Staying fit as you grow older is an excellent goal. Regular exercise can not only help you live longer but even keep your mind sharper and help you look younger. But not every exercise out there is ideal for aging bodies. 20-something gym rats may make these look easy, but you’re much better off avoiding these 7 terrible exercises for seniors.
This is first on our list for good reason. Running is great exercise—if you’re young and already in good shape. If you’re older, and especially if you’re overweight, running puts too much stress on the body. Your ankles, knees, and hips will thank you if you skip running and go for a walk instead.
Deadlifts—a move where you pick up the heaviest weight you can using the power of your lower body—is a great muscle-building exercise. Unfortunately, it’s also hard to do correctly and safely. Your lower back is very vulnerable during a deadlift, and it’s all too easy to injure a disc if you pick up the weight the wrong way.
Crunches are, to be honest, not that effective. The high reps you need to achieve results can create unnecessary stress on your body—the lower back in particular. You also risk damage to your back as you flatten it against the floor. Planks, even when done upright against a wall, are better for your core.
If you’ve spent most of your life sitting at a desk, the upright row may make things worse. That’s because hunching over a keyboard creates tightness in the chest and upper back, while weakening the neck and mid back. An upright row is going to pull on those upper back muscles, potentially making them even tighter. Seating rows on a rowing machine are a better choice, since it uses your whole body in the movements.
Another exercise that has minimal results and too much risk of back injury. Leg presses are typically done with a machine. Your spine can easily flatten against the padded bench instead of staying in its natural curve, which puts pressure on your discs. If you want to tone your legs, bodyweight squats are a much better choice.
This exercise has similar issues as the upright row. Many seniors don’t need extra work on their chest muscles, which may already be too tight. There’s also a risk of doing the motion with poor alignment, which puts strain on your shoulders or wrists. Try pushups against a wall or countertop instead.
The overhead press can be a great exercise…if you do it right. It requires you to push weights in a straight line above your shoulders, keeping the spine neutral and the chest up. Unfortunately, many older folks struggle to lift the weights directly overhead, moving at an angle instead. That is not good for your shoulders and can make you more susceptible to injury long after you’ve left the gym.
