5 Body Parts You Didn't Know You Needed to Exercise After 60
As you continue to grow into your older years, strength training becomes more of a top priority than ever before. It should be the main focus of your workouts, considering you lose lean muscle mass naturally with age if you don't do anything to preserve or maintain it. However, certain muscle groups and parts of your body need a little bit more TLC than others. We've rounded up the body parts you need to exercise after 60 and exactly how to strengthen them.
For those who are 60 and up, building strong posture muscles (upper back and rear delts), hamstrings, glutes, and core should be your number one concern when exercising. These are the muscles that help support your body and will keep you pain-free and injury-free. If you're unsure of which exercises to perform that'll help strengthen each body part, we have you covered.
Refer to the below list that you can incorporate into your regular strength sessions. Keep reading to learn more about the body parts to exercise after 60, and next up, check out The Best Indoor Cardio Workouts To Increase Stamina as You Age.
Upper Back: Dumbbell Row
Begin dumbbell rows by firmly placing one hand and knee on a workout bench. Take hold of a dumbbell with your opposite hand, extending that arm straight down toward the ground. Then, pull the weight up to your hip, squeezing your lats and upper back at the very end of the movement. Straighten your arm back down, and feel a solid stretch at the bottom of the motion before moving on to the next rep. Perform three to four sets of 10 to 12 reps for each arm.
Hamstrings and Glutes: Romanian Deadlift
You'll need a set of dumbbells in order to perform the Romanian deadlift to strengthen your glutes and hamstrings. Position the weights in front of you. Make sure your knees are soft and your chest is tall as you hinge your hips back while "dragging" the dumbbells down each thigh. Feel a solid stretch in your hamstrings, drive your hips forward, and squeeze your glutes to finish the first rep. Perform three to four sets of 10 to 12 reps.
Rear Delts: Chest-Supported Rear Fly
Next up is the chest-supported rear fly to increase the strength of your rear delts. Grab your set of dumbbells, and position your chest on an incline bench. Once you're situated, pull the dumbbells back toward your body, flexing the backs of your shoulders at the end of the motion. Squeeze hard, then resist all the way down before performing another rep. Perform three to four sets of 15 reps.
Obliques: Side Plank with Hip Lift
Last but not least, we'll move on to strengthening your obliques with side planks with hip lifts. Set yourself up against a wall with your heels, butt, and shoulders touching it. Get your shoulders in line with your wrists and your feet stacked on top of each other. Keep your core tight and your glutes squeezed as you tilt and flex your hips straight up and down, maintaining tension in your obliques. Perform three to four sets of 10 reps for each side.
