Balance Exercises After 60 To Test Your Stability

Put your balance to the test by acing these six exercises.

As you age, it’s common to be concerned about things like blood pressure, heart health, weight, and cholesterol levels. While all of these are essential to stay on top of, some individuals don’t realize the importance of balance and stability.

You may be surprised to learn that more than 25% of adults 65 and over fall each year. This results in head injuries, broken bones, and even hip fractures. Your balance starts to decline after the age of 50 because of the natural loss of muscle and changes with the inner ear. It’s critical to stay mobile to preserve your independence and avoid getting injured.

We spoke with Jacob Siwicki, founder and head coach of Siwicki Fitness, NCSF and AFAA certified, former top 1% globally ranked Equinox group fitness instructor (2019), Dartmouth economics graduate and former Dartmouth football player, fitness expert on FOX 5 DC, ranked #1 personal trainer in D.C. in 2021, to learn how you can tell if you’re in good shape.

When someone is considered “in good shape for their age,” Siwicki is referring to several qualities beyond basic strength. What he looks for doesn’t show up by simply looking in the mirror: balance and proprioception, mobility, coordination, cardiovascular endurance, and mental sharpness.

“Someone who is ‘in good shape’ at 65 is not necessarily someone who can lift the most weight. It is someone who can move in every direction, recover quickly, stay engaged, and get back up if they go down. That is what I am really assessing,” Siwicki explains.

If you can do the six balance exercises he shares below, you are golden!

Reverse Lunge to Knee Drive

“The reverse lunge with a knee drive forces you to step back, lower yourself, then drive the back knee up to your chest and hold for a second. You are balancing on one leg at the top of every rep,” Siwicki explains.

1. Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart and hands on your hips.
2. Take a big step back with your right foot.
3. Lower into a shallow lunge.
4. Push through the heel of your front foot to rise, driving your back knee forward toward your chest.
5. Pause briefly before repeating.
6. Repeat on the other side.

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Single-Leg Deadlift

“Single-leg deadlifts are the gold standard for hip stability and posterior chain strength, and they expose any weakness in your standing leg immediately,” Siwicki says.

1. Begin by standing tall with your feet hip-width apart and arms at your sides.
2. Shift your body weight to your right leg, maintaining a slight bend in that knee.
3. Hinge forward at your hips, extending your left leg straight behind you while reaching your arms toward the ground. Make sure your chest stays lifted and your back remains flat.
4. Hold briefly when your torso is parallel to the floor.
5. Drive through your right heel and lower your left leg to gradually return to the start position.
6. Repeat on the other side.

Bird Dog

“Bird dogs are the great equalizer, on hands and knees, extending the opposite arm and leg, which trains core stability and the cross-body coordination that keeps you upright when you trip over a curb,” Siwicki tells us.

1. Start on all fours.
2. Extend your left arm and right leg.
3. Hold for a moment before returning to the start position.
4. Switch sides and continue to alternate.

Skaters

“Skaters are a single-leg jump side to side, or for someone newer to this, a step out to the side and a single-leg squat with the other leg crossing behind like a curtsy lunge. That lateral movement is huge because most people only train forward and backward, and falls almost always happen sideways,” Siwicki points out.

1. Begin standing tall with your feet hip-width apart and knees slightly bent.
2. Jump to the left, naturally swinging your arms and landing softly on your left foot.
3. As you land, cross your right leg behind you in a curtsy-style position.
4. Push off your left foot as you jump to the right, landing on your right foot.

Pistol Squats

“Pistol squats are the hardest of the bunch, a full single-leg squat with the other leg out in front. Most 60-year-olds cannot do a true pistol, and that is fine. The progression is what matters: squatting down to a chair on one leg, then a lower box, then eventually unassisted,” Siwicki says.

1. Begin standing tall with your feet hip-width apart and arms extended ahead of you.
2. Shift your body weight onto one leg and lift the opposite leg straight out in front of your body.
3. Maintain a tall chest and slowly bend your standing knee, pressing your hips back as you lower into a squat.
4. Make sure your lifted leg stays off the ground as you lower.
5. Press through the standing heel to rise back up.
6. Repeat on the other side.

Standing Quad Stretch

“The standing quad stretch is a perfect cool-down after working your legs, and it forces you to stand on one foot while pulling the other heel to your glute,” Siwicki tells us. “If you can hold it for 30 seconds without grabbing a wall, your balance is in great shape.”

1. Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart near a sturdy chair or wall for support, if needed.
2. Shift your body weight onto one leg.
3. Bend the opposite knee as you bring that heel toward your glutes, holding onto your ankle with the same-side hand.
4. Feel the stretch at the front of your thigh as you hold for roughly 30 seconds.
5. Repeat on the other side.

Alexa Mellardo