The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that older adults exercise regularly because it will provide physiological, psychological and cognitive benefits. If you are a senior, experts at ACSM suggest performing resistance exercises at least twice each week emphasizing all the major muscle groups for eight to 12 repetitions per exercise. You can perform a variety of exercises to fulfill these recommendations.
Push-Ups
When you perform push-ups, your body weight provides resistance that strengthens your chest, shoulders and upper arms. You can add resistance by wearing a weighted vest if desired. To perform push-ups, lie face down on the ground and repeatedly lift and lower your body by pressing into the ground with your hands.
Bent-Over Rows
Bent-over rows exercise the muscles on the middle and upper back. To perform the exercise, first bend forward and hold a barbell or dumbbells in your hands with your arms extended downward. Then raise the weight upward toward the bottom of your chest. Once your arms are flexed to at least 90 degrees, slowly lower the weight and repeat.
Superman Exercise
The Superman exercise works on your lower back muscles. To prepare for the exercise, lie face down with your arms extended in front of your head. Then to perform the exercise, lift both arms and legs at the same time to squeeze your lower back. Finally, lower them back down and repeat. To add more resistance, you can wear ankle weights and hold hand weights.
Shoulder Press
Shoulder presses strengthen your shoulders and triceps. Like bent-over rows, they can be performed with a barbell or dumbbells. To perform shoulder presses, first sit on a bench or chair and hold the weight in front of your shoulders. Then repeatedly extend your arms to lift the weight straight upward and lower it back to your shoulders.
Crunches
Crunches are a popular exercise for your abdominal muscles. Like push-ups, they use your body weight for resistance. To perform crunches, start on your back with your knees bent and elevated. Then contract your abdominal muscles to pull your shoulders off the ground toward your knees. When your shoulders are about halfway to your knees, stop and lower them back down. Repeat for your desired number of repetitions.
Weighted Twists
Weighted twists exercise the muscles that rotate your torso at your waist. To perform the exercise, stand upright and hold a weighted object in front of your abdomen with both hands. Then, while keeping the weight in front of your belly, repeatedly turn to the right and left. Be sure to keep your feet and legs stable during the exercise.
Squats
Squats are a popular exercise because they strengthen multiple muscle groups with one movement. These muscles groups include your thighs, buttocks and lower back. To prepare for squats, according to the textbook “Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning,” stand upright with your feet at least shoulder width apart and hold a barbell across your upper back (you can also hold dumbbells at your sides). After you are positioned correctly, perform the exercise by bending your back slightly and knees to lower your body like you are sitting in a chair. Once your thighs are parallel to the ground, powerfully reverse the movement to stand back up. To minimize your injury risk, keep your back straight throughout the exercise.
