The 9 Best Resistance Band Exercises for Your 50s, 60s, 70s and Beyond

The 9 Best Resistance Band Exercises for Your 50s, 60s, 70s and Beyond

9 Essential Strength-Training Exercises for Your 50s, 60s, 70s and Beyond

livestrong.com/article/13769558-strength-training-exercises-older-adults

As you try these exercises, start with light resistance bands until you feel comfortable with your form.

Image Credit: Yaroslav Astakhov/iStock/GettyImages

Building muscle and stability is a great way to stay pain-free as you get older. But the idea of buying weights or getting a gym membership can be a pretty big obstacle to starting a strength-training routine.

Luckily, you don't need much to start (and maintain) a well-rounded regimen. A few resistance bands and these age-tailored resistance band exercises will work. will do to keep you strong and injury-free in your 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond.

Related Reading

The Best Mobility Moves for Your 50s, 60s, 70s and Beyond

The 3 Best Resistance Band Exercises for Your 50s

In your 50s, maintaining your strength is a big priority, especially as you begin to experience some (natural) age-related muscle loss. That's why the best band exercises for your 50s involve a little more strength than moves for later life, says Noam Tamir, CSCS, owner and founder of TS Fitness.

"These are more challenging because they require more stability with single-leg stance exercises," he says. "Many people in their 50s can do what they were able to do in their 40s."

Although you want to maintain as much strength as possible at this age, these moves should feel comfortably challenging. If some motions feel too challenging, opt for a lighter resistance band.

1. Split Squat Pallof Press

Split Squat Palof Press

0 seconds of 14 secondsVolume 90%

Activity Resistance Band Workout

1. Anchor a long-loop resistance band at chest height.
2. Hold the band with both hands at chest height several feet away from the anchor, placing tension on the band.
3. Stand with your left leg in front of your right, knee bent at 90 degrees, thigh parallel to the ground.
4. Bend your right leg to 90 degrees, hovering the knee an inch or two above the ground. This is the starting position.
5. On an exhale, straighten your arms and press the band straight ahead and away from your body.
6. As you inhale, return to the starting position.

2. Band-Resisted Squat

Band-Resisted Squat

0 seconds of 18 secondsVolume 90%

Activity Resistance Band Workout

1. Place a long-loop resistance band under both feet.
2. Take hold of the other side of the band with both hands and bring it up to shoulder level.
3. With your feet about shoulder-width apart, bend your knees and push your butt back.
4. Lower down until your knees are bent to about 90 degrees.
5. On an exhale, reverse the motion and stand back up, fighting the resistance of the band.

3. Single-Leg Band Abduction

Single-Leg Band Abduction

0 seconds of 11 secondsVolume 90%

Activity Resistance Band Workout

1. Stand with a mini resistance band looped around your ankles, feet about hip-width apart.
2. Bend your knees slightly and place your hands on your hips.
3. Lift your left foot an inch or two off the ground.
4. Keeping your toes facing forward, raise your left foot out to the left side as far as you can go.
5. Do all reps on the left side before repeating on the right leg.

The 3 Best Resistance Band Exercises for Your 60s

As you get into your 60s, you may start seeing some more noticeable changes in your strength and balance, Tamir says. Exercises that once felt easy may be a little more challenging, so maintaining strength and preventing injury are priorities.

Tamir recommends the following exercises, since they don't involve getting down to and up from the ground, which can become more challenging with age.

1. Kneeling Pallof Press

Kneeling Palof Press

0 seconds of 14 secondsVolume 90%

Activity Resistance Band Workout

1. Anchor a long-loop resistance band at chest height.
2. Hold the band with both hands at chest height several feet away from the anchor, placing tension on the band.
3. Kneel on the ground with your knees about hip-width apart.
4. On an exhale, straighten your arms and press the band away from your body.
5. As you inhale, draw your hands back closer to your body.

2. Banded Squat

Banded Squat

0 seconds of 15 secondsVolume 90%

Activity Resistance Band Workout

1. Place a mini resistance band around both legs above your knees.
2. With your feet about shoulder-width apart, bend your knees and push your butt back.
3. Lower down until your knees are bent to about 90 degrees.
4. On an exhale, reverse the motion and stand back up, fighting the resistance of the band against your knees and hips.

3. Lateral Band Walk

Lateral Band Walk

0 seconds of 16 secondsVolume 90%

Activity Resistance Band Workout

1. Place a mini resistance band around your ankles and stand with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Slightly bend your knees and lower yourself a few inches into an "athletic stance."
3. Step to your right side with your right foot.
4. Step your left foot toward your right to return your feet to hip-width apart.
5. Keeping your knees bent, take several steps to the right.
6. Repeat this motion moving to the left.

Tip

Lateral band walks are an excellent move for injury prevention. If this exercise feels too challenging, modify by placing the band around your thighs or feet.

The 3 Best Resistance Band Exercises for Your 70s and Beyond

Generally, your 70s (and beyond) is the point when your body experiences the most muscle loss, also known as sarcopenia, Tamir says. As your body loses muscle, your risk of falls and injury increase.

