly stand up tall.
4. Use control to slowly sit back down for a count of 3 to 6 seconds.

RELATED: If You Can Complete These 4 Exercises Without Stopping After 50, Your Body Strength Is Exceptional

Power Step-Ups

1. Begin by standing tall, facing a 6- to 8-inch step.
2. Place your left foot firmly onto the surface, keeping your core engaged and chest tall.
3. Press through your left heel to briskly lift your body until your left leg is straight and you’re standing on the surface.
4. Use control to lower back to the start position.
5. Perform 10 to 20 reps on each side.

​​RELATED: If You Can Complete These 4 Exercises Without Stopping After 50, Your Body Strength Is Exceptional

Countertop Heel Pumps

“Your calves are a critical strength and power center for when you’re walking and you need to push off to move forward. If your calves get weaker, your walking speed drops and your walking speed is one of the strongest predictors of healthy aging,” Dr. McDowell says.

1. Begin standing tall, holding onto a sturdy kitchen counter for support.
2. As quickly as you can, push up off of your heels so you’re balancing on your toes.
3. Slowly lower.
4. Continue the pumping motion.

RELATED: If You Can Do These 8 Lower-Body Moves, Your Leg Strength Is Elite

Seated Toe Raises

“This works the anterior muscle in the front of your shin, which helps to clear your foot when you’re walking and is not specifically trained unless you focus on it. These shin muscles lift up your toes to help you with clearing the ground when you are swinging your leg through during a gate cycle. Almost no one trains them and they are one of my favorite hidden gem exercises that everybody, especially older adults, should be doing,” says Dr. McDowell.

1. Begin sitting tall on a sturdy chair with your feet hip-width apart on the ground.
2. Keep your heels on the ground as you lift your toes up.
3. Quickly tap your toes up and down as if you’re keeping time with the music.
4. Continue to tap with control.

Standing Hip Abductions

“This strengthens the gluteus medius, the muscle that keeps your pelvis stable every time you take a step. In one study of older adults living independently, stronger hip abductors were linked to a much lower chance of falling. Add an ankle weight or resistance band as it gets easier,” Dr. Pavlich tells us.

1. Begin standing tall facing a wall with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Place both hands lightly on the surface for support, if needed.
3. Brace your core.
4. Shift your body weight onto one leg and slowly kick the other leg straight behind you.
5. Squeeze the glute of the working leg, holding for 1 second at the top.
6. Return to the start position.
7. Switch sides.

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