Best Exercises for Women over 60 & and The Workouts To Avoid
Jordan Thomson CPT
Updated 05/01/23
One of the most common questions we get from someone beginning an exercise routine is “What are the best exercises for me?”
While there are tons of resources on the best exercises for losing weight or the best exercises for specific conditions, women in their 60s are in a unique time in their life. Not considered a young adult, but just barely considered a senior. Not to mention being post-menopausal and all the bodily changes that come with it. This requires specific guidance.
There are certain requirements for women over 60 to exercise effectively and lose weight. So what are they?
There are many factors to consider while answering this question: cardio vs. weight training, what to do and what not to do, how often to exercise, how to lose weight and keep it off, and what’s worked for real-life people.
In this article, we’ll cover it all.
If you’re a woman over 60 this is for you. If you’re not, well, stick around, you may be able to help someone who is.
Jump to a Topic:
How to Lose Weight in your 60s and Keep it Off
Losing weight in your 40s, 50s, and 60s can prove to be a much bigger challenge than it used to be. Why is that?
There are a few reasons why your post-menopausal body seems to be a bit more resistant to losing weight and keeping it off.
Sleep
Many women during and after menopause have trouble sleeping. Decreased sleep quality and duration can lead to unexpected weight gain.
Hormones
We don’t have to tell you that as a woman, your hormones are constantly going through a wild ride. From menstrual cycles to childbearing and menopause, it can feel like a rollercoaster. Estrogen in particular can be a cause of increased body fat when levels are very low or very high.
Age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia)
Muscle tissue changes from decade to decade, no matter who you are. Muscle mass decreases approximately 3–8% per decade after the age of 30 and this rate of decline is even higher after the age of 60. Muscle loss can also contribute to limited physical ability, low energy, and decreased metabolism.
Insulin Resistance
Women naturally become more resistant to insulin as they get older, resulting in an increase in insulin and blood sugar levels. This can lead to additional weight gain.
Although these factors may feel like roadblocks to looking and feeling the way you want to, know we have some simple solutions to combat them.
Making changes to your diet and nutrition is a necessary part of making any long-lasting changes to your body. This may take some experimentation and guidance from your Doctor or a Dietician to decipher what works best for you.
As for the exercises, we’ve got you covered.
Strength Training is hands-down the most effective way to combat sarcopenia (age-related- muscle loss). It helps maintain and increase lean muscle mass.
With the addition of lean muscle mass, your body naturally burns more calories, which helps aid in fat loss and sustainable maintenance.
Strength training is also a very effective sleep aid. In fact, just two slow-motion sessions a week can help you to sleep better and longer. AND if that’s not enough, improved sleep helps to steady blood sugar levels, which we know is one of those pesky side effects of getting older.
So, prioritize strength training in order to maintain muscle mass, improve sleep, regulate blood sugar levels and make changes to your diet based on your nutritional needs. (We suggest starting with your protein intake!)
Should Women Over 60 Lift Weights?
Yes, women in their 60s (and all ages, really) should lift weights. Muscles aren’t a young man’s game. Men and women can gain both strength and muscle at all stages of life.
A big reason why this is so important is muscle mass decreases approximately 3–8% per decade after the age of 30 and this rate of decline is even higher after the age of 60. Muscle loss can also contribute to limited physical ability, low energy, and decreased metabolism.
Research shows there are enormous benefits of strength training for women 60 years or older such as:
- stronger bones
- improved balance
- a lower fall risk
- enhanced memory and focus
- reduced blood pressure and blood glucose
- increased protection against the development of many chronic diseases.
Should Women Over 60 Do Cardio?
The short answer – it depends on why you’re doing it. The long answer, we need to dive a little deeper…
Cardio is an aerobic activity that significantly increases the heart rate, thus conditioning the cardiovascular system. The most common cardio activities are walking, biking, running, and swimming.
Many people do cardio with the intent to achieve fat loss, which is not all that efficient. But many others do cardio to meet psychological and emotional needs.
Going for a walk or run can be a great way to decrease stress, clear your mind, enjoy nature and improve your overall feeling of well-being.
