By Alex Gentilella, SPT, Advanced Rehab and Sports Medicine
Strength training is typically overlooked when deciding on an exercise program for older adults. Using weights and bands can be intimidating for some, and for others, joint pain or arthritis may be a limiting factor. However, strength training is very important at all stages of life. These types of exercise programs have been shown to be highly effective and provide many tremendous health benefits to the older adult community. Plus, using one’s body weight is a great starting point to beginning this type of exercise program.
By using your own body weight, you are stimulating bone growth and helping to prevent osteoporosis. You are also developing musculature all over the body that can make daily activities much easier. For example, strengthening muscles around the knee can help control knee movement, which helps to unload the knee joint and reduce pain in people experiencing arthritis.
Another major benefit of strengthening is improving balance. As falls account for 90 percent of all hip fractures in the United States, strengthening lower extremities can provide a solid foundation to prevent against fall risk.
One of the best strengthening exercises that can be done with just body weight to decrease fall risk, increase balance and flexibility, and improve bone density and muscle strength is the squat. Many people perform squats everyday without even thinking about it. Getting up from a chair, picking something up from the ground, and crouching down to garden are some variations of the squat that are performed in our lives. If you were to have a fall, you will be using the same muscles you squat with to get back up from the floor.
This exercise develops hip, knee, and ankle musculature, and can even strengthen your core muscles. Moving from sitting to standing, walking, and going up and down stairs will feel much easier after performing squats in your exercise routine.
How to Squat:
If you have health concerns or have not exercised in some time, it is important to contact your physician before beginning a new exercise routine.
Set Up:
You will need a chair without a cushion, and a flat pair of sturdy tennis shoes. Place the chair on a level surface that will not allow it to slip around. For extra support, place the chair in front of a counter or taller surface that you can hold on to.
Warm-Up:
Walk for five minutes to dynamically warm-up leg muscles.
Execution:
- Stand with one foot in front of the chair with your feet hip-width apart.
- Toes can be pointed straight ahead or slightly turned out.
- Place your hands on the counter or out in front of you.
- Tighten your abdominals to support your back. Shift your hips back, and slowly lower down as if you were going to take a seat.
- Gently tap the seat of the chair, push through your heels, and straighten your body back to upright.
- Repeat.
Tips:
Try keeping the weight back in the heels to work the muscles on the backside of the legs. Also, make sure your knees stay over your ankles, and don’t let them move too far forward!
Progression:
Start with one set of ten and see how you feel. Slowly progress by increasing reps and sets; for example, one set of 15, and then two sets of ten. Hands that were on the table/counter for support can be placed out in front of you; and to challenge your balance, cross your arms across your chest. Eventually, you can remove the chair and perform squats freestanding, and then begin to add weight.
Afterwards:
It is important to stretch after completing a squat workout. Stretch major muscle groups like the quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves for five to ten minutes after your workout. Maintain each stretch for 20 30 seconds, and repeat each stretch two to three times.
For more information on any sort of pain or injury, you may contact Advanced Rehab & Sports Medicine at 309-664-9104 or www.advrehab.com. Their office is located at 135 N. Williamsburg Drive in Bloomington. Free assessments are offered within 24 hours of contact for patients of all ages.