‘I’m a personal trainer with clients in their 90s’ — here’s a typical workout I use to maintain muscle mass, support joint health and build functional fitness

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maintain muscle mass

We all know that strength training is important as we get older, but it can be hard to know where to start if you’re new to it or haven’t been to the gym in a while.

We talked to Coach Suzanne Siedman an ACSM-Certified Personal Trainer at Retro Fitness, to help you get started. Just a reminder: if you’re healing from a specific injury or illness, it’s always best to get personalised advice from a qualified professional. Siedman tells Tom’s Guide, “As a personal trainer in my 60s, I’ve always stressed that staying active as we age is important for keeping our strength balance and overall health. Following a routine designed for this can really change things in later years.”

You might like a guy doing a squat with a resistance band.

More than 65? You don’t need a gym to do this personal trainer’s 5-move routine to strengthen your core and upper body.A personal trainer shares a 5-move workout to build muscle after 65. “Ageing muscles respond very well to progressive strength training.” A senior woman doing strength training says, “I’m 71 and in the best shape of my life.” These are the five easy bodyweight exercises I do that help me build muscle faster than walking workouts.As we age, we need to focus on getting our whole bodies in shape to avoid health problems like arthritis, osteoporosis, and other similar conditions.” Read on to find out about Siedman’s full workout that she does with her clients.

Suzanne Siedman

Trainer for Individuals

At Retro Fitness, Coach Suzanne Siedman is a personal trainer who has been certified by the ACSM. Suzanne is an expert at helping people of all ages feel confident and giving them personalised fitness advice that works.

Get ready

Siedman says, “First, it’s important to have a good warm-up routine, especially for older adults.”As we get older, our muscles and joints need more time to get ready to move. A good warm-up routine slowly gets your blood flowing makes you more flexible, and greatly lowers your risk of getting hurt. It also helps older people feel more comfortable and stable as they go through the rest of the workout.

  • Marching in place (2 to 3 minutes): Stand up straight with your feet hip-width apart. Lift one knee at a time, as if you were marching, and swing your arms gently. This movement slowly raises your heart rate and blood flow, which is important for getting ready for exercise.
  • Shoulder rolls (10 times forward and 10 times backward): Sit or stand up straight and roll your shoulders in controlled circles forward and backward. This will help relieve tension in your upper body and make your shoulders more flexible.
  • Ankle circles: Do 10 circles in each direction on each foot. While sitting or holding onto a chair for support if you need it, lift one foot and turn the ankle in both directions. Ankle circles are especially good for keeping your joints flexible and your ankles stable and strong.

10 to 20 minutes of cardio

“Cardiovascular exercises are another important part of a complete fitness routine for seniors,” says Coach Suzanne. “They strengthen the heart, improve circulation, support endurance, and help keep energy levels up for daily activities.” The most important thing is to pick activities that are low-impact and feel good to you. I usually suggest doing cardio three to five days a week, depending on how fit you are.

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She suggests these cardio workouts:

  • Walking (10 to 20 minutes): Start at a pace that feels good to you to warm up, then speed up until your breathing gets faster but you can still talk easily. Pay attention to standing up straight, taking controlled steps, and walking at a steady pace throughout. This will make your legs stronger, help you last longer, and give you more confidence in your daily mobility.
  • Stationary cycling (10 to 20 minutes): This exercise is especially good for older people because it is good for the heart and doesn’t put much stress on the joints, making it easier for people with knee or hip pain to do. It will also help build endurance strengthen leg muscles, and improve circulation. All of these things help with mobility and make you less tired during daily activities.

“Strength training is another important part of any senior fitness routine because it helps keep muscle mass supports joint health, and makes it easier and safer to do everyday tasks. These are all goals that many of my older Retro Fitness clients share with me when they start their personal training journey,” says Siedman.

Get a set of light dumbbells two heavy books, or water bottles to make these exercises harder. Here are the best adjustable dumbbells for working out at home.

  • Chair squats: Sit in a sturdy chair with your feet flat on the ground and shoulder-width apart. Do two sets of ten. Push through your legs to stand up, and then slowly lower yourself back down. This exercise is good for your joints and works your glutes thighs and core.
  • To work the muscles in your upper back and help you stand up straighter, stand with your arms at shoulder height and your hands at shoulder height. Slowly bend your elbows to bring your chest toward the wall, and then slowly push back. Do two sets of eight.
  • Light dumbbell bicep curls: Do three sets of ten reps with light weights, between 2 and 5 pounds, depending on how comfortable you are. Curl the weights up toward your shoulders. This builds arm strength and helps with everyday lifting tasks by lowering the dumbbells in a controlled way.

Easy balance exercises

Siedman says that adding a few simple balance exercises to your routine can help strengthen stabilising muscles, improve coordination, and make everyday movements feel safer. “If you need support, it’s important to do these exercises on a strong surface for stability.

  • Single-leg stand (10 to 15 seconds on each leg): To improve balance and strengthen the muscles that keep you stable, lift one foot a few inches off the floor and keep your body straight. Then switch legs. For more support stand behind a chair and hold onto it lightly.
  • Forward step-ups (10 times on each leg): This exercise mimics things that people do all the time, like going up and down stairs or curbs. Stand in front of a low strong step, like an aerobic step platform. Step in slowly with one foot, pushing through your heel to raise your body, then step back down with control and do it again on the same leg.
  • Lift one leg out to the side gently, with your toes pointing forward and your upper body straight. Do this 10 times on each leg. Lower your leg back down slowly and carefully, then do it again to make your hips stronger which are important for keeping your balance and stability.

Cool down

Siedman says that adding cool-down exercises to the end of a workout helps the heart rate return to normal and reduces stiffness after the workout. Adding gentle stretching to the end of your workout helps you stay flexible increases your range of motion, and makes everyday movements like bending and reaching easier.

  • Deep breathing with arm raises (8 times): To help your body relax and lower your heart rate safely after exercise, sit or stand and slowly raise your arms over your head as you take a deep breath in. Then lower them as you breathe out.
  • Seated hamstring stretch: Sit on the edge of a strong chair and extend one leg straight out in front of you with your heel on the floor. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds on each leg. Lean forward slowly while keeping your back straight until you feel a slight stretch sensation. This can help you be more flexible and ease strain on your lower back muscles.
  • Shoulder stretch: Cross one arm over your chest and hold it with the other hand for 20 to 30 seconds on each side. This stretch in your shoulders and chest makes your upper body more flexible overall.

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