In your later years, it is necessary to keep up with functional fitness. Well, overall fitness is mandatory, but prioritizing legs to become stronger will reduce the dependency. Leg strengthening exercises for seniors should be a part of the routine to avoid slips and mishaps that can become fatal during the tender years.
With this in mind, we have curated a list of easy-to-perform leg-strengthening exercises at home, keeping in mind the needs of the elderly that can help them regain balance and mobility.
List of Leg Strengthening Exercises For Seniors
With the reduction in muscle mass during old age, it gets difficult to perform basic activities like walking and doing daily tasks. Hence, it is important to focus on the strength training of leg muscles to lead an active lifestyle.
For that, go through the exercises mentioned below and incorporate them into your workout routine.
Chair Squats
Chair squats are an effective exercise for seniors that strengthens the legs and core. It stimulates your quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes, making it easier to do activities like climbing stairs.
Difficulty level: Moderate
How to:
Start by standing straight with your back towards the chair.
While bending your knees, push your hips back towards the chair. Keep your chest and shoulders upright.
While trying to sit back, don’t go deeper than 90 degrees.
Now gently come back to the original standing position and repeat the exercise.
Calf Raises
If you are wondering how to strengthen weak legs in the elderly without making them go through an intense workout regime, calf raises are the answer. It improves foot and ankle strength while enhancing overall athleticism.
Difficulty level: Easy
How to:
Begin by standing tall with your feet shoulder-width apart. Keep your abdominal muscles engaged and maintain a straight posture from head to toe.
Slowly raise your heels off the ground while focusing on contracting your calf muscles throughout the movement.
Hold the raised position for a second or two, squeezing your calves at the top of the movement.
Maintaining control, gradually lower your heels back down to the starting position.
Lunges
Lunges are a great way to improve your balance and strengthen your lower body. It engages your core muscles, hamstrings, glutes, and quadriceps. Regularly performing this exercise can improve your posture and range of motion.
Difficulty level: Hard
How to:
Start in a standing position with your feet hip-width apart and your hands on your hips or by your side.
Take a large step forward with your right foot, landing on your heel first, followed by the ball of your foot.
Lower your body by bending both knees until your right thigh is parallel to the ground, and your left knee is hovering just above the floor. Ensure that your weight is evenly distributed between your front and back legs.
To prevent excessive forward lean, keep your upper body straight, with your chest lifted and shoulders relaxed.
Pushing your right heel, slowly return to the original position.
Repeat on the other side.
Knee Extensions
Knee extensions are a popular resistance training exercise that primarily targets the quadriceps muscles. This exercise involves extending your leg against resistance, but if you are a beginner, you avoid the resistance.
Difficulty level: Easy
How to:
Start by sitting upright with the backrest of your chair aligned with your back.
Extend your legs in front of you so that your feet are pointing forward.
Now, as you exhale, extend your legs until they are fully straightened. Engage your core muscles by pulling your belly button in towards your spine.
Bring your legs back to the original position as you inhale. Repeat the exercise a few times.
Wall Sit
Wall sit is a comparatively difficult exercise, especially if you are a beginner. It helps improve balance and stability and can be performed anywhere with no extra equipment. It builds strength and endurance in the glutes, calves, and quadriceps.
Difficulty level: Hard
How to:
Begin by standing with your back against a wall. Make sure your feet are hip-width apart and approximately 1–2 feet away from the wall.
Slowly slide down the wall until your knees reach a 90-degree angle. Do not extend your knees beyond your toes and keep your back straight against the wall without slouching.
Hold the position for as long as you can.
Push through your heels and return to the original position.
Step Up
For step-ups, you will need a small and sturdy stepping stool. Exercise helps improve body balance and prevent injuries in older adults.
Difficulty level: Hard
How to:
Stand in front of the stepping stool with your feet hip-width apart.
Keeping your core engaged and maintaining a good posture, lift one foot and place it firmly on the step.