A potential problem is that cardio activities create more opportunities for getting injured. High-intensity cardio like running, sprinting, jumping, or anything that involves explosive movement involves high levels of force.
And we know that force is the leading cause of injury in exercise.
Because women in their 60s are at higher risk of injury such as falling (WHO), some of these activities might want to be avoided.
Running, jumping or any high-impact activity can also be hard on the joints. Genetics and pre-existing conditions also play a part here. Some of us are blessed with knees that will never give out, making it possible to withstand activities like this, with little to no challenges.
While the rest of us experience joint issues, cartilage loss, or an injury that makes activities like this painful and unsustainable.
If you’re in the latter group, activities like walking and swimming might be ideal for you, especially in your 60s. Both create little to no impact on the joints – and they’re fun!
Slow-motion strength training (SMST) can produce cardiovascular conditioning, fat loss, and muscle strength gain. When doing SMST, there is no need to do cardio or aerobics. But if it's something you like to do, then choosing one that is most enjoyable and safest on the body is ideal.
To answer the question of whether or not women in their 60s should do cardio- here’s our answer:
- If you’re doing it to lose weight, no. Focus on increasing lean muscle mass with effective strength training and nutrition. This is a much more efficient way to lose fat.
- If you’re doing it to meet physiological or emotional needs and enjoy an activity that does not hurt or result in injury, then go for it!
As always, partner any aerobic activity with weight-bearing exercises to avoid accelerated muscle and bone loss.
How Often Should a 60-Year Old Woman Exercise?
It is recommended for women over 60 to exercise twice a week.
When we say exercise, we specifically mean high-intensity strength training. Anything else is considered recreation… and it's important to have both. Read more about exercise vs. recreation to learn the distinction and why it's so important.
Because high-intensity exercise is so demanding on the body, it requires ample time to fully recover between training sessions. By taking more time than necessary to recover, you potentially miss out on time spent doing another results-producing training session!
Training once a week is a good option for some people. Compared to working out twice a week, once a week exercisers can expect to achieve approximately 70% of the results of those who train twice a week.
This may be ideal for someone who has extremely low energy levels, is battling multiple health issues, or has a budget best suited for once-a-week training.
On the days in between high-intensity workouts, it is okay to be active and move the body.
Remember when we talked about doing activities that meet psychological and emotional needs? Consider rest days a great opportunity to do those activities and avoid other high-intensity or strength training exercises.
In short, most women over 60 get the best results from working out twice a week, or once every 72-96 hours.
What Are The Best Exercises For Women Over 60?
The best exercises for women in their 60s are ones that are going to help build and maintain muscle mass. These exercises should also be safe on the joints and support bone strength.
Dr. Bocchicchio, a creator of slow resistance training, also states that exercise should be something we can retain throughout a lifetime.
The best exercises should be:
- Safe: injury and pain-free
- Efficient: can be achieved promptly, ideally 20 minutes, twice a week
- Effective: achieve temporary muscle failure and produce measurable results
- Sustainable: can be done for a lifetime
Several specific strength training exercises are beneficial for a 60-something woman, but we suggest focusing on these 5 impactful exercises: Leg Press, Chest Press, Lat Pulldown, Leg Curl & Abdominals.
Leg Press
The Leg Press Machine is an incredible piece of equipment because it allows you to fully target the biggest muscle groups in the body: the glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, and calves.
A study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine looked at bone density changes in women between 65 and 75 years old following a year of strength training.
During the study, the trend of bone loss that comes with age not only stopped but also reversed.
The leg press was the only major lower body exercise performed. In addition, it was credited with helping the lower back, as no direct exercise was performed for the lower back muscles. By improving bone density, the leg press reduces the risk of fractures in high-risk populations… that’s women over 60.
The leg press provides as much or more bang-for-the-buck as any one exercise does.
Chest Press
The chest press is a highly effective way to strengthen the pectorals (chest muscles), triceps, and anterior deltoids. These muscles are critical in lifting movements. Your anterior deltoids are responsible for lifting your arms in front of you.
