Fundamental Strength Training After 50

Fundamental Strength Training After 50
Simple weight training exercises to maintain health, increase

functional fitness, lose fat & improve strength beyond 50.
(Simple Fitness After 50: Book One)
Mike Wilson
Copyright © 2022 by Mike Wilson.
All rights reserved.
The content contained within this book may not be reproduced, duplicated, distributed or transmitted in
any form or by any means, without the direct permission of the author or publisher. You cannot amend,
resell, use, quote, or paraphrase any part without written consent from the author or publisher.
Disclaimer
Although the author and publisher have made every effort to ensure that the information in this book
was correct at press time, the author and publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to
any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or
omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause.
The information contained within this book is for educational and entertainment purposes only and
should not be used to replace the specialized training and professional judgment of fitness, health care
or mental health professionals. All effort has been made to present accurate, up to date, and reliable
information. No warranties of any kind are declared or implied. Readers acknowledge the author is not
engaging in the rendering of legal, financial, medical or professional advice. The content of this book
has been derived from various sources. Please consult a licensed professional before attempting any
techniques outlined in this book.
By reading this book, the reader agrees that under no circumstances is the author responsible for any
losses, direct or indirect, which are incurred because of the use of the information contained within this
book, including, but not limited to; errors, omissions, or inaccuracies. The author is not responsible for
any injuries that might occur because of using the exercises recommended in this book. Under no
circumstances will any blame or legal responsibility be held against the publisher or author for any
damages, reparation, or monetary loss because of the information contained within this book.
You should consult your GP/physician or another health professional before starting this or any other
fitness program to determine if it is suitable for your personal needs. This is particularly true if you, or
your immediate family, have a history of high blood pressure or heart disease, have ever experienced
chest pain when exercising or have experienced chest pain in the past month when not engaged in
physical activity. Also, if you smoke, have high cholesterol, are obese, or have a bone or joint problem
that could be made worse by a change in physical activity. Do not start this fitness program if your
GP/physician or other health professional advises against it. If you experience dizziness, faintness, pain
or shortness of breath at any time while exercising, stop immediately and seek professional advice.
Contents
Free Bonus Material

1. The "Simple Fitness After 50" Series
2. Introduction
3. The Aging Process
4. Strength Training Principles
Benefits of Strength Training After 50
Types of Strength Training
Home-Based Strength Training Equipment
Are All Strength Training Exercises ‘Good'?
Compound Exercises vs. Isolation Exercises?
Training Terminology
5. Habit vs Quick Fix

Outcome vs Process Goals
SMART Goals
Short, Medium and Long-term Goals
6. Health Screening
Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q)
Resting Blood Pressure
Resting Heart Rate
7. Tracking Progress
Importance of Tracking Progress
How to Track Progress
Health & Fitness Tests
8. Myths & Misconceptions

Common Myths
9. Warm Up and Cool Down

Warm Up & Dynamic Stretches
Cool Down & Static Stretches
10. General Exercise Technique

Spinal Alignment
Hip-Knee-Ankle (H-K-A) Alignment
Wrist Alignment
Range of Motion (ROM)
Tempo
Breathing
11. The Essential Eight

The Squat
The Hip Hinge
The Step Up
The ‘Pull’
The Horizontal Pull
Vertical Pull
The ‘Push’
The Horizontal Push
The Vertical Push
The Carry
The Essential Eight Summary
12. 8 Week Program

Terminology Reminder
Planning
Progressing
8 Week Example Programs
13. Conclusion
Thank You and Please!
Author Bio
Coming Soon
Bibliography
Free Bonus Material
GRAB YOUR FREE BONUS MATERIAL NOW!

