to the one exercise that fitness gurus say stands out among the rest forhealthy aging. Now be seated again. Consider that your first rep
Yes, a great workout challenges all of the major musclegroups in your upper and lower body. But if you have time for only oneexercise, you’ll get the most bang for your buck by doing squats — the classicmove in which you slowly lower your bottom to seated level, then stand back up.
“The squat is the most important exercise for seniors,” saysEric Daw, a personal trainer dedicated to older adults and founder of Omni-Fitt in Toronto, Canada. “When youhave to go to the washroom, that’s a squat. Whenyou get in the car, that’s a squat. Every time you sit down orstand up, that’s a squat. If you don’t do them well, it affects the way you live.”
Squats strengthen all of the muscle groups in your legs,including your calves, quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes, as well as muscles inyour lower back and core. Those muscles provide the foundation for mostactivities of daily living.
Squats are the antidote to soft couch-cushion syndrome —those challenging moments when we struggle to get up from that deep, old sofa.They can also help protect your joints, improve your balance and prevent falls,says Denise Austin, for 40 years one of America’s best-known fitness expertsand authors. “Squats are one of the best overall exercises,” she says. “Theystrengthen the major muscles of the lower body we need to keep strong and alsoprotect two joints we need help with on a regular basis — our knees and ourhips.”
Some research even shows a linkbetween strong leg muscles and longevity.In one study, people ages 70 to 79 with stronger quadriceps (the muscles alongthe front of the thigh) had a lower chance of dying over six years comparedwith those who had weaker quadriceps
Here's how to get started:
1. Get in position
If you’re new to squats, choose a spot where you can hold onto the kitchen counter, a table or another steady surface. Holding on forstability makes it easier to focus on your form without worrying about yourbalance, Austin says.
Set your feet about shoulder-width apart or a little wider.(If you have hip issues, it’s OK to have your legs a little farther apart.)Toes should face slightly outward.
2. Lower into a squat
Keeping your back straight, chest up and heels planted, pushyour hips back like you are sitting in a chair.
Try to keep your weight evenly distributed on both feet asyou do the exercise, with your weight mostly on your heels, not your toes, saysLori Michiel, founder of Lori Michiel Fitness, which specializes in seniorfitness in the home.
Make sure your knees do not extend forward over your toes,because that can hurt your knees.
If you have knee or hip issues, you don’t need to do a deepbend. The coming-up part of the exercise is what really builds strength, Austinsays.
3. Repeat
Aim for two sets of eight to 10, at a tempo of two secondsdown, two seconds up. Inhale on the way down and exhale on the way up. As yourbody tires at the end of the set, make sure you’re not hunching over or lettingyour knees cave in.
4. Get your arms in play
As you start to build strength, you can try doing yoursquats without holding on to anything. For balance, let your arms rise parallelin front of you on the downward part of the squat, then drop them to your sideswhen you stand up, Austin suggests. You can see Austin demonstrating how to doa mini-squat in the video below.
Another option is to cross your arms across your chest. Thatcan help keep you upright if you tend to hunch over, Daw says.
5. For a greater challenge, add resistance
Once you can do two sets of 15 without feeling any musclesoreness afterward, you’re ready to add some weight.
The easiest way is to hold a pair of dumbbells, Daw says.“That’s how you build strength faster,” he says. Start with low weights andbuild up from left to right types of squats including split squats then heel raise squats then dumbbell-offset squats then side kick squats
New Squats for Older Legs
Once you’ve mastered the basic squat, you might want to tryone or more of these variations. Why? Your muscles are fast learners, so withinfour to six workouts, they’ll figure out how to do the same old squat exerciseusing less energy and fewer muscle fibers — leaving you with fewer results.Just the slightest change to the squat reminds your muscles to pay attention,which improves your overall strength and fitness and helps enhance balance.
Split squats
Instead of keeping your feet alongside each other, stepforward with your left foot and plant it about three feet in front of yourright foot. Your left foot should be flat on the floor, while your right foot —because of the angle — should have only the ball of it touching the floor withyour heel slightly elevated. Either put your hands on your hips or let yourarms hang down at your sides.
Holding this posture, slowly squat down until your leftthigh is parallel to the floor — your right knee will naturally lower down tojust above the floor. Push yourself back up, repeat 6 to 8 times, then switchpositions (putting your right foot forward) and repeat 6 to 8 more times.
Heel-raise squats
Get into the same position as a regular squat. Squat down asusual, then stand back up, but once you’re back in a standing position, keepraising up by lifting your heels off the floor as far as you can without losingbalance (even a centimeter off the floor still counts). Pause at the top for asecond or two if possible — if you can’t for now, that’s OK, you’ll get there!— then lower your heels back down to the floor. Repeat 8 to 10 times.
Dumbbell-offset squats
This exercise forces your body to find its balance. Standwith your feet shoulder-width apart holding a light dumbbell in each hand. Curlthe weight in your left hand up and rest the dumbbell on your left shoulder —leave your right arm hanging down at your side. Do one set of 8 to 10repetitions of squats. Once finished, switch positions (resting the dumbbell inyour right hand on your right shoulder, keeping your left arm straight) andperform a second set of 8 to 10 repetitions.
Side-kick squats
Position yourself as if you were about to do a traditionalsquat, but bring your hands up in front of your chest. Squat down, then as youpush yourself back up into a standing position, shift your weight onto yourright leg and gently sweep your left leg out to the side, so that you use onlyyour right leg to push yourself back up. Bring your left foot back down intothe starting position, then squat down once again, this time shifting yourweight onto your left leg as you rise and gently sweep your right leg out tothe side. Continue alternating from left to right for 8 to 10 repetitions.
— Myatt Murphy, certified strength and conditioningspecialist
Michelle Crouch is a contributing writer who has covered health and personal finance forsome of the nation’s top consumer publications. Her work has appeared inReader’s Digest, Real Simple, Prevention, The Washington Post and The New YorkTimes.
