Whether this is your first time getting into weightlifting or you are an avid weightlifter, researching what exercises are best for you and your body is the best place to start. Seniors who follow consistent weightlifting routines will notice the immediate benefits – such as better sleep and more energy.
But there are also long-term benefits, including improved cognitive function, that are even more impactful. If you’re not sure how to get started, look no further. We’ve made a detailed list of some weight-lifting routines for seniors to follow any day of the week.
Weightlifting: Low-impact routines for seniors
- Developing a consistent exercise routine can have great physical and psychological health benefits for seniors.
- Exercise can improve mental and emotional health by helping to reduce stress, improve confidence, and increase energy levels.
- Focusing on weightlifting will help strengthen your muscles while also improving flexibility.
- Exercising your joints and legs can improve overall mobility.
- You should only focus on one muscle group daily when weightlifting to avoid injuries.
Benefits of weight training for seniors
Seniors who exercise consistently will subsequently see improvement in multiple areas – including their physical appearance, biological health, and psychological behaviors.
Although weightlifting may seem like it’s only a way to get stronger, it affects participants’ entire bodies and moods.
Physical
For the most part, many people start exercising for physical benefits. Physical benefits are those that positively affect someone’s outward appearance or ability.
For example, weight loss, flexibility, and bigger muscles are physical benefits. As an older adult, it is important to keep your joints active and strong to aid with simple tasks such as picking up heavier items like groceries or your grandchild/grandchildren.
Biological
In response to exercise, your body makes small but impactful changes in your everyday biological function. Your heart rate begins to increase, and your blood gets pumping.
Your blood becomes more oxygenated and therefore travels more healthfully throughout the body. It even helps to lower your cholesterol. Overall, exercise can improve your body’s natural function.
Psychological
The psychological benefit is one of the exercise’s most rewarding and unexpected benefits. Exercise can lead to reduced stress, higher self-esteem, increased energy levels, and an improved overall mood.
Being active weekly will lead to a sense of accomplishment after every workout. Once you start seeing your progress, you will feel proud of what you did on your own!
Weightlifting routines for seniors
To help you get a head start on your fitness journey, here is a template of a day-by-day exercise routine with exercises you can do in the gym or the comfort of your own house if you have dumbbells or anything with some weight to it. These exercises target every part of your body but focus on a few muscle categories per day. It’s important to develop a routine when you begin weightlifting as a senior
Monday: Chest and triceps
Incline push-up
- Sets: 3
- Reps: 10
- Duration: 1-minute rest between sets
- Frequency: 1x a week
If you can do a standard push-up, that’s a good alternative exercise. However, if you can’t do a standard push-up, lean against a wall or another surface and push your body up and down using your arms as a standard push-up.
Incline push-ups take less stress off of your joints and are easier than incline push-ups but still offer the same benefits for your chest and triceps.
Dumbbell chest press
- Sets: 3
- Reps: 10
- Duration: 1-minute rest between sets
- Frequency: 1x a week
For this exercise, you will lie down on a bench or a flat surface and use two dumbbells. Form a 90-degree angle with your arms perpendicular to your chest, lift up your arms, and push the dumbbells until your arms are almost straight, but avoid locking your elbows.
Chest flys
- Sets: 3
- Reps: 10
- Duration: 1-minute rest between sets
- Frequency: 1x a week
This exercise uses dumbbells, a weighted plate, and a flat surface or bench. You must hold your arms straight out perpendicular to your chest and lift off the floor, holding your weights in each hand until they are above you. Make sure to start off with light weights to avoid the risk of injury.
Tricep kickbacks
- Sets: 3
- Reps: 10
- Duration: 1-minute rest between sets
- Frequency: 1x a week
This exercise will help tone and develop muscles for your triceps or the area under your arm. You will need a dumbbell or weighted plate and a surface to hold onto.
This exercise is done one arm at a time. To perform this exercise, hold onto a surface or a wall with one arm, bend over to form a 90-degree angle, and hold your other arm at a 90-degree angle against your body while holding the weight. Then extend your arm back until it is straight and repeat on both sides.
Tuesday: Back and biceps
Bicep curls
- Sets: 4
- Reps: 10
- Duration: 1-minute rest between sets
- Frequency: 1x a week
Bicep curls are a simple exercise for seniors just starting out their weight-lifting routines. You can lift a dumbbell, a weighted bar, plates, or any weighted item.
Hold the item in both hands or one hand at a time, and keep your arm straight down. Lift the weight without moving your elbow from its location all the way up until it is in front of your shoulder.
You can also perform this exercise with your arm against a flat surface and using the same movement of squeezing your bicep.
Bent-over row
- Sets: 4
- Reps: 10
- Duration: 1-minute rest between sets
- Frequency: 1x a week
You will bend over at a 45-degree angle for this exercise and hold two dumbbells straight down. You will then lift the dumbbells back toward your stomach and bring them back down. That will complete one repetition, and you will repeat this 10 times for one set.
Hammer curls
- Sets: 4
- Reps: 10
- Duration: 1-minute rest between sets
- Frequency: 1x a week
You will need one or two weights or dumbbells to complete this exercise. You will keep your arm straight down your side while holding the dumbbell. Bring the weight up and across your chest without moving your elbow and bring it back to its original position to complete a repetition.
T-Raises
- Sets: 4
- Reps: 10
- Duration: 1-minute rest between sets
- Frequency: 1x a week
To begin this exercise, you will bend over at a 90-degree angle with two weights in each hand. Your arms should be straight down, creating a 90-degree angle between your chest.
