Build and maintain strength after 60 with these four seamless daily moves.<\/p>\n
Once you reach 60, one thing\u2019s for certain\u2014building strength is essential. The reason? Sarcopenia<\/a>, the natural loss of strength and muscle you endure with age. There are many things that cause sarcopenia, including hormonal changes, inactivity, diet, and more. It\u2019s important to take the right steps to strengthen your muscles<\/a> so you can continue to perform daily tasks and live an independent life.<\/p>\n We spoke with Domenic Angelino, CPT<\/a> with International Personal Trainer Academy<\/a>, which offers NCCA-accredited Personal Trainer (CPT) and Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS) programs, who shares four daily exercises<\/a> that can do exactly that. In fact, performing them regularly will keep you stronger than most 40-year-olds after 60.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you don\u2019t use your muscles, they will get weaker over time,\u201d Angelino tells us. \u201cOne way to reduce the loss of muscle over time is to regularly lift weights at the gym. Another way to go about it is to naturally maintain an active lifestyle. If you\u2019re always moving around, your body will act to preserve your muscle mass, and therefore strength, because you\u2019re using it more. So, making movement a part of your day can have some benefits\u2014although, you\u2019ll see the biggest benefit from more traditional exercise using heavy resistance.\u201d<\/p>\n So without further ado, Angelino breaks down the best exercises to weave into your daily routine to build strength and overall fitness.<\/p>\n \tDumbbell Goblet Squats<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a solid all-around strength exercise for your lower body. It also requires you to engage your upper body muscles to hold the dumbbell right in front of your chest, so it gets a lot done in a short period of time,\u201d Angelino explains. \u201cYou can start with body weight to work up to using a dumbbell if you need to.\u201d<\/p>\n \u200b\u200bStand tall, feet slightly wider than shoulder-width.
\nGrasp a dumbbell with both hands, and hold the weight in front of your chest with your elbows pointing down and tucked in.
\nHinge at the hips and bend your knees to squat, keeping the weight in place.
\nSquat as far as you can with a straight back.
\nPush through your heels to return to the starting position.
\nPerform 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps.<\/p>\n