I’ve tried to pack as much information into this book as possible. However, I
want you to have access to even more content that cannot be put into book
format.
To make sure you get as much value as possible from this book, I’ve put
together FREE additional content for you, including:
Videos demonstrating the technique for all exercises within this book,
plus additional variations of those exercises.
A video demonstrating a comprehensive Warm Up to prepare for the
strength training exercises.
A video demonstrating Cool Down Stretches to be performed after the
strength training exercises.
A printable PDF version, including exercise illustrations, of the 8 week
strength training program.
A regular email newsletter with tips to help you succeed in your health
and fitness goals.
To get access to all this free bonus content; CLICK HERE or go to the link
below:
https://pages.mikewilsonfitness.com/strength-bonus
Chapter 1
The "Simple Fitness After 50" Series
Let’s take a reality check… our bodies naturally deteriorate as we age and
this can have a profound effect on our lives if we let it.
Most people will notice subtle changes in their forties before it speeds up in
their fifties and beyond. These changes can have multiple consequences on
our lives; from struggling with simple tasks such as tying our shoelaces, right
up to severe lack of functional capacity (our ability to do common daily
tasks), pain and disease.
However, we have a choice. We can sit back and accept our destiny; our later
years are going to be a regressive deterioration into a weak, immobile, painful
version of ourselves. Or we can educate ourselves and take simple, actionable
steps towards a better quality of life in our later years. By reading this book,
I’m hoping the latter is your plan!
This is the first in a series of five books that will cover all the main
components of fitness for the over 50s. The series aims to educate you on
how you can implement changes in your life right now, to allow yourself to
live your later years with more energy, perform activities of daily living with
more ease, experience less pain and discomfort, have higher levels of self-
confidence, self-esteem, and self-efficacy, and lower your risk of disease.
My decision to write a series of books covering fitness after 50 is to allow
you, as the reader, to focus on the fitness components that are more relevant
to your needs rather than purchasing a general fitness book. Also, it comes
down to my belief that to be in optimal health, both physically and mentally,
beyond the age of fifty, it takes a multi-component approach rather than a
single-component approach.
This belief is backed up by the 2018 PAGAC (Physical Activity Guidelines
Advisory Committee) scientific report. The report provided strong evidence
that a multi-component approach to fitness has greater improvements
(compared to single-component) to physical function in older age, and is
more likely to prevent falls and fall-related injuries.
I’m not implying that those in their 50s have a high risk of falls and fall-
related injuries, but this is an obvious risk when in your 60s and beyond.
Therefore, implementing appropriate fitness interventions in your 50s can not
only allow you to become fit, strong, and healthy, and allow you to complete
your last 10-15 years of your working life with more ease and ability, it also
sets you up for a healthy lifestyle in your 60s and beyond.
Don’t wait for the symptoms of aging to kick in and then attempt to cure
them. Start training now and prevent those symptoms from kicking in for as
long as possible!
The Simple Fitness After 50 Series:
Book 1: Fundamental Strength Training After 50
Book 2: Fundamental Core Training After 50 (Est. release date - July 2022)
Book 3: Fundamental Balance Training After 50 (Est. release date - October
2022)
Book 4: Fundamental Mobility and Flexibility After 50 (Est. release date -
January 2023)
Book 5: Fundamental Posture Training After 50 (Est. release date - March
2023)
Simple Fitness After 50 Series

Chapter 2
Introduction
Strength training can be complex and confusing. There are hundreds of