Holding groceries, blow-drying your hair, lifting a suitcase into an overhead bin, or pushing a heavy door open are examples of activities that can become easier with stronger deltoids.
Lat Pulldown
The lat pulldown could be considered the “leg press” of the upper body.
This exercise targets the Latissimus Dorsi (the “lats” or wings of the back), Trapezius (“traps” or upper back), Pectoralis Major (chest), Posterior Deltoids (shoulders), Biceps brachii (front of the upper arm)
Training the lats improves the shape of your back. As lean muscle tissue is added to the lats, it gives a ‘V’ shape to your back. Gaining muscle in your lats might help make the appearance of “love handles” become less noticeable.
The pulldown also helps improve aesthetics with your arms. The biceps and shoulders are key players in this exercise and will help make your upper arm muscles more defined.
Leg Curl
The hamstrings are large muscles that make up the back of your thighs and are the primary movers worked in the Leg Curl. In addition to the hamstrings, this power exercise also targets the calves.
These main muscles targeted by the Leg Curl are largely responsible for the appearance of your thighs and lower legs and train the muscles that are partly responsible for walking, squatting and bending the knee.
The hamstrings contract to provide knee flexion, which is the technical name for the movement
performed during the Leg Curl. Each hamstring is a group of four muscles that start on your pelvis (around the bottom of your buttocks), cover the backs of your thighs, and attach to the lower leg, just below your knee. The hamstrings have two major functions: to flex your knee and pull your thigh backward (hip extension).
This exercise is crucial in maintaining overall leg strength and function.
Abdominal Machine
The Abdominal Machine works – you guessed it – the abdominals, specifically the rectus abdominis. Believe it or not, the rectus abdominis does not exist only to make you look good in a bathing suit. It is also functionally significant. The abs are critical muscles for respiration.
In addition, they are major stabilization muscles. Strong abdominals help with balance and stability in everyday activities, sports (like golf and tennis) and can help to prevent falls.
By consistently doing these big five exercises, you strengthen all the major muscles in the body, creating and maintaining a strong foundation for future workouts and everyday activities.
Exercises Women Over 60 Should Avoid
Are there any exercises that women over 60 should not do? This is not an easy answer, and here’s why…
We know women in their sixties who are thriving, have more energy than ever and are just as strong as they were in their 30s. We also know women in their sixties with decades of injuries, are caretakers for others or are in a fragile state.
A quick Google search will tell you to avoid all heavy lifting or to walk and do water aerobics. We’re not going to do that.
It would be crazy to say that all women 60 to 69 should never do one type of exercise. But for some of the most common injuries or limitations we see in 60-year-old women, there are some exercises to be careful with.
Joint Issues
Shoulder Injury
Postural issues, limited range of motion, rotator cuff injuries – these should all be exercised with care and adjusted to account for the specific injury. Some exercises to avoid or alter are overhead press, skull crushers, full range of motion on chest exercises, pushups, lat pulldown, chest fly, and lateral raises.
We have worked with clients with ALL of these injuries. Most are capable of doing all exercises with alterations. If possible, avoid NOT doing these and work with someone who can help you safely accomplish a workout with a shoulder injury.
Knee Injuries
Injured knees are unfortunately very common in women over 60. However, this does not mean avoiding leg exercises. Finding a way to safely exercise the lower body is extremely important because working the biggest muscles in the body has the greatest overall effect on gaining muscle and bone density… and losing fat.
With that being said, it's vital to know how to do leg exercises with proper form to avoid further injury.
Exercises such as squats and lunges require very specific mechanics to be effective and safe. We recommend only doing those exercises if you’re very familiar with how to do them, or are working with a trained professional.
What about the exercises that are painful, no matter what? We’ve had clients over the years experience discomfort on the leg extension, despite alterations made to their range of motion, seat settings, and amount of resistance. So, we don’t do those!
Pain is a helpful indicator. Anything that hurts, besides the burning of muscles hitting temporary muscle failure, is your body’s way of saying, “Hey, something isn’t right.”
Listen to your body, and remember this rule of thumb: If the exercise isn't safe, it's not worth doing.
