Entering your 50s brings on a brand new chapter of life—and with it, a fresh mindset when it comes to fitness. For women in this stage, Shanna Missett Nelson, CEO and chief choreographer of Jazzercise, recommends prioritizing three crucial pillars of movement: strength and HIIT, impact training, and functional movement. All three workout methods are key for maintaining a strong, healthy, and independent lifestyle.
“What I found fascinating—and what guided my own journey—is that women over 50 need to train differently to maintain strength, energy, and mobility. Last year, at 56 and postmenopausal, I started noticing changes in my body composition that I couldn’t correct just by moving more or eating well,” Shanna tells us. “So, I researched what it truly takes to feel strong, energized, and capable—not just now, but for years to come.”
In your 50s, fitness isn’t about doing more; it’s about doing what works best for your body. According to Shanna, the goal is to challenge your body enough to promote bone, muscle, and metabolic health, without pushing to the point of burnout. She recommends doing general cardio movements four to five times a week and strength training at least two to three times a week.
Below, Shanna shares six exercises women over 50 should never skip in a workout.
6 Exercises Women Over 50 Should Always Do
Planks
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Lie flat on your stomach.
Place your hands below your shoulders or rise onto your forearms.
Your body should form a straight line from your head to your feet.
Hold the position, keeping your core engaged.
Pushups
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Begin in a high plank.
Bend your elbows and lower your chest toward the floor.
Maintain a long, straight body as you lower.
Press back up, straightening your arms.
Impact Movements
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Impact movements involve actions like jumping, skipping, hopping, or knee lifts with a hop.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e
To perform knee lifts with a hop, start by standing tall with your feet hip-distance apart.
Bend your knees slightly and engage your core.
Lift your right knee up toward your chest as you hop off of your left foot.
Keep your landing soft and immediately switch sides, hopping off of your right foot while lifting your left knee.
Plie’s or Squats (With and Without Weights)
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For squats, begin standing tall with your feet planted shoulder-width apart.
Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your side.
Bend at the knees and hips as you lower into a squat until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
Press back up.
Upper and Lower-Body Strength Training (With Heavy Weights)
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A great example of upper and lower-body strength training is the dumbbell thruster, which involves lowering into a squat and then driving up to press the weights overhead.
Stand tall, feet shoulder-width apart and holding heavy dumbbells at shoulder level.
Bend your knees to lower into a deep squat, keeping your chest tall.
Explode upward from the squat position and smoothly press the dumbbells overhead.
Return to the start position.
Mobility Movements
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A solid mobility exercise brings you from a standing position to the floor, such as the plank walk-out.
Begin standing tall with your feet placed hip-width apart.
Hinge at the hips and bend forward, reaching your hands toward the ground.
Walk your hands forward along the ground until you achieve a high plank position.
Hold the plank for a moment while engaging your core.
Reverse the motion by walking your hands back toward your feet and rising up.
Alexa Mellardo
Alexa 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. Read more about Alexa