Over 60? These Exercises Will Make Your Body Look Younger, Trainer Says Eat This Not That – Eat This, Not That

If you're over 60, a top fitness priority of yours may be getting your body to look and feel younger again. As we grow older, our bodies go through physical and hormonal changes. We lose muscle mass3% to 5% every 10 years after turning 30, in fact, according to Harvard Health Publishing. Our testosterone and growth hormone levels drop, and so do our power and endurance. Since muscle can really be considered the fountain of youth, if you will, you need to incorporate strength training exercises into your fitness routine in order to build and preserve it.

Aerobic exercise is great and necessary, but building muscle and losing fat will help your body look younger. The best strength training exercises to build muscle are compound movements, meaning they use more than one muscle group at a time. They're the most bang for your buck and will help give you the best results.

If you're not sure where to begin, here's a sample full-body workout to incorporate into your routine. Perform 3 sets of the following exercises to build muscle, burn fat, and to make your body look younger again. And next, check out The 6 Best Exercises for Strong and Toned Arms in 2022, Trainer Says.

Begin this exercise by standing with a weight (A kettlebell, dumbbell, or even a trap bar works well for this!) in front of you on the floor with your feet shoulder-width apart. Push your hips back, and squat down low enough to grab the weightall while making sure your shoulders are in line with the weight and your torso is straight when you get into position.

Keeping your core tight and shoulders down, pick up the weight by pushing through your heels and hips to stand up tall, squeezing your glutes at the top. Reverse the motion to put the weight back down before performing another rep. Do 3 sets of 10 reps.

Related: The 5 Best Lifestyle Habits That Will Keep You Feeling Young, Science Says

Lie flat on an incline bench, and grab a pair of dumbbells. Hold them straight up above you with your arms fully extended. Pull your shoulder blades back and down into the bench as you lower the weights down toward your chest. Get a good chest stretch in, then press the weights back up to the starting position, squeezing your pecs and triceps at the top. Do 3 sets of 10 reps.

Grip the lat pulldown bar with your palms facing away from you just outside your shoulders. Lean back slightly, and pull the bar down toward your sternum with your elbows, squeezing your lats at the very bottom of the movement. Resist on the way up, maintaining tension in your lats. Get a good stretch at the very top by letting your shoulder blades come up before performing another rep. Do 3 sets of 10 reps.

Related: 6 Lean-Body Exercises Everyone Over 60 Should Do, Trainer Says

Place your feet firmly on the pad of a seated row machine, and grab the handle with both hands. Pull the attachment out, and position yourself so that your back is straight and your legs are almost fully extended. Keeping your chest tall, core tight, and knees soft, row the attachment towards your body, squeezing your shoulder blades together at the end. Then, straighten your arms fully until your shoulder blades extend before performing another rep. Do 3 sets of 12 reps.

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Get into position by having one foot forward and one foot back. With your chest tall and core tight, lower yourself under control until your back knee touches the ground, getting a nice stretch at the bottom. Push through the heel of the front leg to come back up, flexing your quad and glute to finish. Perform all reps on one side before switching legs. If bodyweight alone is too easy, you can also do this movement with a pair of dumbbells. Do 3 sets of 10 reps for each leg.

And next up, check out The Best Workout for Stronger Muscles After 60.

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Over 60? These Exercises Will Make Your Body Look Younger, Trainer Says Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That