different exercises using various types of equipment. There is also a
multitude of fitness ‘gurus’ claiming that they have the exact “method” to
achieve YOUR results.
Regardless of what anyone says, there is no magic formula for achieving your
results; it comes down to being consistent with effective methods that suit
you, whilst applying some basic training principles.
The simpler and more manageable the training is, the more likely you will
show long-term consistency and for strength training to become a habit. Not
only that, but it’s possible to achieve amazing results using just a few simple,
fundamental movement patterns.
I have written this book to simplify becoming fit, strong and healthy,
specifically for those beyond the age of fifty. For those whose time becomes
more precious and goals become more orientated towards health, wellbeing,
functional capabilities (work & home-life), life-longevity, and maintaining a
body (and mind!) that is as youthful as possible, for as long as possible.
This is in contrast to the younger generation, who may have fewer health
concerns, have not yet started any physical deterioration, and have more of an
interest in appearance, impressing a potential partner, and/or sports.
The challenge of committing to a strength training program is hard enough as
it is, but whether you plan to train at the gym or at home, the minefield of
equipment and exercises can be mind-boggling, so what should you do?
You may have asked the advice of friends or family who are into health and
fitness or appear in shape, and they all come up with different answers! The
truth is, there is more than one way to achieve your goals, but the
fundamentals of strength training after 50 stay the same:
(i) provide your body with a repetitive load that is greater than what your
body is used to, (ii) perform multi-joint exercises utilizing large muscle
groups, (iii) select exercises that are safe, effective, and promote good
posture, and (iv) perform exercises that slow the aging process and aid your
functional capacity.
You can improve your muscular health and fitness significantly by
performing ‘The Essential Eight’ fundamental movement patterns; The Squat,
The Hip Hinge, The Step Up, The Horizontal Pull, The Vertical Pull, The
Horizontal Push, The Vertical Push, and The Carry.
My plan is not to be one of those fitness professionals that provides you with
an ‘exact formula’ for success. My plan is to simplify the entire process, with
logical (and scientific) justification for my recommendations, to focus on the
most fundamental human movement patterns and eliminate any exercises that
are dysfunctional, less effective, time-consuming, high-risk, complicated and
unnecessary.
I want to give you the most “bang for your buck” with your strength training;
maximizing your results in the simplest, safest, and most time-efficient
manner.
The Essential Eight will…
Be simple enough to maximize consistency and adherence
Use all major muscle groups in a balanced and functional program
Minimize the risk of injuries associated with resistance training
Enable you to increase muscular strength and/or endurance
Maintain or improve your posture long term
Increase basal metabolic rate (BMR); increasing daily energy
expenditure & aiding long-term weight management
Help you lose fat when combined with appropriate food consumption
Be time-efficient, minimizing the impact on your lifestyle
Increase your functional capacity and ability to perform activities of
daily living (ADL)
Help to maintain bone density throughout later-life
Help reduce loss of muscle mass throughout later-life
Reduce the risk of age-related health conditions
The Essential Eight is a simple but effective method of improving and

maintaining your muscular fitness for the rest of your life.
Have fun and don’t forget to use my exercise video library to get more of a
visual demonstration of how to perform the exercises safely and effectively.
Chapter 3
The Aging Process
The aging process involves natural degeneration of the body systems,

including the three associated with human movement; the skeletal system,
muscular system and nervous system. This degeneration can lead to a
decrease in functional capacity from around the age of 50 onwards and can
speed up in later life.
The following occur naturally to the human movement systems during the
aging process:
Muscle mass decreases. This is thought to occur at a rate of
approximately 3-8% every 10 years from the age of 30, and at a higher
rate from age 60. Age-related muscle loss is known as sarcopenia.
Bone density decreases. This occurs at varying rates and begins at
around the age of 50, but speeds up significantly in later life. This can
lead to osteopenia and potentially osteoporosis.
Balance deteriorates. Our ability to keep our centre of gravity over our
base of support decreases with age, increasing the chance of falls and
broken bones when associated with bone density loss.
Coordination deteriorates. Our ability for the nervous system and
muscular system to communicate efficiently decreases with age, making
our movement patterns less controlled, which can cause lower force
output and potential loss of balance and increased falls.
Connective tissue elasticity decreases. This can lead to reduced joint
mobility, muscular flexibility, poor posture, and increased risk of injury.
The human movement systems affect every physical action we take; as they
degenerate and weaken, it has a profound impact on basic functional
capabilities such as carrying shopping bags, getting in and out of chairs,
using stairs, and opening jars and tin cans.
Luckily for us, effective strength training can reduce the rate of deterioration,
and help maintain our functional capacity in our later life.
Not only can strength training positively affect the degenerative processes
outlined above, but it can also have an indirect impact on all body systems.
For example, a lower metabolic rate accompanies a decrease in muscle mass
and an increase in body fat. This can lead to obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart
disease, joint problems, and more.
Strength training can maintain or even increase muscle mass in mid-later life.
Therefore, it is likely to help maintain a healthy body composition (higher
muscle mass and lower body fat) and reduce the risk of associated diseases.
Chapter 4
Strength Training Principles
It is common for people to perceive the term ‘strength training’ differently

