4 Standing Exercises That Build Muscle the Old-School Way After 60
As the years pass, you may notice that everyday movements, getting up from a chair, climbing stairs, or lifting groceries, feel more challenging than they used to. This isn’t just about getting older; it’s about losing muscle mass and functional strength, a condition called sarcopenia that affects most people over 60. The good news? You can fight back with the right exercises. Read on to discover four standing exercises that will help you build muscle, boost your strength, and make daily life easier—no fancy gym equipment required.
The Muscle Loss Problem You’re Facing After 60
The biggest issue in people over the age of 60 is sarcopenia, or the age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass, strength, and function. As we age, we naturally lose functional strength due to reduced daily activity, more sitting, and less time spent exercising. This results in weaker arms and legs, and a tougher time performing daily movements.
Why Standing Exercises Work Better for You
Standing exercises are very functional, mimicking how you use your body in real life. While gym machines are a great form of exercise, they often isolate one muscle while the rest of your body remains static. Standing work engages multiple muscles, which is critical as we age. When standing, you’re mostly engaging your legs, glutes, back, and core. For older adults, these standing exercises can be easier for fitness progression, and you don’t always need to use heavy machines.
Standing Weighted Squats
Why it works
Squats target large muscle groups including the quads, glutes, hamstrings and core. Working large muscle groups also helps to stimulate protein synthesis, boost metabolism, and improve strength in the lower body. These factors are all critical as we age, especially as we reach the age of 60.
Step-by-step instructions
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, with your toes turned slightly outward
- Hold a dumbbell close to your chest with your elbows tucked in
- Push your hips back slightly and bend down into a squat
- Engage your core and keep your chest tall
- Bend as far as comfortable, then slowly raise back up to the starting position
- For beginners, start without the weight
- Aim for 10-12 reps and 2-3 sets
Avoid these common mistakes
Common mistakes include fast and uncontrolled movements, dropping your chest, or bending your knees inward. All of these mistakes can lead to stress on your joints and an ineffective workout.
Standing Overhead Presses
Why it works
Overhead presses strengthen your shoulders, triceps, upper back and core. They are effective for maintaining a strong posture and functional movements such as lifting, carrying, and reaching overhead. These workouts also test balance and stability.
Step-by-step instructions
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart with dumbbells in both hands
- Bring your arms up to shoulder height
- Engage your core and glutes for stability
- Press the weights directly overhead, bringing your elbows to your ears
- Exhale as you press up
- Hold at the top
- Slowly lower back to shoulder height as you inhale
- Aim for 10-12 reps and 2-3 sets
Avoid these common mistakes
Common mistakes include arching your back while pressing overhead, which can put strain on your lower back and means you are not properly engaging your core, pressing the weights too fast, which reduces muscle activation and increases risk of injury, and using too heavy of a weight to maintain proper form.
Split-Stance Lunges with Dumbbells or Bodyweight
Why it works
Lunges are a great exercise to strengthen quads, glutes, hamstrings and calves. They also challenge balance and stability, key for functional exercises as we age.
Step-by-step instructions
- Stand upright, either holding dumbbells or without
- Bring your feet about hip-width apart
- Step one foot backwards
- Lower your back knee toward the floor and slightly bend your front knee
- Pause at the bottom
- Push back into the starting position
- Alternate sides, completing 10-12 reps with 2-3 sets
Avoid these common mistakes
Common mistakes include bringing your front knee too far forward, ahead of your toes, and not maintaining a straight torso. Leaning too far one way can add strain to the knees and joints, increasing risk of injury.
Standing Single-Arm Dumbbell Rows
Why it works
This exercise focuses on the upper back, shoulders, and arms. Without daily movements, these areas can get weak very quickly, especially as we age. When done standing, these exercises also engage the core for stability and balance.
Step-by-step instructions
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart with a dumbbell in one hand
- Bend forward by hinging at the hips
- Engage your core
- Pull the dumbbell up toward your waist, bringing your elbow back, rather than flaring it out
- Pause at the top
- Straighten your arm out
- Aim for 10-12 reps on each side
Avoid these common mistakes
Common mistakes include rounding the back or rotating the torso, mistakes that can reduce effectiveness of the exercise and increase risk for injury. Avoid using momentum to swing the weight up—aim for slow and controlled movements.
How Often You Should Do These Exercises
For those just beginning or returning to their fitness journey, aim for 2 days a week of strength sessions. As we age, it’s always important to consult with physicians to approve workouts and ensure that you are not at risk for injury. For those who are more active, 3 days a week can provide significant benefits in building and retaining muscle. On days where you are not strength training, it’s still important to incorporate mobility and flexibility work to support overall cardiovascular health and maintain functionality.
The Results You Can Expect
After 6-8 weeks of consistent strength training paired with an adequate diet and recovery periods, you can expect noticeable improvements in strength, endurance, and muscle tone in your legs, core, and arms. Functional movements should be easier, including standing from a chair, climbing stairs, carrying groceries and lifting objects overhead.