As you age, it’s natural to experience creaky joints, stiff muscles, and aches and pains. However, neglecting the maintenance of muscular endurance—muscles ability to perform repeated contractions against resistance for an extended period, it could spell trouble for your golden years. Fortunately, muscular resistance exercises can help correct poor posture, improve stability, increase the aerobic capacity of the muscles and maintain the ability to perform daily activities, according to ace gym. That’s why we’re here to help you with five of the best exercises to improve muscular endurance as you age.
Note: Do not confuse muscular endurance (or stamina) with muscular strength. Muscular endurance allows you to perform physical activities for longer periods of time, while muscular strength is your ability to lift or move heavy objects. Essentially, the more resistance your muscles have, the more repetitions you can do. Research shows that moderately loaded muscular endurance strength training is an effective strategy to combat age-associated loss of strength and muscle mass. Also, involving your muscles through regular exercise it is essential to maintain your functional ability as you age. Well-functioning muscles can improve balance and skeletal structure, reduce the risk of falls and injuries, according to National Institute on Aging.
If you’re worried you’ve missed the boat on this, we’ve got good news: It’s never too late to improve your muscular endurance. To help you get started, we chatted with Margie Young, CTEa ARORA Lifetime Champions certified personal trainer, who shares her top five exercises for improving muscular endurance and endurance as you get older. Read on to find out what they are and how they can improve your quality of life, then don’t miss out. Recommended exercises to increase stamina as you age.
An excellent movement to increase muscular endurance is the hip joint, where you shift your weight to your heels and push your hips back against the wall as you lean forward. (You can also perform this exercise with suspension straps.)
“With the hip hinge, you’re not leaning forward; you’re leaning at the hip,” Young explains. “Start by standing a few inches in front of a wall (but not touching it). Then, keep your feet parallel and below your hips, core tight, and simply touch your butt to the wall as you lean forward. Then, squeeze your glutes. to get back up.”
The hip hinge is increase your range of motion (ROM) and allow you to perform daily activities with ease. So the next time you bend over to pick up the laundry basket, use the hip hinge shape to save your lower back.
A simple exercise that can be done anytime, anywhere is the bodyweight squat. To perform them, Young explains, “Sit down and come back to standing, remembering to push through your heels. Multiple sets and repetitions of bodyweight squats help maintain muscle balance and improve functional movement.” Perfecting bodyweight squats will come in handy the next time you’re squatting down to pick up the kids’ toys for the seventh time in one day.
Another great exercise for muscular endurance is the plank. This static hold has several variations that strengthen your coreimprove your posture, reduce back pain and boost coordination. “Planks aren’t just great for the core, they’re great for the whole body, and anyone can do them,” says Young. “plank variations They include going from a wall to a counter, the bed or sofa, and even the floor. Add intensity by alternating glute-activated leg raise holds while doing planks.”
Maintaining control and balance while on the move is essential to building muscular endurance as you age. Step-ups are a great way to help maintain lower body strength and balance, as your body weight continually shifts from one leg to the other while in motion.
“Step-ups are a safer alternative to lunges that you can do anywhere there’s a safe, elevated surface,” says Young. “To protect your knees from excessive flexion, anchor and push through your heels. Add variations by increasing the height of your steps or doing one-legged grabs to improve your balance.”
You read that right: good breathing can improve your muscular endurance! Young tells us, “Breathing is an exercise that requires muscles, and most of us do it incorrectly. The diaphragm is a muscle responsible for 75% of breathing. It will naturally create a vacuum effect for the next inhalation while activating the abdominal muscles by concentrating more on exhaling through your body. Additionally, breathing can improve focus while oxygenating the blood, which helps reduce stress and induces a calming effect, something we all need more of in our daily lives.
Adam Meyer
Adam is a health writer, certified holistic nutritionist, and 100% plant-based athlete. Read more about Adam
