Best Lower Body Workout for Adults Over 50 (No Weights)

This article is a transcribed, edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in February 2025. For the original video, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcBZzK-OyLo

Brad: We're talking about the single best leg exercise, particularly if you're 50 years and older. Now, it's been well accepted in the fitness arena, and I think I can safely say this, that doing squats, and there are a lot of different ways to do it, is the best way to strengthen large muscle groups in the legs and hips to change your life, and burn calories.

Mike: We're going to show you squats. And then five different variations, as well as some bonus tips. So if you're sick of doing jack squat, do more stuff.

Brad: Why, Mike? There actually are some very advanced versions that you're going to demonstrate.

Mike: We're going to show you the five versions initially, and then some advanced versions, as I had mentioned. But we want you to go through all of them and see which ones you can do, and pick out one, two, or three of them.

Brad: That's right. We're not only going to talk about it, but we're going to do them, yeah. Join along with us. There are some good options. You'll probably find out a new option that you're not aware of, or more. So, what's next?

Mike: Before we get into it, we're going to aim for five to 10 repetitions with each of them. And you can do them two to three times. But we would space it out, maybe do them three days a week. Let your legs recover on the off days.

Brad: Yeah, you may get sore if you haven't done these before. So let's get right to it. And remember, if you get any knee or hip pain with them, disregard that option.

Mike: So the first one we're going to do is a basic sit-to-stand. So this is a squat, but it's for people who do not feel comfortable squatting down. They may feel like they're going to fall, or maybe they have bad form. Oftentimes, people have good squat form when they're just going to a chair and then coming back up. Now, if you're weaker and you struggle, you can certainly use your armrests; however, if you do not need to try to cross your arms, and make it a little more challenging.

Brad: Now, if you're doing this and that is very easy for you, but you still want to have a chair behind you for safety, it's a good idea. Do this option. This is number two. Simply put one leg forward, one leg back, and then stand up. And you're going to find out the leg in behind, the closest to the chair, all of a sudden takes about 80% of the load. You really feel it on those quads. So you may have to do five on this leg and then do five on the other. But I can definitely feel an increase in resistance, didn't you, Mike?

Mike: Yes, I noticed that. So I feel like my left leg's doing the brunt of the work and my right leg's basically a kickstand.

Brad: There you go.

Mike: There's something I'd like to mention about doing these. Make sure your feet are nice, wide apart. Make sure you have good posture. You're not bending over too much while doing this. The next one is to take your hands kind of out of the equation even more, and put them above your head. This gets a shoulder workout too. And then work on standing up and sitting down this way.

Brad: Right. You know, if you want to go arms crossed over your chest first, that works well. Just remember, all the way up. Squeeze those glutes together when you're up in there. That's really important to get glute activity at its maximum to get the best benefits from this exercise. What's the next one?

Mike: Number four is actually a lunge. So it's kind of like a squat, but your legs are split apart, working the same muscle groups. Some people find lunges easier, some people find them more challenging.

Brad: I'll show it from this angle, and you can show a profile, perhaps.

Mike: Yeah, and I'll show it holding on to support if you have issues. So what you're going to do is the forward lunge. So I'm going to take one foot, put it forward like this, go into a lunging position, and then come back to my starting position. So the right leg is taking the brunt of the force and strengthening and pushing back hard with that right leg. Let the left leg keep your balance, but focus on the foot in front. Five to 10 reps on one side, and then switch to the other. Now, if you want, you can even make this challenging by alternating between going right and left.

Brad: There you go. A couple of things that will help you out to make sure you don't hurt your knees. Make sure when you come down, your knee doesn't go in. That's the tendency that most people will do. That's hard on your knee. And then sometimes it's nice to have a pillow or a cushion for the knee that's coming down. Particularly if you haven't done these a lot. Because if you come down on a hard floor, a little harder than you think, it hurts, and it's not fun.

Mike: Now, another variation of the lunge is the step back lunge. Same motion, but you actually emphasize the glutes a little more. I feel the glute max when I do this variation. So again, hold on to support if you need. If you don't, just step back and then go back forward. I'm going to be working the right leg here. It's staying stationary. Five to 10 reps on one side, and then make sure to switch and do the other. I actually do these at the gym. I like to hold onto weights because I'm a tough guy. But it's a good option.

Brad: Yeah, and that really challenges the balance. But again, make sure you can do it well with support. Get very confident in it before you go into that. Now, we have the bonus or the advanced exercises. I think I volunteered you for this.

Mike: I guess you did. So those are the five main ones to focus on. Pick which ones work for you and you like. If you want to pick two different ones, I would pick the most challenging squat and the most challenging lunge. That way, you get more variation. But the advanced versions, what we're going to do first is a single-leg squat. Now we're not talking about a pistol squat, because Brad and I can't do them. We don't have that type of mobility. So, what we're going to do is just do a one-legged squat into a chair. So I hold one leg out, I sit down, slow and controlled. And then I try to come back up. Notice my leg, it's a little hard. Try not to let them veer in or out. But going down slow is challenging. Most people go down, they may get to a point, and then they kind of fall. We don't want that. We want to focus on going down really slowly and controlled. Coming back up. Brad is using his hands if needed. That's a way to make it a little bit easier.

Brad: Oh, go to fingertips. There are a lot of ways you can progress. Going down slowly helps strengthen even more. You're doing an eccentric exercise. And you'll feel it as you go down. So this is a really nice way to work an advanced one, because you have options for making it easier. And you've got a chair in case you lose your balance.

Mike: You're really going to notice if you have a dominant or stronger side than the other. So it's good to work on single-leg stuff to make both legs more even. The next one is a lunge variation.

Brad: Yeah, this is the plyo one, right?

Mike: Yes, the plyo one. So, what we're going to do is, I call this a plyo lunge. Some people call it a scissor lunge. So I'm going in a lunge, but I explode up. And I actually jump, and I switch positions. So switch. Don't hit your head on the ceiling whenever you do this.

Brad: Bob would have that problem.

Mike: Try to go nice, slow, and controlled with it. And just explode. If you don't want to touch your back knee, if it's uncomfortable, that's fine. If this is too easy, you can certainly use weight, but. I'm sweating right now.

Brad: Yeah. And actually, I'm doing this with assistance. Yeah, and that makes it much easier. A good way to start. I'm going to try. This is a little different, Mike. You're, this is some, this is going to take me a little practice. I'll work on it.

Mike: Takes a little practice, yes. And the last option we have is just a plyometric squat, or a jump squat. People do them differently. Some people like to squat down, jump up with their hands up, but I'm going to whack the ceiling here. So what you can do is put your hands overhead, squat down, jump up like that. Hands at your side, whatever you're comfortable with. And that just makes it a little more challenging.

Brad: How many?

Mike: Five to 10 repetitions.

Brad: There you go.

Mike: And I'm breathing hard. I think I need some water.

Brad: Thanks for volunteering for that, Mike, because those are pretty aggressive. I do not do those in my regular routine. The first five I do, but not those last three. So, other videos with hip exercises for people who want more variations to watch.

Mike: Yeah, "Top 5 Hip Exercises for Seniors With Weak Legs." So those aren't quite as advanced as some of these. So if you think these are too challenging, watch that video.

Brad: There you go. Yep, one way or another, you'll get all the information you need.