In this short, Dr. Ivan Bracic, DC, clinical director at Novaré Injury Care and Rehab in Fort Myers, walks through simple strength exercises you can do at home with no special equipment: the plank, side plank, bridge and bird dog. He explains how to start with movements you can do well and build each one from there.
Read the full guide: Strength Training for Seniors: Build Muscle After 60 →
Video Transcript
Strength doesn't have to be complicated. These two are great exercises. They're simple, they're functional, and you don't need any special equipment or any special space to do them.
The plank, the side plank, the bridge, the bird dog. These are all great activities, and you can build from there. These are motions that you can train your hips, train your shoulders, and work on your back.
They're not complicated, so if complicated workouts are keeping you from going to the gym, start here. This is super simple. Start from movements that you can do well and build from there.
Like the plank, you can take that into a dynamic motion. The side plank also, you can put dynamics into that. When it comes to the bridge, move the bridge higher, hold it longer, maybe lift one leg off the ground.
And when it comes to the bird dog, do that bird dog and extend all the way out, and then do a crunch. Blow, inhale, exhale as you wind inside.
So you can take these exercises and build from them, make them better, make yourself stronger, but you gotta start somewhere. These are great.
Read the full guide on simple strength moves to start at home →