The Perfect Workout Case Studies: Exercise Routines for Workouts for Women Age 60-69
For over 20 years we’ve helped more than 40,000 people improve their health and fitness – many being women in their 60s. Each person who works with us has a different body with limitations, a history of injuries, different wants, needs, and goals to achieve. This creates a need for customization.
Below are case studies of real clients and their ideal workouts based on their age, goals, limitations, and preferences. Identifying information has not been included to maintain client privacy.
Client A: Busy 64 Year Old Nurse With Multiple Injuries
64-year-old woman, from Orange County, CA
Works part-time-two 12 hours shifts as a nurse in addiction and psychiatric units. Also cares for her ill mother.
Goals:
- Increase strength, lean muscle mass, endurance, flexibility, and improve posture
- Strengthening of the upper body, lower body, strengthen around hips and knees.
- Wants to be able to do everyday daily activities again without having to compensate for her injuries, ie. squat down, lift to a cabinet for a jar, reach under her sink.
- Wants to be able to garden again.
Medical:
- Arthritis/Joint Degeneration – neck, R-hip capsule
- High Blood Pressure – well managed with medication
- Joint injury – L-knee ligament, R-hip labrum tear
- Spinal Injury – C-spine fused C3-6, surrounding discs herniated
- Thyroid Condition – Hashimoto's thyroiditis
- Surgeries – L-foot, hysterectomy
- Low back pain
Customized Workout:
This Client trains 20 minutes, twice a week for maximum results in the shortest possible time.
Compound Row: Targets upper back muscles. Client performs an isometric hold, contracting the primary muscles and holding for approximately 2 minutes. This allows her to focus on working the major muscles without straining the neck, a common side effect of this exercise.
Chest Press (vertical grip): Targets chest and back of arms. Avoided for a long time due to spinal injury (neck). Recently introduced with very lightweight to gradual work on range of motion and resistance increase.
Hip Abduction: Targets outer gluteal muscles. Client performs the exercise for approximately 2 minutes, at a slightly lower intensity level to account for labrum tear and arthritis. Back support is included to adjust for spinal injuries.
Hip Adduction: Targets the inner thigh muscles. Client performs an isometric hold, contracting the primary muscles and holding for approximately 2 minutes. This allows her to maintain strength without moving the affected joint (hip)
Preacher Curl: Targets the upper arms and forearms. Client performs the exercise with a decreased range of motion (3-hole gap ~ 3-inch decrease).
Abdominal Machine: Targets abdominals. Client performs an isometric hold, contracting the abdominals for approximately 1:30-2 minutes. This helps her to engage and fatigue the muscles without overextension or flexion of the spine.
Leg Extension: Targets quadriceps and muscles surround the knee. Client performs this exercise about every 4-8 workouts adjusting for left knee ligament injury.
Leg Curl: Targets hamstrings. Client performs this exercise about every 4-8 workouts adjusting for left knee ligament injury.
Leg Press: Targets all major muscles in the lower body: glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves. Client performs the exercise with a limited range of motion (sitting further away from the footplate) to account for spinal injuries and knee injuries. Lumbar support is used.
Client B: Very Active Before Injuries
A 63-year-old woman from Chicago, IL
This client used to live a very active lifestyle: walked 20-25 miles a week, did yoga, weightlifting, and pilates.
Goals:
- Reverse Osteoporosis
- Be able to go on walks again
- Build bone density and muscle in thighs and legs
- Regain strength and fitness level she had before.
- Improve muscle tone – shoulders, arms, thighs, calves. No timeline. Exercise pain-free!
Medical:
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Osteoporosis/ Osteopenia
- Tear in the labrum, where the biceps tendon connects. Doctor says to work on pulling motions*
- the neck does not have complete ROM in her neck
- pain when pressing or reaching right shoulder rotated forward
Customized Workout:
This Client trains 20 minutes, twice a week for maximum results in the shortest possible time.
Compound Row: Targets upper back muscles and arms and helps with *pulling motion. Client performs with palms facing toward each other to keep shoulder joints closed, decreased range of motion (5-hole gap ~ 5-inch decrease).
