EXERCISES FOR OLDER ADULTS
Guest Post By: Cody Sipe, PhD
Guest Post By: Cody Sipe, PhD
"I’m
often asked what the best exercises are for older adults. I always reply
“best for what?”
I’ve researched, studied and tested more exercises than
I care to remember to try and figure out which ones are the best for improving
physical function.
It is difficult to make an absolute list because the
best exercise for an older adult is determined by their current needs and
abilities.
However, after two decades of training older adults there
are several that have risen to the top of my list because they offer a
multitude of benefits for clients, can be easily modified or varied, and can be
used with a wide range of functional levels. Here are a few that
you’ve just got to try.
Standing 1-Arm Cable Row
This is a great functional way to challenge the posterior chain with a
small transverse plane demand. Put clients in a split stance with legs slightly
bent in order to resist the forward pull of the cable. Posture is key so cue
them to stay upright and “solid” during the rowing movement. Do not allow them
to twist about the waist. You have the option of doing this with same foot
forward as the hand holding the cable (ipsilateral) or opposite foot forward
(contralateral). Switch back and forth from session to session for variation.
Vary the height of the cable to alter the line of pull and create a new demand.
What Time Is It?
Awesome exercise that includes multi-planar lunges while challenging
cognitive processing. Have clients stand in an open space and imagine they are
in the middle of a clock face that is on the ground. 12:00 is in front of them,
3:00 to the right, 6:00 behind and 9:00 to the left with all of the other
numbers in their normal positions. Call out a time, such as 12:00. The client
should lunge to that time and then return as quickly as possible. For the
numbers on the right side of the clock they should lunge with their right foot
and vice versa for the left side. You can increase the cognitive aspects of
this exercise by calling out the times quickly so they have to react quicker or
by calling out 4 or 5 times in a row that they must remember. This exercise is
very scalable. For frailer clients or those with balance problems I have them
step instead of lunge. For advanced clients I have them perform upper-body
tasks simultaneously with the lunge.
Power Stands
Getting out of a seat is a common, everyday task. In order to add a
power aspect to this movement I have clients perform chair stands explosively.
They begin in a standing position and lower themselves slowly to the chair. Once
they transfer their weight to the chair they must “explode” and stand up as
quickly as possible. The movement should be similar to jumping but without
plantar flexion so that they clients don’t actually come off the ground (for
the few that could). Foot position affects performance and varying foot
position can be beneficial. The basic position is feet in front, shoulder-width
apart. You can also do wider than shoulder-width with toes pointing slightly
out or shoulder-width but with a staggered stance (one foot slightly ahead of
the other). When using the staggered stance you can have them take 3-4 steps
after standing like if they were taking off from the chair to race someone.
Through the Gait
Practicing different gait patterns has huge benefits for older adults.
Their gait tends to become stiff and inflexible so that they cannot negotiate
environmental demands as easily such as steps, slopes, slippery surfaces,
uneven ground, etc. Some of my favorite gait patterns to use are Monster Walks,
Sleeping Dog, Carioche, Braiding, Red Light Green Light (yes like the
children’s game), Heel Walks and Toe Walks. Cueing vision is very important.
Clients have a strong tendency to look at their feet the whole time. Cue them
to keep their head up and focus on something across the room. Safety is also a
major issue. Be sure to use an open area and stay close to them so you can
catch them if they stumble.
Knock-Outs
You can use a low-inertia cable column, a Keiser (pneumatic) cable
column or a resistance tube for this movement that focuses on anterior core
stability. Do not use an old school cable column that doesn’t allow you to
perform fast movements without the weight jerking around. Have clients grab the
cable with it anchored at about chest height. The client gets in a staggered
stance and turns away from the cable so that they can perform a 1-arm chest
press. Keeping an upright posture have the client “punch” in front of them by
extending their arm and twisting their body slightly. They should not lean
forward but rather maintain their upright posture throughout. A great variation
of this is to have them stand beside the cable. So let’s say the cable is
anchored to their right. They will step to their left and turn their hips and
body to the left simultaneously while punching. Since they have turned their
body they end up in a lunge position punching straight ahead. So it is as if
they are trying to punch someone beside them. In fact, I typically stand beside
them and put my chin out as a target and tell them to try to knock me out (one
person almost did when I stood a little too close!)
ABOUT CODY SIPE, PHD
Cody Sipe, PhD is a recognized leader in senior fitness. He is an Associate Professor, facility owner and recipient of the IDEA Program Director of the Year award. He speaks and writes regularly on topics related to senior fitness throughout the industry. For a list of events featuring Cody, visit FEI today!
An interesting selection. I'd love to see pics or vid ;)
ReplyDeleteExcellent point. Working to make it happen soon. There are hours of videos in the Booming PT Profits DVD series (created by Cody and Dan) which we are hoping to pull from. There's just too much good "stuff" and great content in their system to easily distract us!! Thank you for your comment, Charles!
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