One of the most challenging parts of aging is trying to lose fat, get toned, and reshape your body. If you didn’t keep up with an active, healthy lifestyle in your younger years, then this may feel like even more of a hurdle—especially considering we lose approximately 3% to 5% of muscle mass every 10 years after turning 30. To help you out, I’ve rounded up some of the best exercise habits to reshape your body after 60.
It’s incredibly important to start strength training because building and preserving muscle is the key to not only aging well but also reshaping your body. If you’re over 60 and already strength training regularly, below are two trainer-approved tricks you can incorporate into your routine to reshape your body.
In This Article:
Trick #1: Superset a Compound Move with an Isolation
It’s important to note that as you grow older, your training should be slightly modified to reflect your training age. If you’re 60 or over, taking care of your joint health becomes more crucial than ever before. This means working in higher rep ranges and choosing exercises that are joint-friendly and create good muscle tension.
A great way to make your muscles work harder is by pairing a compound movement with an isolation exercise that targets almost the same muscles. Below are a couple of examples.
1. Dumbbell Shoulder Press
- Stand tall and hold the dumbbells up next to your shoulders, with your palms facing each other.
- Keeping your core tight and glutes squeezed, press the dumbbells up, flexing your shoulders and triceps at the top.
- Lower the weight under control before performing another rep.
- Do 3 sets of 10 reps.
2. Dumbbell Lateral Raise
- Grab a pair of dumbbells, and stand with your chest tall and your head slightly tilted back.
- Begin the motion by raising both dumbbells out to your side, just right where your arms are parallel to the floor.
- Flex the sides of your shoulders at the top, then lower the weight under control.
- As you lower the dumbbells, maintain tension in your shoulders the entire time.
- Do 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps.
Trick #2: Add Partials at the End of the Set
Another trick to make your body work harder to burn more calories and build more muscle is to include partial reps after you’re done with your set. Once you’ve finished all of the prescribed reps in your exercise, come all the way back down to the bottom of the movement and perform tiny pulses up and down for a few reps. This will make those muscles burn, elevate your heart rate, and torch some extra calories! Below are two examples.
1. Goblet Squat
- Stand tall and hold a dumbbell close to your chest.
- Keeping your chest up and core tight, push your hips back, and squat down until your quads are parallel to the ground.
- Drive through your heels and hips to stand back up, flexing your quads and glutes to finish.
- Once you finish 10 reps, return to the bottom and perform 5 partial reps.
- Complete 3 sets of 10 reps + 5 partials.
2. Seated Row
- Grab the attachment on a seated row machine, and place your feet firmly on the footpad.
- Pull the handle out, then straighten your legs fully.
- Keeping your chest tall, drive your elbows back towards your hips, squeezing your back and lats hard to finish.
- Straighten your arms fully, and get a good stretch in your shoulder blades before performing another rep.
- On your last rep, return just ¼ of the way, and perform 5 shoulder blade squeezes to finish.
- Do 3 sets of 10 reps + 5 partials.
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Tim Liu, C.S.C.S., CSCS
