According to Help Guide.org, strength training helps elderly people build muscle, improve balance, and prevent the loss of bone mass. That can help elderly people stay independent and make day-to-day activities easier. Seniors can build muscle just like everyone else, but at their advanced age, seniors should look for exercises that work multiple body parts and are easy on the joints or problem areas.
Squats or Leg Press
Bodybuilding.com says that if you want big legs and muscle in the legs you must squat. Some seniors may have trouble with their joints, so working on a leg press machine would be beneficial if you have pain during squats. Squats are a compound exercise that involve nearly every muscle in the lower body. To perform squats, stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Place a barbell behind your neck or hold dumbbells and squat down until your thighs are parallel to the ground.
Bench Press
The bench press works several upper-body muscles, especially the chest, triceps and shoulders. The fact that it works so many msucles makes it one of the best muscle-building moves that you can do. You can perform bench presses with barbells or dumbbells. You simply lower a weight to your chest and then press it back up until your arms are fully extended. Fitness Atlantic calls the bench press the greatest pressing movement for building upper-body muscle.
Dead Lifts
According to Fitness Atlantic, the dead lift is the best exercise to build muscle. Dead lifts can be performed with either bent or straight legs, and the exercise works most lower-body muscles in addition to your back. The straight-leg version is one of the best exercises to work your hamstring muscles in the back of your leg. To perform, simply stand over a weighted barbell with your feet about shoulder width apart. Then, bend down, pick up the bar and straighten your torso before returning to the starting position.
Chin-Ups
According to Fitness Atlantic, chin-ups work nearly every upper-body muscle from the shoulders to the abdominals. Chin-ups are performed by hanging from a chin-up bar with your palms facing your body. Then simply pull yourself up until your chin is over the bar, before returning to the starting position to complete one repetition. Seniors who cannot complete chin-ups or have elbow problems can substitute lat pulls on a machine, which work the muscles like chin-ups.
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