{"id":38713,"date":"2025-08-01T18:36:07","date_gmt":"2025-08-01T18:36:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/38713\/"},"modified":"2025-08-01T18:36:07","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T18:36:07","slug":"5-movements-that-signal-youre-aging-in-reverse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/38713\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Movements That Signal You’re Aging in Reverse"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most of us would jump at the opportunity to sip a magical elixir that made us age in reverse<\/a>. But alas, a potion as such simply does not exist. Regular exercise\u2014specifically strength training<\/a>\u2014is the next best thing to a fountain of youth. In fact, if you can master these five movements after 45, you\u2019re aging backwards.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost people over 45 start noticing changes in how they move,\u201d says Stewart Parnacott, PhD CPT, chief clinical officer at Ready Wellness. \u201cWhat is noticed isn\u2019t just that strength is going down. Coordination slips. Balance feels different. The nervous system slows. Recovery takes longer than it used to. It is little things at first. Getting up off the floor feels harder. Stairs feel heavier. Actions you did without thinking suddenly take effort.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why prioritizing bodyweight compound exercises<\/a> is essential. These moves keep your body functioning properly and force it to work as one solid unit.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Bodyweight compound moves] make the muscles fire, but they also wake up the nervous system,\u201d Stewart explains. \u201cIf you can squat, hinge, push, pull, and carry, life gets easier. Those are the movements that keep people independent.\u201d<\/p>\n

5 Exercises That Signal You\u2019re Aging in Reverse<\/p>\n

\u201cIf someone can do all five [exercises] well, their muscles and their nervous system are in sync,\u201d Stewart points out. \u201cThat is what aging \u2018in reverse\u2019 really means. Strength plus coordination. Most people can build one or the other, but keeping both is the trick.\u201d<\/p>\n

The movements below combine body weight and weight training.<\/p>\n

\tFull Squat<\/p>\n

\"BeautifulShutterstock<\/p>\n

\u201cSquats tell me how mobile and strong the lower body is,\u201d Stewart notes. \u201cThe squat is almost always the hardest for people past 45. Tight hips, stiff ankles, weak glutes. Years of sitting. You see it right away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stand tall, feet shoulder-width apart and toes pointed slightly out.
\nKeep your back straight, chest tall, and arms extended ahead of you or clasped by your chest.
\nBend your knees to lower into a squat until your thighs are parallel to the floor or lower.
\nPress through your heels to return to the start position.<\/p>\n

If You Can Do This Many Squats Without Stopping at 40, Your Lower Body Is Decades Younger<\/a><\/p>\n

\tPushup<\/p>\n

\"fitShutterstock<\/p>\n

\u201cPushups tell me about upper body and core control,\u201d Stewart says.<\/p>\n

Begin in a high plank position with your hands under your shoulders and your body straight.
\nBend your elbows and lower your chest toward the floor.
\nMaintain a long, straight body as you lower.
\nPress back up, straightening your arms.<\/p>\n

If You Can Do These 5 Push-ups at 50, Your Upper Body Strength Is Elite<\/a><\/p>\n

\tDeadlift<\/p>\n

\"womanShutterstock<\/p>\n

\u201cThe hinge [motion in a deadlift] shows me glutes, hamstrings, and how safe someone\u2019s back will be,\u201d says Stewart.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e<\/p>\n

Stand tall, feet hip-width apart, with a dumbbell in each hand.
\nBend your knees slightly and hold the weights in front of your thighs.
\nPress your hips back as you lower the dumbbells down your leg. Maintain a straight back as you do so.
\nSqueeze your glutes to stand up tall.<\/p>\n

If You Can Pass These 3 Drills, You\u2019re Moving Better Than Most People at Any Age<\/a><\/p>\n

\tPull-up<\/p>\n

\"pull-ups\"Shutterstock<\/p>\n

Pull-ups signal postural strength.<\/p>\n

Begin standing tall.
\nGrab onto a pull-up bar using an overhand grip, just outside shoulder-width.
\nCompletely extend your arms to assume a dead hang position.
\nActivate your glutes, core, and back as you pull yourself up until your chin clears the bar.
\nUse control to lower back to the start position.<\/p>\n

5 Bodyweight Moves That Build Strength Faster Than Dumbbells After 40<\/a><\/p>\n

\tFarmers Walk<\/p>\n

\u201cCarries test grip, shoulder stability, and how well the whole body coordinates under stress,\u201d Stewart explains.<\/p>\n

Hold a heavy dumbbell in each hand at your sides.
\nStart walking forward.
\nYour torso should be kept still while walking. Do not move your trunk as you brace your core.<\/p>\n

Alexa Mellardo<\/p>\n

\t\tAlexa is a content strategist, editor, and writer based in Greenwich, Connecticut. She has 11+ years of experience creating content for travel, lifestyle, fitness, wellness, F&B, home, and celeb news publications.\t\t\t\t\tRead more about Alexa <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Most of us would jump at the opportunity to sip a magical elixir that made us age in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":38714,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[1934,1167,6647,102,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-38713","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-aging","9":"tag-exercise","10":"tag-fitness","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom","14":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38713","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38713"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38713\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38714"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38713"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}