Strong Legs Are Not Enough To Save You After 50 (You Need This Too)

Will Harlow, the over-50s physio, shows us how to train now to stay safe later:

Don’t be without a leg to stand on

Unless of course you don’t have legs, in which case this video isn’t as helpful for you, and we recommend triceps dips instead (explosive push upwards, controlled lowering back down), which will not only help you avoid injury if you fall from your wheelchair or some other place, but also help you get back where you wanted to be. But you probably know that already.

For readers with legs, however, there is the different problem of it being leg strength that is of no use if it can’t be applied quickly and powerfully in the needed way.

Notably, power declines more quickly than strength after 50: power combines strength with speed, and it’s needed to produce force quickly when you stumble, climb a steep step, move out of the way, or catch yourself during a trip.

Three ways to prepare for this:

• Quick hip lift: stand tall while holding a wall or worktop for support, shift your weight onto one leg, and quickly lift the other foot towards 90° while keeping your back still, then lower it back down slowly; the fast upwards phase trains the hip flexors to move the leg quickly, and a resistance band around both feet can make it harder.
• Sideways catch: start with your feet together and quickly step to the side, placing your foot firmly to practise the movement used to catch yourself during a sideways loss of balance; once this is easy and safe, progress to gently tipping yourself sideways until you feel you’re about to lose balance, then stepping outwards to catch yourself.
• Power step-up: place one foot on the bottom stair while holding the handrail, drive up quickly and bring the other knee through, then lower yourself slowly back down; this combines the powerful leg drive of a step-up with the quick leg movement practised in the hip lift.

Note: you may be reading this and thinking that it is far too easy and is surely meant only for 90-somethings and not you (unless you are one of our readers in your 90s, in which case, hi), but it’s good to ensure your body “knows the drill” as soon as possible and that it be as well-trained for it as possible, for the same reason that you (hopefully) don’t start learning to swim for the first time when you find yourself having fallen off a ship.

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

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Want to learn more?

You might also like:

Fall Special ← this is about how to not fall, and how to make it less likely you’ll be injured by a fall if you do

Take care!