than other people, so let’s clarify my meaning and terminology throughout
this book.
Strength training includes the performance of any exercise that causes our
muscles to contract and create a force to move a load or weight; either our
body weight and/or a specific external load, such as a barbell, dumbbells,
kettlebells, etc. Other terms given to this type of exercise are “resistance
training” and “weight training“. Generally, they mean the same thing.
Benefits of Strength Training After 50

It’s never too late to experience the benefits of strength training. Those over
50 can benefit from strength training in multiple ways, including:
Increased muscle mass
Improved bone mass (density & content) and bone strength; decreasing
the risk of osteoporosis
Increased Resting Metabolic Rate; increasing energy expenditure and
improved weight management
Reduces excess body fat
Increased functional capacity (your ability to carry out activities of daily
living related to work and home life)
Lower risk of developing functional limitations
Lower risk of all-cause mortality
Improved coordination, stability and balance
Improved blood pressure in those who are pre-hypertensive or stage 1
hypertensive
Increased self-confidence and self-efficacy
Helps prevent falls
A multitude of studies have shown that regular strength training can

significantly reduce the symptoms of age-related conditions, including:
Arthritis
Diabetes
Lower back pain
Osteoporosis
Obesity
Hyperlipidemia
Dementia
Depression
As well as these benefits of strength training, research shows that your

functional capacity, which is your ability to perform activities of daily living
(ADLs), improves with regular strength training.
A study conducted by Dr. Chiung-Ju Liu of Purdue University, Indianapolis,
looked at 121 trials involving 6,700 participants in the age range 60-80. The
research found that those who performed strength training activities 2-3 times
per week consistently outperformed those that didn’t on common daily
movements such as getting out of a chair, and also showed a large positive
effect on muscle strength.
Types of Strength Training

Methods of Strength Training are often classified by the type of load or
resistance that is applied to the muscles.
Bodyweight
As the name suggests, this type of strength training uses the person’s own
weight as resistance. Push Ups, Dips, Chin Ups and Pull Ups are all forms of
bodyweight exercises, and we can learn many more exercises by using our
body weight before progressing to more challenging forms, such as Weighted
Squats, Step Ups, and lunges.
Resistance Machines
Resistance Machines are commonly found in health clubs and gyms. They
are very safe and enable a movement pattern to be learnt through a fixed path.
However, they do not incorporate stabilizing muscles, including the core, and
are bulky, expensive, and lack versatility. Examples include Leg Press
Machine, Chest Press Machine, and Lat Pull Down Machine.
Cable Machines
Cable Machines are also commonly found in health clubs, gyms and also
small fitness studios. They are again bulky and expensive, but much more
versatile than resistance machines, allowing the path of movement and
direction of resistance to be adjusted to suit various exercises. They also
allow lots of movements/exercises to be performed from a standing position,
making them particularly functional.
Free Weights
Free weights are types of equipment that can freely move in any direction.
This means they require more stabilization from the user, have more
versatility than resistance machines, are smaller and less expensive, but can
have a steeper learning curve. They include barbells, dumbbells, and
kettlebells.
Resistance Bands
Resistance bands are like large rubber bands, which provide resistance when
stretched. They are inexpensive, light and portable, and versatile. You can
purchase them in various resistance levels to suit different exercises and
individuals. Resistance bands are not as freely moveable and have limited
resistance compared to free weights.
Suspension Trainers
Suspension trainers, such as the TRX®, are essentially a pair of straps with
one end that attaches to a fixed anchor point and handles at the other end.
They are relatively inexpensive, light and portable, and versatile. They
provide a high level of joint and core stabilization but are limited by the
user’s body weight and the need for a sturdy anchor point at an appropriate
height.
Home-Based Strength Training Equipment