Lift your arms perpendicular to your body while keeping your arms straight and return to the original position.
Wednesday: Chest and triceps
Incline chest fly
- Sets: 3
- Reps: 10
- Duration: 1-minute rest between sets
- Frequency: 1x a week
This exercise follows the same movement as the chest fly exercise on Monday, but this time you will be seated at an incline.
You can be seated on a chair or a workout bench if you can access one. This exercise is great for increasing your chest strength and mobility.
Skullcrushers
- Sets: 3
- Reps: 10
- Duration: 1-minute rest between sets
- Frequency: 1x a week
This exercise is great for your triceps and easy to do in any location. You will lay flat on the floor or a bench and need one weight for this exercise.
You will hold the weight straight above your chest with both arms and bend them at a 90-degree angle so the weight will be right above your head or right past your head.
Return to the original position to complete one repetition, and make sure to start off with a lightweight to avoid any injuries.
Incline chest press
- Sets: 3
- Reps: 10
- Duration: 1-minute rest between sets
- Frequency: 1x a week
This exercise will follow the same method as the chest press done on Monday but on a chair or incline workout bench. Sitting at a different incline will help target different areas of the chest muscle!
Tricep dips
- Sets: 3
- Reps: 10
- Duration: 1-minute rest between sets
- Frequency: 1x a week
This exercise is great for building strength and toning your underarms. To perform this exercise, you will sit on the floor against a chair or elevated surface that is equal in height.
You will then place your hands on the bench with your wrist facing towards you and move off the chair. Keep your legs at a 90-degree angle and lift yourself up and down, extending your arms to engage the triceps.
Thursday: Legs
Squats
- Sets: 4
- Reps: 10
- Duration: 1-minute rest between sets
- Frequency: 1x a week
Seniors looking to start a consistent weight-lifting routine should exercise their legs at least once a week, which can help with mobility. A squat is an exercise where you begin standing with your head facing forward and feet shoulder-width apart.
The goal is to bend your knees so your thighs are as parallel to the floor as possible. The motion is similar to if you were to slowly sit down in a chair and quickly stand back up. It is best to keep your knees over your toes, your back straight, and the heels of your feet firmly on the ground.
Calf-raises
- Sets: 4
- Reps: 10
- Duration: 1-minute rest between sets
- Frequency: 1x a week
The starting position for this exercise is in a standing position with your feet at hip-width and your arms in a relaxed position.
From here, lift your body by contracting your calves, lifting up your heels from the ground, and reaching the peak of the exercise on your toes.
This should be an explosive movement when lifting your body up off the ground and a controlled fall, squeezing the calves, glutes, and hamstrings for a smooth transition back to the initial position.
Side-hip raise
- Sets: 4
- Reps: 10
- Duration: 1-minute rest between sets
- Frequency: 1x a week
For this exercise, you will lean straight against a wall or a surface if needed. You will lift one leg at a time straight and perpendicular to your body.
Holding a dumbbell or a weight against your thigh while you do this will make the exercise harder and increase your strength.
Glute bridges
- Sets: 4
- Reps: 10
- Duration: 1-minute rest between sets
- Frequency: 1x a week
To do a proper glute bridge, lay on the floor face up. Continue to bend your knees to a bent position to comfortably have your feet lying on the floor shoulder-width apart, arms at the side, and palms facing the ground.
Now move your hips off the ground, creating a straight line (a bridge) from your shoulders to your knees and squeezing the glutes as tight as possible without overextending your back. This exercise should have slow, focused movements when transitioning from the ground, the bridge, and back down, squeezing the glutes all the way through.
Friday: Shoulders, forearms, and wrists
Shoulder rotations
- Sets: 4
- Reps: 10
- Duration: 1-minute rest between sets
- Frequency: 1x a week
Shoulder rotations are great for mobility and increasing your shoulder strength. You will begin by sitting or standing straight up and holding one weight in each hand at 90-degree angles against your body. Keeping your elbow against your side, move the weight from against your body to away from your body.
Band pull-apart
- Sets: 4
- Reps: 10
- Duration: 1-minute rest between sets
- Frequency: 1x a week
This exercise requires no weights, but you will need a resistance band, stretchy material, or rope. This exercise will stretch the muscles in your shoulder and improve your mobility.
Simply hold your arms straight forward and hold the band in each hand. Pull the band apart as much as possible and then return to the original position.
Side arm raises
- Sets: 4
- Reps: 10
- Duration: 1-minute rest between sets
- Frequency: 1x a week
This exercise is great for building muscle in your shoulders. Hold one weight in each hand by your side and raise your arms until they are perpendicular to your body. Start with light weights because this exercise is much harder than it looks!
Palms-up wrist curls
- Sets: 4
- Reps: 10
- Duration: 1-minute rest between sets
- Frequency: 1x a week
This exercise is great for your forearm strength and improving mobility in your wrist. First, lay your arm flat on a table or surface and hold a dumbbell in your hand. Lift your wrist up and down and make sure to hold onto the weight while you do so.
Saturday and Sunday: Rest!
Rest days are an important part of any exercise routine. For weightlifting routines specifically, seniors need rest to help their muscles recover.
Enjoy your weekend however you please, but try to keep yourself busy and your blood flowing with some light recreational activity. This can speed healing and greatly improve muscle retention as you get older.
Ways to access gyms for your weightlifting routine as a senior
Some gyms have discounts for seniors. In addition, some Medicare plans include a free or discounted gym membership. Using a gym can help seniors develop a weightlifting routine.
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