Why People Over 50 MUST Start This Life-Changing Exercise
- 2 hours ago
- 10 min read
This article is a transcribed, edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in January 2024. For the original video, go to https://youtu.be/dAOzi5CUylI
Mike: As we age, there is one thing that we cannot ignore, and that's the fact that most people end up getting weaker. But what if I told you there's an exercise that you can do to keep you strong, active, and youthful?
Brad: So stick around because we're going to show you the best anti-aging exercises there are, and you don't want to miss it. It's kind of like the exercise of the Fountain of Youth.
Mike: We're going to get to the best exercise to stay strong and fit as you age, but we want to go through other important exercises as well. So, we're actually going to cover five different ones.
Brad: That's right. The last one is going to be the big one that we talked about, but we do want to do some other ones that cover the legs, the back, the core, as well as the shoulders. Let's get to this, Mike.
Mike: So, the first one we're actually going to do is a squat. Now, as people age, maybe we're not as comfortable squatting down. Maybe we feel like we're going to fall down. So, a safe way to do it is in a chair or a high raised surface, like a mat table, or I guess that'd be more like a recliner. So, what we're going to do is do sit-to-stands. If you have plenty of strength and feel good, you don't have to use your arms. Sit down, nice, slow, and controlled, and come up. We do not want to flop down into the chair. We want to have nice, good control. If you can't control the way down without using your arms, certainly use your arms to help. If you need them to get up and down, just over time, try to progress to maybe using one arm, then no arms eventually. Maybe try five reps the first time if you're weak or more tired. If it seems easy, you can do 10 reps for two to three sets.
Brad: That's right. And for the advanced people, you don't need a chair; simply squat down as far as you feel comfortable. I like to have something to hold onto just for that, in case you lose your balance, and it gives you more stability. Alright, do 10, you said, right?
Mike: I would work up to 10. Obviously, you know, we've seen people who are a little weaker. Maybe three to five is all they can do because they really struggle to get up, and it's perfectly fine. The goal is to just progress over time.
Brad: Right. Let's go to number two.
Mike: Number two is lunges. Now these are a little more advanced compared to sit-to-stands or squats because you're working one leg a little more than the other, and you're getting in a different stance. Now, for beginners, maybe you hold onto something like a countertop, maybe the back of a couch, a wall, whatever you have. And then you're just going to work on lunging down. For some people, just getting into this stance and a little partial lunge may be as far as they feel comfortable. Maybe they have some joint pain, or they just feel like they're going to fall down; that's fine. If you feel comfortable going down to a normal lunge position like this and back up, certainly do that. You can do five to 10 repetitions, but make sure you switch legs and do it on the other side. Oftentimes, we see people kind of compensating for something, so they might bend way forward. We want to have a nice upright posture with this. If your knees are sensitive, you can grab a towel, a pad, a pillow, and just kneel on that so it doesn't hurt as much.
Brad: That's right. That can really help because you kneel on a hard floor on that kneecap, which can be no fun and discourage the activity.
Mike: And lunges are a great functional activity because some people need to get to the ground sometimes, and it can be harder to get up as we age and get weaker. So, this is pretty much how you get up off the ground.
Brad: Right. It's much more aggressive. Works to balance as well. Let's go to number three: the old pointer dog for a strong back. Working that core, this is known to be one of the best exercises by Dr. Stuart McGill.
Mike: So, the pointer dog will work balance as well as strength. So what you do is you get on all fours. If you can't get on your knees because they're painful, Brad can show a wall option. Not as much balance as it is involved with this. But the pointer dog, you lift the one arm up and the opposite leg. You don't need to go really high; you just kind of go level with your body. It's a little awkward to figure out initially, so maybe either film yourself with your phone camera or do it in front of a mirror. Have someone just watch you do it. Oftentimes, people will kind of get it wrong, and we're just going to go for 10 repetitions on each side.
Brad: That's right. Doing this on a bed is actually going to be a little more challenging because it's going to make the balance difficult because of the soft surface. If you can get down to a carpeted floor, that's better. If you can't, and this is going to be difficult, I'll show you an option on the wall.
Mike: A couple of things. You can modify it in this position. Maybe just do one arm, then the opposite leg, and you'll just do one limb at a time. Also, make sure to go nice and controlled and slow. Don't go like this. This isn't doing much.
Brad: Right, right. It looks funny, though.
Mike: Yeah.
Brad: Make sure you tighten your core with these as well. Ooh, let's get these out of the way. And you can simply go up to a wall, bring your feet about two feet back. Lean here. I'm going to bring my left shoulder up and my right leg back, and then I'm going to alternate that. Really does a nice job for posture on the back. I'm going to tighten the core up.