Ensure your entire foot is on the step, straighten your body completely, and place the other foot on the step as well. Hold the position for a few moments.
Slowly lower your body back down, starting with the foot that is on the step.
Repeat the exercise with the opposite foot, ensuring equal number of repetitions on each side.
Single-Leg Stance
The single-leg stance test is often used in clinical settings to monitor neurological and musculoskeletal conditions. Regularly practicing the pose can help improve your overall body balance, which in turn reduces the risk of falling.
Difficulty level: Hard
How to:
Begin by standing in an upright position with your shoulders relaxed.
Now bend your left leg, and raise your left foot off the floor so that the heel is towards your butt.
Try to grab the ankle with your left hand. Feel free to use the other hand to grab onto something if you have difficulty balancing.
Hold the position and focus on your breath and body balance.
Return to the original position and repeat on the other side as well.
Wall Pushups
Wall push-ups help you with your upper body mobility. The exercise is a variation of the traditional push-up but against a wall. It is less challenging and easier on the joints, hence is ideal for older adults.
Difficulty level: Moderate
How to:
Start by standing around an arm’s length from a wall with your legs hip-width apart.
Now place both palms flat on the wall at your shoulder level. Feel free to adjust your position if you feel your hands are reaching too far.
Slowly lean towards the wall while bending your elbows until your nose slightly touches the wall.
Slowly come back to the original position and repeat the exercise a few times.
Walking Heel to Toe
This might be the easiest exercise to strengthen weak legs in the elderly. It improves the overall body balance when picking something from the upper shelves, like supermarkets or high cupboards.
Difficulty level: Easy
How to:
Start by standing tall in an upright posture.
Now place your left foot in front of your right foot, making sure the heel of your left foot is touching the toes of your right foot.
Putting your weight on your heels, put your right foot in front of your left foot, with your left toes touching the heel of your right foot.
Continue the exercise for up to 20–25 steps.
Seated Marching
Seated marching is a great way to improve lower body strength and mobility. It is often recommended to people recovering from lower body surgery or injury. It engages your core muscles, hip flexors, quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes.
Difficulty level: Easy
How to:
Sit in an upright position in a chair and lift one knee towards the ceiling.
Lift as far as you are comfortable and hold the position for a few moments.
Slowly return to the original position.
Repeat on the other side as well.
Power Walk
Instead of running, incorporating a power walk into your schedule can help you enhance your core strength and boost stamina. It is often recommended to lose unwanted belly fat in older adults and attain good health, and power walking can help you out in this situation.
Difficulty level: Moderate
How to:
Before you start, stall tall and rigid keep your eyes forward, and bring the focus.
Pull the shoulder backward and raise your head and chin slightly up.
Bent your arms correctly at 90-degree angles.
Start walking energetically and move your arms upward and backward.
Glute Bridge
Adding glute bridges to your exercise routine can help you relax your back muscles, resulting in reduced lower back pain and supporting the strengthening of healthy glutes. In addition, it will improve the leg and hip strength.
Difficulty level: Moderate
How to:
First thing, you can perform this exercise with or without shoes as per your comfort zone.
Pull a yoga mat, lie down on your back, and bend your knees with the flat feet apart from the hips.
Push your arms through the floor, and raise your hips until you form a straight line from your hips to the shoulders.
Slowly come back to the start position, take a rest and start it again.
Ankle Circle
Ankle circle is a great warm-up exercise for legs in older adults. Starting with a simple exercise, to keep up the spirit is beneficial. Moreover, it can improve the overall flexibility of the ankles and the capability to move upward and downward without any hindrance.
Difficulty Level: Easy
How to:
To start with, sit on a chair with the feet touching the ground.
Extend your left knee, bend it a little, and start moving your foot in a circular motion.
Continue to do it 20 times from each leg.
After that, press your feet downwards and relax for some time.
Hip Stand Raise
Hip stand raise can help to strengthen the outer thighs, and hips and stables out the overall motion. Older adults spend most of their time resting on a bed or chair, this option helps to stretch out their inactive muscles.
