{"id":634288,"date":"2026-10-18T11:38:29","date_gmt":"2026-10-18T11:38:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/634288\/"},"modified":"2026-10-18T11:38:29","modified_gmt":"2026-10-18T11:38:29","slug":"how-to-build-strength-youll-actually-use-7-exercises-to-make-daily-tasks-like-carrying-shopping-easier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/634288\/","title":{"rendered":"How to build strength you’ll actually use \u2013 7 exercises to make daily tasks like carrying shopping easier"},"content":{"rendered":"

Strength training<\/a> isn’t just about what you can lift in the gym. It helps make everyday tasks easier, whether that’s carrying heavy shopping bags and moving furniture or putting a suitcase in the overhead compartment on a flight.<\/p>\n

As we get older, we naturally start to lose muscle mass, strength and bone density \u2013 at approximately 3-8% per decade after the age of 30<\/a> \u2013 but regular strength training<\/a> can help slow this down, reminds Andy Carr, master trainer and head of fitness for Snap Fitness UK<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, you don’t need complicated exercises to see the benefits.<\/p>\n

By focusing on simple, functional movements that mimic everyday activities, you can build strength that carries over into daily life and keeps you strong, active and confident as you get older.<\/p>\n

‘It’s not necessary to spend hours lifting weights to build strength that makes a difference,’ he explains. ‘Even two or three strength sessions a week can help, especially when you’re focusing on compound exercises that work several muscle groups at once.’<\/p>\n

7 exercises to build strength you’ll use every day\"Image<\/p>\n

Squats are one of the best exercises for building lower-body strength because \u2013 as a compound exercise<\/a> \u2013 they work your thighs, glutes and core all at once.<\/p>\n

‘These are the muscles you use when getting up from a chair, lifting something off the floor or crouching down to do some gardening,’ says Carr. Keeping them strong can make a real difference to how easily you move around, particularly as you get older.<\/p>\n

How to do it:<\/p>\n

Stand with your feet just wider than hip-width apart, with your toes turned out slightly.Hold a dumbbell in each hand, resting them on the tops of your shoulders, with your elbows bent and pointing slightly forwards.Keep your chest up, back straight and core braced throughout the movement.Slowly squat by pushing your hips back and down as if sitting into a chair. Keep your knees in line with your toes and don’t let them roll inwards. Maintain an upright chest, allowing your torso to lean forwards slightly as needed.Lower until your hips drop just below your knees, or as far as your mobility allows.Push through your feet to return to standing, keeping your chest up and back straight.\"Image<\/p>\n

Step-ups are great for building leg strength and improving balance at the same time, says Carr.<\/p>\n

‘They’re particularly useful for everyday activities like climbing stairs, walking uphill or stepping onto kerbs. As we age, maintaining strength and stability in our legs becomes increasingly important, and step-ups are a simple way to work on both,’ he adds.<\/p>\n

How to do it:<\/p>\n

Place one foot firmly on a mid-height platform, keeping your heel flat on the step and your knee tracking slightly outwards.Keep your chest slightly forwards, shoulders back and head up, with your core braced.Drive through the heel of your elevated foot and straighten your leg to bring yourself up to standing on the step, keeping your hips and shoulders level.Maintain a tall, upright posture at the top of the movement.Slowly lower yourself back down to the ground under control, keeping your shoulders back and head up.\"Image<\/p>\n

Farmer’s carries are a brilliant exercise for building strength you actually use, because they’re essentially the same movement as carrying heavy shopping bags.<\/p>\n

‘They work your grip, shoulders and core, helping you carry things more comfortably and with better stability. Grip strength can decline with age, so it’s a really useful exercise to include in your routine,’ says Carr.<\/p>\n

How to do it:<\/p>\n

Stand with your feet hip-width apart, with your weights placed outside your feet. Hinge your hips back and bend your knees while keeping your back flat. Brace your core before reaching down to pick up the weights.Drive through your heels to stand tall.At the top, pull your shoulders back and down, engaging your upper back and the muscles around your shoulder blades.Begin walking forwards with slow, controlled steps while maintaining a tall posture and a firm grip. Build up to carrying the weights continuously for one minute.If you need to turn around, set the weights down first, then turn and pick them up again.<\/p>\n

