As we get older, our legs often feel the effects of aging first. A big challenge that people over the age of 50 face is sarcopenia—the natural decline in muscle mass, strength, and neuromuscular function. This occurs as we age when muscles don’t respond as promptly to exercise. Muscle building, or protein synthesis, slows down. Unfortunately, the same exercises we did in our twenties and thirties won’t give you the same rapid results in your fifties.
We also aren’t as active as we were in our twenties or thirties. We tend to sit more than we should. If you have heard sitting is the new smoking, it is true. As a Fully Certified STOTT PILATES Instructor and Instructor Trainer, I work with clients over 50 every day. I have worked with several clients over the years that needed to create new habits once they left their desk job for retirement. Less walking, skipping the stairs, fewer weight bearing or challenging exercises will cause the legs to lose their muscle mass.
Joint pain can also be a leading factor to sarcopenia at 50 and beyond. Aches and pains make people less likely to want to train, so they miss out on keeping their muscles challenged. What they don’t realize is that motion is lotion. Keeping joints mobile will keep them well lubricated to keep them from feeling stiff.
Seated exercises are effective for building muscle because they can be safer and a good place to start if you are new to exercise. They are safer because they give you a wide and stable base of support. As we age, our balance can get worse. Sitting for strength training will make you feel more supported and less likely to lose your balance. Seated exercises are also a better place to start if traditional squats are challenging. Proper squat technique can take some time to learn. If you are starting this journey on your own without a professional personal trainer, you might not know the proper technique. Seated exercises are easier to master when starting out on your own.
Read on for five seated exercises that can help you reverse muscle loss and rebuild strong legs after 50.
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5 Seated Leg Exercises to Reverse Muscle Loss After 50
Starting Position for All Exercises:
- Sit with weight slightly forward on chair
- Keep spine and pelvis neutral
- Stack upper body over pelvis and hips
- Rest hands on thighs
- Keep equal weight in both butt cheeks
- Keep core active
Seated Leg Extensions
How to do it:
- Inhale to prepare
- Exhale and slide one foot directly in front and away from you
- Extend the knee fully
- Keep the heel in contact with the floor
- Inhale to return, flexing the knee
- Alternate legs
- Complete 8-12 reps
What to avoid: Don’t allow heels to leave the floor. Be sure to fully extend your knee.
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Seated Heel Raises
How to do it:
- Inhale to prepare
- Exhale and lift one heel
- Inhale and lower heel
- Alternate heels
- Complete 8-12 reps
- Once mastered, add in bilateral movement lifting both heels at the same time
What to avoid: Don’t let toes be light on the floor—keep toes in contact with the floor. Allow the foot to articulate heel to ball of foot, then ball of foot to heel. Avoid shifting weight from one hip to another. Avoid letting the heels drop quickly. Imagine your heels are sinking in mud.
Seated Knee Lifts (Marches)
How to do it:
- Inhale to prepare
- Exhale and lift one knee
- Inhale and lower leg
- Alternate legs
- Complete 8-12 reps
- Keep equal weight in both hips
- Keep core active
What to avoid: Try to avoid flexing the spine when knee lifts. If hip flexors feel like they are going to grip, sit on a pillow to raise your hips higher than the knees. Don’t let the hips rock side to side. If this happens, decrease how high you lift your leg. Avoid dropping the foot to the floor without control. Resist gravity to lower the foot.
RELATED: If You Can Hold This Core Position for 90 Seconds After 50, You’re Stronger Than Most
Seated Hip Extension
How to do it:
- Inhale to prepare
- Exhale and press feet into floor
- Feel the hip extensors (glutes and hamstrings) engage
- Inhale to release
- Complete 8-12 reps
What to avoid: Avoid rocking the weight forward—keep body stacked over hips. Don’t allow the lumbar spine to flex; stay neutral with a tall posture. Keep all ten toes and heels in contact with the floor.
Seated Sit to Stand
How to do it:
- Inhale to prepare
- Exhale and press into feet
- Shift weight forward
- Stand up reaching arms forward
- Inhale and lower back down to chair
- Complete 8-12 repetitions
What to avoid: Avoid dropping head and chest on the way up and down. If unable to stand up without using hands, press hands into thighs until you build enough strength to complete without hands. Avoid dropping all your weight back on the chair. Control the way up and down.
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The Bottom Line
The good news is that it is very possible to rebuild strong legs after 50. Research shows that you can regain strength, muscle mass, mobility and balance with 8-12 weeks of proper training. I have been a personal trainer and pilates instructor for over 15 years. I have seen these results firsthand.
To see these results, you will want to do these exercises 2-3 times per week. Once you master these exercises by day 30, try adding dumbbells to increase your effort. Aim to eat protein at every meal. This will also aid in muscle loss. Stay active. Take the stairs when you can, park further away from the entrance to a building and work on mobility.
You will start to see results within the first 30 days of completing this program. You should be able to increase your intensity every 30 days. Add extra weight after the first 30 days, then increase the weight after 60 days, then again at 90 days.
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