15-minute Sample Workout for Older Adults from Go4Life

In this 15-minute video that features exercises for seniors, Go4Life fitness instructor Sandy Magrath leads older adults through a workout featuring a warm up; strength, flexibility, and balance exercises; and a cool down. Designed specifically for adults over age 50, this workout can be done at home, at work, at the gym—almost anywhere! You’ll need a sturdy chair with arms; two equally weighed objects like dumbbells, soup cans, or water bottles; two tennis balls; and a towel. The video also includes instructions on how to modify some of the exercises to meet different needs.

This workout for seniors begins with a simple exercise warmup. Sandy then leads the group through a series of strength and balance exercises, starting with 10 arm curls. She then demonstrates how to perform the overhead arm raise while holding the arms at a 90-degree angle using weights, such as soup cans, water bottles, or dumbbells.

Next, Sandy demonstrates how to perform the chair dip and the chair stand to exercise the abdomen muscles. To work the lower body, the group performs a set of leg exercises using a chair. Sandy shows the group how to maintain good posture while doing a set of ten leg raises on each side. To work the hamstrings and the glutes, the group does the back leg raise. For the last exercise, Sandy coaches the group through a set of hand grip exercises using tennis balls.

To conclude the workout, Sandy leads the group in some cool down and flexibility exercises. Stressing the importance of stretching after exercising, she shows the group how to use the towel to stretch the arm muscles on either side. The group finishes with some ankle and calf muscle stretches.

The Go4Life Campaign from the National Institute on Aging focuses on encouraging older adults to make exercise and physical activity a part of their daily life. Use the Go4Life Everyday Exercises to practice the four types of exercise that are important for older adults: strength, balance, flexibility, and endurance: https://go4life.nia.nih.gov/exercises/.

Visit https://go4life.nia.nih.gov/ for online resources, motivational tips, and free materials that can be sent to your home.

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Thank you and Go4Life!

This video was developed by the National Institute on Aging (https://www.nia.nih.gov/), part of the National Institutes of Health (https://www.nih.gov/).

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Learn more about the National Institute on Aging: https://www.nia.nih.gov/about.

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