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\"woman\"Image<\/p>\n

Picking something up, whether it’s a laundry basket, a suitcase or a bag of compost in the garden, involves your glutes, hamstrings and back. Deadlifts strengthen all these muscles, explains Carr.<\/p>\n

‘They’re a great way to build strength for everyday lifting, so those jobs feel easier and you’re more confident handling heavier objects.’<\/p>\n

How to do it:<\/p>\n

Stand with your feet about hip-width apart, with the dumbbells on the floor in front of you. Bend at your knees and hips and take hold of the dumbbells. Tense your abdominal muscles.Keeping your head up and back straight, tighten your shoulder blades. Straighten your legs slightly.Send your hips back and lift, keeping the weights close to your legs. Engage your glutes at the top of the move but don’t thrust so far that your back overextends.Lower slowly back down to the original position, but keep your back as straight as possible and don’t allow it to round. The dumbbells should either reach the floor or be a few inches off, depending on your flexibility.5. Resistance-band row\"Image<\/p>\n

Rows are ideal for strengthening your upper back and arms, which we use for pulling movements throughout the day, from opening heavy doors to pulling a garden hose across the lawn.<\/p>\n

‘They also help support good posture, particularly if you spend a lot of time sitting at a desk,’ says Carr. ‘Using a resistance band makes it easy to adjust the difficulty as you get stronger.’<\/p>\n

How to do it:<\/p>\n

Sit on the floor with your legs extended and loop the resistance band around your feet.Hold one end of the band in each hand, sitting upright with your back straight and core braced.Pull your elbows back, bringing your hands towards your waist and squeezing your shoulder blades together.Slowly straighten your arms to return to the starting position, keeping tension in the band.\"Image<\/p>\n

Incline push-ups are a great way to build upper-body strength, working your chest, shoulders, arms and core.<\/p>\n

‘These muscles help with everyday pushing movements, whether that’s moving a shopping trolley, pushing open a heavy door or getting yourself up from the floor,’ says Carr.<\/p>\n

They’re also easy to adapt to your fitness level, so you can gradually increase the challenge as your strength improves.<\/p>\n

How to do it:<\/p>\n

Find a step, bench or elevated surface and place your hands shoulder-width apart, with your shoulders directly over your wrists.Straighten your legs behind you, keeping your body straight from head to heels. Brace your core by drawing your belly button towards your spine and squeeze your glutes to maintain a stable position.Slowly lower your chest to the surface by bending your elbows and pointing them backwards, keeping them at roughly a 45-degree angle to your body.Lower until your shoulders reach elbow height, keeping your body straight throughout the movement.Push through your hands to straighten your arms and return to the starting position.\"Image<\/p>\n

We use rotational movements more than we probably realise, whether that’s turning to put something in the back of the car, reaching across to pick something up or digging in the garden.<\/p>\n

Woodchops are great for strengthening your core and improving your ability to twist and turn with control, Carr explains.<\/p>\n

‘That becomes particularly useful as we get older, helping us stay mobile and making everyday movements feel easier.’<\/p>\n

How to do it:<\/p>\n

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, with your core braced. Hold a weight with both hands close to one hip.Keeping a slight bend in your knees and tall posture, exhale and rotate your torso to drive the weight diagonally across your body, finishing with your arms extended over your opposite shoulder.Inhale and lower the weight back to the start with control.\"Headshot<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Strength training isn’t just about what you can lift in the gym. It helps make everyday tasks easier,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":634289,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[147290,5218,310735,2117,565,134,207184,2116,111,139,69,310734,251090,149610],"class_list":["post-634288","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-collection-fitness-app","tag-content-type-default","tag-contentid-060ed68c-eeeb-4bad-8d4c-bc724c2b4d0a","tag-displaytype-standard-article","tag-fitness","tag-health","tag-issyndicated-false","tag-locale-gb","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-shorttitle-how-to-build-strength-youll-actually-use","tag-sponsored-false","tag-subsection-strength-training"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/634288","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=634288"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/634288\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/634289"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=634288"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=634288"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=634288"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}