Difficulty level: Easy
How to:
To start with, take a chair, hold it with your one hand, and stand aside from it.
Place your second hand on the waist, lift your left leg, and bring it back down slowly.
Repeat it 20 times with both legs.
After completing the sets, sit on the chair and relax for some time.
Swimming
Weekly sessions of swimming for older adults can relieve their joint and muscle pains. Moreover, it also provides social interaction opportunities where the seniors can spend time with their friends and make some new ones. Spending some time in the pool can relieve stress and anxiety.
Difficulty level: Hard
How to :
Firstly, avoid regular swimming sessions as they can exhaust the body’s strength.
Dip into the water with minimum depth and practice basic water familiarisation activities.
Slowly start with the swimming and avoid moving towards maximum depth.
Enjoy the process, but always adhere to all the precautionary measures and wear all the safety gear.
Plan and conduct the swimming sessions under the supervision of experts.
A daily workout routine can bring numerous benefits to the overall health of a senior. But, prioritizing safety should come first. For that, seek advice from your doctor before beginning any exercises.
Importance of Leg Strengthening Exercises For Seniors
Exercises for seniors to strengthen their legs play a vital role in their day-to-day activities. Here are the benefits of indulging in leg-strengthening exercises during your senior years:
Independence: Better leg strength makes you independent, as it is directly linked to your daily activities like walking and climbing stairs.
Better Stability and Balance: The leg strengthening exercises target leg and core muscles, helping you develop better control over your body. It improves the ability to maintain balance during various body movements, in turn reducing the risk of falls and potential injuries.
Improved Joint Health: Regular exercise is a proven way to improve your joint health by improving flexibility and reducing stiffness.
Enhances Bone Density: Age-related decline in bone density, known as osteoporosis, can lead to an increased risk of fracture. However, engaging in leg strengthening exercises at home can help combat this issue.
Boosts Cardiovascular Health: Certain leg exercises, such as walking, cycling, and swimming, also provide an excellent cardiovascular workout. Engaging in these activities regularly can improve heart health, reduce the risk of heart disease, and boost overall endurance.
So, before delving into the exercise routine, going through its benefits can boost your willpower and confidence.
Common Reasons For Weak Legs in Seniors
While there are numerous reasons for the decline in leg strength in seniors, here are some most common ones that hinder older adults from enjoying an independent lifestyle:
Osteoporosis: Osteoporosis is the decline in bone density that occurs with age and is one of the most common reasons for weak legs in seniors.
Sarcopenia: Sarcopenia is the gradual decline in muscle mass due to aging. The loss of muscle mass not only affects strength but also deteriorates the functional ability of the leg muscles, making everyday tasks more challenging.
Nutritional deficiency: A well-balanced diet is crucial for maintaining healthy muscles. Insufficient intake of vital nutrients like protein, calcium, and vitamin D can contribute to muscle weakness in seniors.
Varicose Veins: Varicose veins, also known as varicoses, are where the veins have to work extra hard to get blood back to your heart. This can happen due to old age and is often a common reason for weak legs in seniors.
Diabetes: Diabetes alters the blood sugar level, which in turn affects circulation in your legs, causing leg pain, cramping, and swelling.
It’s normal for people to lose strength in old age, but keeping up with a healthy diet and exercise routines can prevent you from the aforementioned issues.
Conclusion
In conclusion, leg-strengthening exercises offer numerous benefits for seniors. By incorporating the above-mentioned exercises into the routine, seniors can enjoy a quality life, reduce the risk of falls and injuries, and maintain their independence for longer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do the elderly lose strength in their legs?
Sarcopenia is formerly a loss of muscle mass due to the natural aging process, and this is the prime reason for weak legs in older adults.
Does walking strengthen legs?
Walking and power walking do a great deal to strengthen the legs of seniors.
What deficiency causes weak legs?
The deficiency of vitamin D can increase the risk of bone pain, muscle loss, weak legs, and more.