Exercises to improve your balance are the key. These moves (modified versions of the exercises listed above) focus on the lower body and core to help build stability and overall motor control.

1. Seated Pallof Press

Seated Palof Press

0 seconds of 15 secondsVolume 90%

Activity Resistance Band Workout

1. Anchor a long-loop resistance band at chest height.
2. Hold the band with both hands at chest height several feet away from the anchor, placing tension on the band.
3. Sit on a chair or bench with your feet flat on the ground.
4. On an exhale, straighten your arms and press the band straight out and away from your body.
5. As you inhale, draw your hands back toward your body.

2. Seated Hip Abduction

Seated Hip Abduction

0 seconds of 18 secondsVolume 90%

Activity Resistance Band Workout

1. Sit in a chair with your knees bent at 90 degrees, feet flat on the ground.
2. Place a mini resistance band around both legs above your knees.
3. With hands on your hips or at your sides, press your knees apart against the resistance of the band.
4. Open up your hips as far as you comfortably can.
5. Slowly reverse the motion until your knees are back together.

3. Banded Squat to Sit

Band Squat to Sit

0 seconds of 20 secondsVolume 90%

Activity Resistance Band Workout

1. Loop a mini resistance band around both legs above your knees.
2. Stand about a foot in front of a chair or bench, feet about shoulder-width apart.
3. Bend your knees and push your butt back.
4. Lower down until you come to sit on the chair.
5. On an exhale, reverse the motion and stand back up.

Tip

Don't rush this exercise! You can pause for several seconds (or even a minute) in the chair until you feel you can comfortably return to standing. If needed, do this move with a second chair or countertop nearby and use your hands for extra assistance.

Building core stability and strength can help you maintain good posture in your daily activities.

Image Credit: Halfpoint/iStock/GettyImages

In This Article

• Your 50s
• Your 60s
• Your 70s and Beyond

No matter what you may hear, it's never too late to start a new strength-training routine, especially as you age.

Although strength training is important for anyone looking to stay strong and mobile, it's a big part of staying injury-free through the years. There are a handful of exercises to focus on throughout different decades of your lifetime.

Learn the best strength-training exercises for older adults, whether you're in your 50s, 60s or 70s and beyond!

Related Reading

The Best Mobility Moves for Your 50s, 60s, 70s and Beyond

The 3 Best Strength Exercises for Your 50s

In your 50s, your priority is maintaining as much muscle mass as possible, Melissa Garcia, DPT, CSCS, a Washington-based physical therapist, tells LIVESTRONG.com. Age-related muscle loss is a common part of getting older, but it can put you at higher risk of falls and injury.

"During this time, the focus should be on maintaining current levels of muscle mass with progressive strength training," Garcia says. Progressive strength training means slowly increasing the resistance as you get stronger and the current weight you're using starts to feel too easy. Balance training is another factor Garcia believes adults in their 50s should practice to maintain stability in future decades.

These three exercises target both strength and balance. Plus, they train your core, too, helping you maintain an upright posture and healthy back, Garcia says.

Move 1: Single-Leg Reach

Single-Leg Reach

0 seconds of 6 secondsVolume 90%

Skill Level Beginner

Reps 10

Activity Body-Weight Workout

1. Stand with your legs hip-width distance apart and your arms at your sides.
2. Keeping your left leg rooted, bend your left knee slightly and begin to lift your right leg straight behind you.
3. At the same time, lean forward with your arms stretched out in front of you.
4. Lean forward until your torso is about parallel to the ground.
5. Pause here for a moment.
6. Reverse the motion.
7. Do all reps, then switch sides.

"This is a really awesome dynamic balance exercise," Garcia says. This one strengthens your lower body and core. But it's also a balance builder, challenging your foot and ankle stability.

Move 2: Goblet Squat

Goblet Squat

0 seconds of 6 secondsVolume 90%

Skill Level Intermediate

Reps 10

Activity Kettlebell Workout

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Hold a kettlebell by the handle at chest height, elbows tucked into your ribs.
3. Bend your knees and push your hips back.
4. Lower until your thighs are parallel to the ground (or as low as you can comfortably go).
5. Press into your heels and push your hips forward to return to standing.

Body-weight exercises are great, but adding even a light weight can help build more strength and muscle, Garcia says. This compound exercise is an efficient way to train because it targets several muscle groups at once.

Move 3: Forearm Plank

Forearm Plank

0 seconds of 3 secondsVolume 90%

Skill Level All Levels

Time 30 Sec

Activity Body-Weight Workout

1. Kneel on the floor.
2. Place your forearms on the ground, stacking your shoulders above your elbows. At the same time, walk your feet straight out behind you.
3. Form a straight line from the top of your head to your hips to your heels. Brace your core muscles and glutes and tuck your tailbone under slightly to keep your lower back from arching.
4. Hold.

Tip

Planks build core strength and stability so you maintain good posture in your daily activities. If needed, you can modify this one by placing your knees on the floor. Just be sure to keep your upper body in a flat line. Intentionally tucking your pelvis under a bit and squeezing the glutes will help you do that.