Many of you may wish to perform your strength training at home. If so, you
will need to set yourself up with a small amount of equipment. This does not
need to be of the commercial standards that you would find in a health club
or gym, but I would suggest avoiding very cheap equipment as you may
sacrifice on quality and increase the safety risk.
It may be a good idea to finish this book first before deciding on equipment,
as you may decide that you can adapt to work with just a couple of pieces of
equipment, rather than buying everything at once.
To help you out, I’ve created an equipment list for my recommendations
below. Click here to access the equipment list.
Mat
These will provide support and cushioning when performing any floor-based
exercises, as well as during any stretches that you perform after your training
session.
Training Towel
You can place a towel between you and your mat/bench to protect your
equipment from sweat, and also dry your hands between sets of exercises to
prevent loss of grip. They are also useful for mopping your brow when you
break a sweat!
Bench
A workout bench is a useful piece of equipment for lying and seated
exercises, and can also provide support for other exercises such as the single-
arm row. For more versatility and a lower price point, a “fitness deck”
provides the benefits of a fitness step and bench all in one.
Dumbbells
As mentioned earlier, dumbbells are a form of free weight. They are versatile
and an excellent option for improving joint stability, left/right muscle
imbalances, coordination, and balance in older adults. Rather than buying an
entire set of dumbbells like you would see in a health club or gym, you can
purchase adjustable dumbbells that will be more affordable and space-saving.
Barbell & Plates
Barbells & plates are not essential, as you can perform all exercises with
alternative equipment. They are also relatively bulky compared to other
equipment. You may, however, choose to add them to your equipment list
when you get stronger in exercises such as the deadlift and squat.
Kettlebells
Kettlebells are a brilliant piece of equipment for home-based training as they
are relatively compact, versatile, and excellent for multi-joint movements.
There is also one exercise that we’ll look at later in the book, that can only be
executed correctly using a kettlebell.
Resistance Bands
Resistance bands are very affordable, lightweight and portable, and very
versatile. They are an excellent piece of equipment for home-based training
but are unlikely to fulfil all your needs on a long-term basis.
Suspension Trainer
A suspension trainer, such as a TRX®, is great if you have some outside
space with a suitable anchor point, or have a spacious indoor space where
you can use a specialist door anchor. They are great for adding joint and core
stabilization during strength training exercises, but will only be effective if
you have the space and an anchor point, so research this before committing to
purchasing one.
Are All Strength Training Exercises ‘Good'?

I prefer to view exercises as more appropriate or less appropriate, rather than
good or bad. This is because some exercises could be bad for some people
and good for others. Therefore, it is not the case that an exercise was good or
bad, one may be more appropriate for one person and a different exercise
may be more appropriate for another person.
Based on the target readers of this book, people in their 50s, 60s, 70s, and
maybe 80s, we will focus on one category of exercises known as compound
exercises and will not be covering any exercises in the opposite category
known as isolation exercises.
Compound Exercises
A compound exercise is one that involves multiple joints (usually 2 or 3)
moving simultaneously. Upper body compound exercises usually involve the
shoulder(s) and elbow(s) moving simultaneously, and lower body compound
exercises usually involve the hip(s), knee(s), and ankle(s) moving
simultaneously. Examples include Bench Press, Push Ups, Bent Over Row,
Chin Ups, Squats and Step Ups, among others.
Isolation Exercises
An isolation exercise is one that involves a single moving joint (either on one
side or both sides of the body). Upper body isolation exercises usually
involve the shoulder(s) moving only, OR the elbow(s) moving only.
Examples include Chest Fly, Reverse Fly, Side Raises, Bicep Curl, and
Tricep Extension, among others. Lower body isolation exercises usually
involve the hip(s) moving only, OR the knee(s) moving only, OR the ankle(s)
moving only, Examples include: Standing Hip Extensions, Leg Extensions,
Hamstring Curls, and Calf Raises, among others.
Compound Exercises vs. Isolation Exercises?

