The Best Strength Exercises To Build Stronger Muscles in Your 60s
If you haven't already heard this crucial tidbit before, let us clue you in. Keeping up with your physical fitness, staying strong, and preserving muscle mass as you grow older is essential. It's natural to lose muscle mass with age—which is known as sarcopenia—and Harvard Health Publishing reports you can lose anywhere from 3% to 5% every 10 years after turning 30. Individuals who have sarcopenia are more likely to suffer from a broken leg, arm, collarbone, hip, or wrist after falling. That's why we've put together the absolute best strength exercises to build stronger muscles in your 60s so you can stay on the right track.
When it comes to strength training, I recommend performing full-body strength workouts a minimum of two to three times a week. With each session, you should opt for compound exercises, as they simultaneously engage more muscle groups and improve your core strength.
Looking to sculpt stronger muscles in your 60s and beyond? Add the following exercises to your fitness routine pronto. Aim for 3 sets of each. Now, let's get into it!
Kettlebell Deadlift
For Kettlebell Deadlifts, position yourself in front of a kettlebell, and place your feet outside of the weight. Bring your hips back, and squat down low enough to take hold of the kettlebell. Make sure your shoulders are in line with the kettlebell's handle and your torso stays straight. Keep your core tight and shoulders down, and grab the kettlebell's handle by pushing through your heels and hips. Stand back up tall, and flex your glutes at the top of the movement. Reverse the motion to put the weight down before performing another rep. Perform 3 sets of 10 reps.
Related: The #1 Strength Workout To Regain Muscle Mass as You Age, Trainer Says
Lat Pulldown
Begin your Lat Pulldowns by gripping the lat pulldown bar with your palms facing away from you just outside your shoulders. Lean back just a bit, and pull the bar down toward your sternum with your elbows, squeezing your lats at the bottom of the movement. On the way back up, make sure there's some resistance and keep the tension going in your lats. It's time to get a really good stretch at the top of the move by letting your shoulder blades raise up before completing another rep. Perform 3 sets of 10 reps.
Related: The Best Exercises To Regain Muscle Mass, Trainer Reveals
Incline Pushups
For Incline Pushups, position your palms shoulder-width distance apart on an elevated surface or workout bench. Make sure your core stays tight and your glutes squeezed as you lower down with control until your chest graces the pad. To come back up, drive through your palms, flexing your triceps and chest to finish.
When you're coming down and back up, make sure your neck remains straight, your chest reaches the pad before your chin, and your elbows are at 45-degree angles. If incline pushups are a little too easy for you, feel free to perform complete pushups on the floor. Perform 3 sets of 10 reps.
Dumbbell Step-Ups
Kick off your Dumbbell Step-Ups by grabbing a set of dumbbells and placing your foot on a workout bench or sturdy surface. If a workout bench is too high, feel free to use a lower surface with the aerobic step risers. Keep your chest tall and your core tight as you lean into the heel of your front leg and push off of it to step up. Flex your quad and glute at the top of the exercise, then lower yourself using control before completing another rep. Perform 3 sets of 10 reps on each leg.
Stability Ball Rollout
The last of the exercises to build stronger muscles in your 60s is the Stability Ball Rollout. So position your stability ball in front of you, and assume a kneeling position. Put your forearms on the ball, then roll it out while hinging your hips forward. Go down as far as you can while maintaining tension in your core. Then, head back to the position you started in before completing another rep. Perform 3 sets of 10 reps.