The 3 Best Strength Exercises for Your 60s

Age-related muscle loss varies from person to person, but can start to become more noticeable in this decade, according to Garcia. For this age group, Garcia prioritizes exercises that build both strength and stability.

Your 60s are also a good time to set yourself up for success in your 70s (more on that below). As you age, your body's ability to recover and heal slows down, so you want to focus on building stability as an injury-prevention measure.

This is also the decade in which people may start to get replacements in their hips and knees. These moves are great for building strength around those sensitive joints, which will help keep them healthy and functional for longer.

Move 1: Single-Leg Balance Swing

Single-Leg Balance Swing

0 seconds of 4 secondsVolume 90%

Skill Level All Levels

Time 1 Min

Activity Body-Weight Workout

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Place your hands on your hips.
3. Put your weight into your left foot.
4. Raise your right leg off the ground.
5. Gently swing your right leg forward and back, keeping your balance.
6. Do all reps, then switch sides.

This exercise focuses on balance and stability on one leg at a time, Garcia says. One-sided (aka unilateral) exercises like this help build equal strength on both sides of your body because you're not able to rely on your dominant side for extra help.

Move 2: Body-Weight Squat

Body-Weight Squat

0 seconds of 5 secondsVolume 90%

Skill Level Beginner

Reps 10

Activity Body-Weight Workout

1. Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart and brace your core. Focus on keeping your feet rooted into the ground and your core tight the entire time.
2. Extend your arms out in front of you and slowly bend your knees as you push your hips back to lower toward the floor. Focus on lowering your body as if you were going to sit on a chair.
3. Lower down as far as comfortable, or until your thighs are parallel with the floor.
4. Pause for a moment at the bottom of your squat.
5. On an exhale, reverse the motion by pressing through your heels to return to standing. As you stand, lower your arms back to your sides.

Squats are a movement pattern you do every day when you sit down on the toilet or stand up from the couch. Practicing this motion with the air squat can help prevent injury in your day-to-day activities.

Move 3: Plank

Plank

0 seconds of 4 secondsVolume 90%

Skill Level Beginner

Time 30 Sec

Activity Body-Weight Workout

1. Lie face down on your stomach with your palms on the floor underneath your shoulders and your toes on the floor.
2. Take a deep breath and press through your palms to lift yourself up into the top of a push-up position. Your body should make a straight line from your heels through your hips to the top of your head.
3. Brace your core and squeeze your glutes.
4. Look at the floor directly below your head to keep your neck in a neutral position, and breathe normally.
5. Hold.

Tip

This is a modified version of the forearm plank above. If this one feels too challenging, you can either place your knees on the ground or walk your feet farther apart. If you have wrist pain during the exercise, it can be best to do this exercise on your forearms.

The 3 Best Strength Exercises for Your 70s and Beyond

As you get into this age bracket, you can expect quite a few changes in your body, Garcia says. With this age group, the ability to heal and recover starts to slow, so safety is a number-one priority during strength training.

"You want to make sure that you are able to move around pain-free," Garcia says. In some cases, it may even be good to consider getting some in-person guidance from a fitness professional, especially if you're experiencing any pain or difficulty with certain movements.

The goal of these exercises is to maintain strength with as much safety as possible. That's why Garcia likes to use household objects to provide a little extra support.

Move 1: Supported Single-Leg Balance

Supported Single-Leg Balance

0 seconds of 5 secondsVolume 90%

Skill Level All Levels

Time 1 Min

Activity Body-Weight Workout

1. Stand in front of a chair with your arms at your sides.
2. If needed, place both hands on the back of the chair for extra support.
3. Keeping your right foot rooted, bend your left knee and raise your left foot a few inches off the ground.
4. Hold here.
5. Do all reps, then switch sides.

This exercise focuses on your hips and ankles, which are generally big problem points for this age demographic, Garcia says. Gaining some stability in these joints goes a long way with injury prevention.

Move 2: Sit to Stand From Chair

Sit to Stand From Chair

0 seconds of 6 secondsVolume 90%

Skill Level All Levels

Reps 10

Activity Body-Weight Workout

1. Sit in a chair with your arms straight out in front of you and your feet planted on the floor.
2. Press into your heels and push your hips forward to stand up straight.
3. Bend your knees and send your hips back to lower gently back into the chair.

"The majority of falls with older adults occur during functional tasks, such as getting out of a chair," Garcia says. "It is so important that we apply our training to everyday function." This modified squat translates really well to daily life.

Move 3: Dead Bug

Dead Bug

0 seconds of 8 secondsVolume 90%

Skill Level Beginner

Time 1 Min

Activity Body-Weight Workout

1. Lie on your back with both arms reaching up toward the ceiling. Lift your feet off the ground so your legs are bent at 90-degree angles.
2. Slowly and with control, extend your right arm over your head and extend your left leg out straight. Lower your limbs as far as you can while keeping your lower back anchored to the ground.
3. Exhale as you return to the starting position.
4. Repeat with the left arm and right leg, switching sides with each rep.

Tip

As you do the dead bug exercise, focus on keeping your entire back flush against the ground, Garcia says. You can also place a thin, folded towel under your lower back if you can't stay flat against the ground.