Men's Home Fitness Exercises For Men Over 50

Most men tend to lose their physical fitness as they age, especially in strength, endurance, and balance. This is usually due to a sedentary lifestyle with excessive sitting and eating. According to Evan Osar, owner of O.S.A.R. Consulting in Chicago, Illinois, you can prevent or delay the effects of natural aging through proper diet, regular exercise, and managing your stress. For exercise, you need a combination of strength training, endurance training, and corrective exercise to maintain posture, mobility, and stability.

Kneeling Chop and Lift

These two exercises train spine and hip stability while moving your arms diagonally across your body. According to Gray Cook, founder of Functional Movement Systems in Danville, Virginia, the chop and lift improves general body balance and stability, which has a carry-over to many daily activities and sports, such as golf, weight-lifting, and yardwork.

To do the kneeling chop, set a hook on a wall about one foot above your head. Loop an exercise tubing around the hook, and grab both handles. Kneel with your right leg in front of you and with your right shoulder toward the hook. Kneel about one to two feet away from the wall. Pull the handles from the top right side of your head, across your torso, and to your left hip. Reverse the movement slowly, and do not move or turn your torso or hip.

The kneeling lift is simply the mirror image of the chop. Set the hook on the wall at ground level, and loop the tubing around the hook. Kneel in the same position as the chop except that your left leg is in the front instead. Lift from your right hip, across your torso, and toward the top left side of your head.

Multi-planar Reach

This exercise trains your ability to maintain your balance while moving your hip and legs in different directions. Stand with your feet together with your hands on your hips. Shift your balance to your right foot, and reach your left foot forward as far as you can without losing your spinal posture. Return to the starting position, and reach with the same foot in different directions: to the side, across your body, behind you, and rotation.

Multi-planar Lunges With Reach

This is a progression from the multi-planar reach, where you lunge in different directions and reach down as if to pick something up. This trains your core stability, hip and leg mobility, and balance at the same time.

Stand with your feet together, and lunge forward with your right leg. Reach forward with your left arm toward the ground, but do not round your back as you reach. Only go as far as your flexibility and balance allow you to do so. Push yourself back up to standing position.

Lunge to your right, and reach with your left hand in front of you. Keep your left leg straight. Then turn your body and pivot your left hip and leg to do a turning lunge. Repeat this exercise on the other side.