No Equipment Muscle Gain Routine for Ages 50+

Sarcopenia, the loss of muscle mass commonly associated with aging, can be a big problem as it leaves us vulnerable to injury (and also isn’t great for the metabolism—keeping adequate muscle mass ensures keeping the metabolism ticking over nicely). Will Harlow, over-50s specialist physiotherapist, is here to share a routine that works without weights:

Where it counts

There’s a fair amount of emphasis here on the lower body and core. That’s because in practical terms, this is what matters more for our health than having bulging biceps:

• First exercise: donkey calf raises to build strength in the calves using a chair.
• Second exercise: single-leg elevated lunge to work the quads and glutes, using a step or books for elevation.
• Third exercise: slow sit-to-stand for quads, glutes, and core strength, focusing on a slow descent.
• Fourth exercise: wall press-up to strengthen the chest, shoulders, and arms, with a variation using towels for increased resistance.
• Final exercise: shoulder raises using bottles or similar weights to target the shoulders and rotator cuffs.

Ok, so that last one was a slight cheat on his part as it does require grabbing a weight, but it’s not specialist equipment at least, and can just be something you grabbed at home. It’s also the least important of the five exercises, and can be skipped if necessary.

For more on all of these plus visual demonstrations, enjoy:

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Want to learn more?

You might also like to read:

• Resistance Is Useful! (Especially As We Get Older)
• Resistance Beyond Weights

Take care!