Brad: Now, if you want to make it a little more difficult, you can go to a cupboard where you can lean like this and then do the same thing. Ooh, my foot's sitting in the wall. I'm going to have to move. There we go. And work that. Whoa!
Mike: He did the same side with that first one, which is actually really challenging for anyone, because oftentimes you tend to rotate a little bit. So, we'll just stick with this-
Brad: Kind of like a hitchhiker, you know, you're coming up here, can do the old thumb up.
Mike: Do you do a lot of hitchhiking?
Brad: Well, yeah, I kind of slow down on these cold days, but otherwise I like to save some gas, you know.
Mike: It's how you get to work and back, huh?
Brad: Alright, what's the next one?
Mike: The next one is pushups. Now, for most people, as we age, it's not easy to get to the floor. So, beginners, we would start at a wall.
Brad: Yep. Same position. You can actually combine this with the exercise I just did and go back and start with pushups here.
Mike: Now look at Brad's elbows where he's going. It's important to kind of have a nice 45-degree angle like that. It's a little easier on your shoulders because a lot of people have shoulder pain as we age, too.
Brad: That's right. And as you get farther out, it gets more difficult. But it gets to a point where if it's too easy, then you simply again, go to a cupboard, get an angle like this, try and keep your core tight. Keep the body straight as opposed to rounding out, and work them that way.
Brad: And of course, the next step is down to the floor, doing your standard pushup.
Mike: Or a kneeling pushup with your next progression, and you even have a pad under your knees.
Brad: Yeah, because that bothers my knees. I gotta tell you that one. Alright, so very good pushups, good upper body, and core.
Mike: I would mention, you know, the rep range for all these is dependent upon where you're starting from. So pushups, so you can do five to 10 wall pushups easily? Progress to the countertop, progress to the floor as all of them become easier. Typically, 20 to 30 repetitions total is best, but rest in between.
Brad: There you go. And the big one, this is the one that we're looking at. The Fountain of Youth exercise.
Mike: The big one. Yeah. So for this one, you can do it on the bed, but again, a bed is a little more cushioned. I realize some people can't get to the floor. So, pick what you want. But we're actually going to try to strengthen the glutes, which can become very weak as we age due to sitting a lot, not using proper walking mechanics. There's a whole range of reasons why.
Brad: Get to the exercise, man.
Mike: It's a glute bridge. So for beginners, what you do is you bring your knees bent like this, both feet on the floor. If you really struggle to lift your buttocks off the ground, put your hands down on the mat, make it a little easier, and you're going to lift your butt up towards the ceiling. Hold it for a second or two and then go back down, nice, slow, and controlled. We want to try to get a nice level pelvis region here, like this.
Brad: Yep, right there. Nice and straight.
Mike: And then back down. We don't want to rush through it. First off, it looks inappropriate, but second, you're not doing much strengthening.
Brad: It's a family show, Mike, come on.
Mike: Try to go for 10 repetitions. If this feels easy, don't use your hands.
Mike: If this progression is easy, then you can try and add some resistance by just doing one leg. This is going to be a lot more challenging. Keep your other leg up in the air while you do it the whole time. You don't have to be way up high. Notice I'm just kind of level with my other leg, and you're going to do 10 reps on one side and 10 reps on the other. There are more advanced ways to do this, too. You can try placing a band around both knees. You can also put some sort of weight on your pelvic region and just have some resistance that way. But this is a good exercise.
Brad: I think for most people, if you can do it with one leg straight out and the other one, you're doing quite well, you don't need to worry about glute strength. You know, unless you're a high-level track star or something of that nature.
Mike: Maybe they are.
Brad: Well, yeah, there will be those people.
Mike: What's the oldest high-level track star?
Brad: I can't remember. Alright, very good. There you go. How many times a day?
Mike: I would pick this exercise, and I personally like doing stuff every other day, giving your body some time to relax and repair. When you exercise, you break down muscle. When you rest, you repair it. So, I would do it every other day.
Brad: So three times a week, maybe four? Because you always got that oddball day, you know?
Mike: Yes. And you can do all five of these exercises. They're all functional and good for you. You can pick your favorite one, but what I would like to mention is to make sure to do the bridges.
Brad: That's right. Alright, we got another video that relates to this as well.
Mike: Yes. If these seem hard and you can't do them all, there's another video called "10 Minute Seated Exercises for Seniors, Elderly, & Older People." So these are more just in a chair, and they're a little less aggressive. But if you can't do these, that'd be a good video to watch.
Brad: Yeah, I think that'd be a good one.
Mike: Yeah, it's like we planned it.
Brad: Very good. Enjoy the day and exercise well.
Mike: And good luck hitchhiking.
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