Hip Adduction: Targets the inner thigh muscles. Client performs an isometric hold, contracting the primary muscles and holding for approximately 1-2 minutes. This allows her to maintain strength without moving the affected joint (hip).
Time Static Crunch: Targets abdominals. Client performs isometric bodyweight exercise alternative to the machine that requires overhead positioning of the arms (shoulder injury).
Leg Press: Targets all major muscles in the lower body: glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves. Client performs exercise normally, along with lumbar support.
Client also does the following exercises with no major adjustments: Hip Abduction, Tricep Extension, Leg Extension, and Leg Curl.
Client C: New to Strength Training & Ready to Enjoy Retirement
A 63-year-old woman from Dallas, TX
Recently retired and wants to be able to enjoy vacationing and everyday activities without worrying about getting injured or not being able to “keep up.”
Goals:
- Lose 50 pounds
- Wants to be much healthier. Strengthen and tone all over. Get back into shape.
- Be more active. Have the energy to do her daily activities without feeling winded or like she can't do it
- She would love to enjoy an upcoming trip by walking everywhere (many steps)
- Strengthening up legs, toning the upper and lower body
- Wants to feel more confident and stronger to be able to enjoy life without worrying about hurting
Medical:
- Two knee replacements
- Scope on Left knee: scar tissue removed a bundle of nerve fibers located directly below patella
- Occasional right shoulder pain
Customized Workout:
This Client trains 20 minutes, twice a week for maximum results in the shortest possible time.
Chest Press (Vertical Grip): Targets chest and back of arms. Client performs the exercise with a 4-hole gap, which decreases the range of motion and helps prevent additional shoulder pain. This exercise is performed each workout to help aid her goal of overall strengthening and fat loss.
Abdominal Machine: Targets abdominals. Client performs the exercise with legs out from behind the stabilizing pads and lifts knees slightly up toward the chest. This helps to prevent any additional strain on the knee and can help achieve better muscle-mind connection.
Leg Extension: Targets thighs and muscles surrounding the knee. Client performs exercise normally but does so with caution to avoid any knee pain. This exercise is particularly important to help strengthen her legs for walking and maintain strength around the knee.
Leg Press: Targets all major muscles in the lower body: glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves. Feet are placed higher up on the footplate, creating a more open and easier angle on the knee joints. Client occasionally performs an isometric hold toward the lower turnaround of the exercise when experiencing pain or pulling sensations in the knee. This exercise is performed each workout to help aid her goal of overall strengthening and fat loss.
Tricep Rope Pulldown: Targets triceps. Client often performs this exercise instead of Tricep Extension due to shoulder pain in a raised position.
Client also does the following exercises with no major adjustments: Lat Pulldown, Leg Curl Hip Abduction, Hip Adduction, Preacher Curl, and Compound Row.
Summary
You might be thinking, all the roads we’ve taken in this article have led to slow-motion strength training. And while that might be mostly true, it's not the only thing a woman over 60 should ever do to move her body or achieve overall wellness.
Women over 60 can and should be exercising. For the purpose of exercise, high-intensity weight training is recommended. It's safe, effective, efficient, and sustainable for just about every age and injury.
Women over 60 should do cardio activities that bring them joy, stress relief, and socialization. These activities should be safe for the body and not interfere with the true purpose of exercise.
Exercising twice a week is recommended to get maximum strength training results. All other recreation should be done on a desired basis.
The best exercises for women over 60 are compound movements that target the biggest muscle groups in the body, such as leg press and lat pulldown. These help to build and maintain muscle mass, increase bone density, and help with fat loss.
Injuries and limitations should be considered when exercising. Working with a trained professional like a Certified Personal Trainer is ideal when working out around injuries. However, pain is a key indicator of when NOT to do a certain exercise or movement. So, use your best judgement.
If you want more information on how to incorporate slow-motion strength training into your workout routine, we have a free introductory session. If you’d like to know more about how to work with a trainer online, get a free consultation call with a Personal Trainer.
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