Strong Through the Ages
Age does not have to be an excuse for slowing or putting a stop to your athletic goals or your favorite fitness activity. This short and sweet total-body resistance workout delivers strength that matters with full range of motion that will keep you moving in the ways you need to move, every day.
- Warm up with two sets of 50 jumping jacks to get your body ready for the kind of movement you’ll find in this workout.
- Perform each exercise for 60 seconds and then rest 60 seconds between each exercise.
- Complete the entire sequence two or three times.
- Cool down with variations on Child’s Pose to stretch your arms, trunk, quads and glutes: Stagger your knees, and then from the standard pose, reach to either side.
1. Dumbbell Bent-Over Row
- Stand tall, holding a dumbbell in each hand.
- Engage your core and hinge forward from your hips, keeping your spine long and straight. Let your arms come forward with the dumbbells. Keep your knees soft.
- Bend your elbows and contract your shoulder blades to pull the dumbbells up next to your ribs.
- Release and repeat.
Make it easier: Hold the ends of one dumbbell and row with a single weight.
Make it harder: Lift one leg behind you as you hinge forward, and perform a single-leg row.
2. Overhead Triceps Extension
- Stand tall, grip the neck of a dumbbell with both hands and extend it overhead.
- Engage your core and bend your elbows to lower the dumbbell toward the back of your neck. Squeeze your elbows in to frame your ears, and keep your upper arms as still as possible.
- Press the dumbbell back up toward the ceiling. Repeat.
- Tip: Keep your knees soft and tighten your core to stabilize your body to keep from swaying.
Make it easier: Sit on the edge of a bench and cross your legs for support.
Make it harder: Perform with two dumbbells, one in each hand or add a balance challenge and stand on one leg and perform the movement.
3. Kneeling Medicine-Ball Rainbow Bend
- Kneel on the floor, holding a medicine ball in both hands. Rotate your trunk slightly to bring the medicine ball to the starting position at the outside of your right hip.
- In one smooth motion, extend your arms and lift the ball to your right, tracing an arc up and over your head and down to the outside of your left hip, rotating through your trunk as you move.
- Repeat, lifting the ball up and over your head back to your right hip.
Make it easier: Sit back on your heels for more stability and place two yoga blocks to support your knees and hips.
Make it harder: Bring the medicine ball up and over your head and slam it on the ground to your right. Do the same on the left side.
4. Side-Lying Starfish Lift
- Lie on your right side. Place your right hand under your shoulder, stack your left foot on top of your right and lift your hips to come up into side plank, with your right hand pressed firmly into the ground.
- Engage your core to keep your body strong and straight from head to heels. Lift your left hand and your left foot to the ceiling, keeping your arm and your leg straight.
- Release your arm and leg. Repeat and then switch sides.
Make it easier: Place your elbow and bottom knee on the floor for support, bending it so your foot is behind you.
Make it harder: Keep your leg and arm lifted, and bend your top knee toward your top elbow for an oblique crunch. Continue crunching as you lift.
5. Dumbbell Lateral Lunge
- Stand tall, holding dumbbells in each hand at your shoulders.
- Step your right foot out to your right and sink your hips back and down to a side lunge, bending your right knee and keeping your left foot planted.
- Press through your right heel to return to center, and repeat on the opposite side.
Make it easier: Perform the side lunge without dumbbells with hands on your hips.
Make it harder: As you rise out of your side lunge, press the dumbbells to the ceiling. Return them to your shoulders as you step out to the side.
6. Dumbbell Curtsy Lunge
- Stand tall, holding a dumbbell in each hand.
- Step your right foot behind and to the outside of your left foot as you come into a lunge. Keep your chest lifted.
- Press through your front heel to return to stand, and repeat on the other side.
Make it easier: Perform the curtsy lunge without dumbbells and place hands on your hips.
Make it harder: At the bottom of your cursty lunge, perform a biceps curl.
Model: Nick Routson, 24 Hour FitnessVideo credit: Derek Latta, Shutterstock
Photo credit: Flamingo Images, Thinkstock; Tom Casey, box24studio.com
Hair and make-up: Chanel