Most of the population would benefit from basing their strength training
around compound exercises, but it is even more relevant to those over 50.
Compressional Forces vs Shear Forces
Compound exercises cause compressional forces where forces are applied
from one end of long bones to the other. Long bones are located, among other
places, in the arms and legs, which are the main moving body parts in daily
life and exercise.
When a stimulus is applied to the body, the body adapts, especially if the
stimulus is greater than what it’s used to. Compressional forces are less likely
to cause injury, and more likely to stimulate bone formation; decreasing the
rate at which we lose bone density through the aging process.
Isolation exercises cause shear forces, where forces are applied across long
bones. Shear forces are more likely to cause injury and stimulate bone
formation to a lesser extent than compressional forces.
Winner = Compound Exercises
Lever Length and Risk of Injury
The limbs (arms and legs) act as levers during many exercises. Lever length
is the distance between the moving joint and the weight in the hands. The
lever length, as well as the load (e.g. dumbbell), determine how much force is
applied to the moving joint. The longer the lever is, the greater the stress is
placed on the moving joint, causing a higher risk of injury.
Compound exercises utilize short lever lengths, isolation exercises utilize
greater lever lengths. Therefore, compound = lower risk of injury, isolation =
higher risk of injury.
Time Efficiency
Compound exercises involve multiple joints, and therefore more muscle
groups and greater overall muscle mass than isolation exercises that involve
one moving joint. This means that compound exercises make your workouts
more time-efficient; you could achieve a full-body workout in as little as
three exercises, whereas it could take eight or more isolation exercises to
achieve a full-body workout.
Muscle Mass, Force Output and Hormonal Response
With multiple joints moving, and more muscle groups involved, compound
exercises allow you to produce more force output and therefore lift a heavier
load when compared to isolation.
This causes a greater hormonal response from your endocrine system,
particularly elevated levels of testosterone and growth hormones post-
training. This aids tissue (muscle) formation and growth, slowing or
reversing age-related losses of muscle mass.
Functionality
The word “functional” gets used a lot in the fitness industry, probably too
much! The level of functionality of an exercise depends on how closely it
replicates movements that are performed in daily life or sport.
There is often a lot of debate about whether an exercise is “functional”, or
whether one exercise is more functional than another. We will not be
debating the minor details of this across specific exercises, but compound
exercises are always more functional than isolation exercises.
When we move in daily life and sport, we are required to produce a force
output for desired tasks. Our aim is to produce the force in the most efficient
manner possible, which is best done by recruiting a large amount of muscle
mass spread across multiple joints.
Many tasks would be impossible, or at least look silly if we aimed to perform
them by moving one joint only. For example, imagine climbing your stairs
without the ability to move your hips, knees and ankle simultaneously! Or
getting up from a chair without moving your knees!
Coordination
Coordination degenerates with age. The more we keep our neuromuscular
system (nervous system and muscular system) active and challenged, the
slower the degeneration will be.
Compound exercises require the nervous system to communicate with many
muscles simultaneously to produce multiple joint movements with the desired
magnitude (force and direction), resulting in a coordinated movement pattern.
During isolation exercises, the demand placed on the neuromuscular system
is less because of the single joint and lesser muscle recruitment required. The
greater the demand placed upon the neuromuscular system, the more
coordination will be maintained or improved.
Isolation exercises are not bad exercises, but they are less appropriate for
those over 50.
They can be great for increasing muscle mass in specific muscles, can create
variety and interest for those wanting to spend hours in the gym, can aid
rehabilitation from injury, and can be programmed for specific postural
correction.
If you don’t have a specific reason for including isolation exercises, it’s best
to stick to compound exercises.
Compound exercises are the most appropriate category of strength training
exercises to slow the aging process and live a healthier later life, with greater
functional capacity and lower risk of injury and disease.
Training Terminology
Repetitions (Reps): how many times you perform an exercise. ’10 reps’
means that the exercise is performed 10 times before stopping and resting.
Sets: a set is a group of repetitions. 2 sets of 10 reps = 10 reps - rest - 10 reps
- exercise finished.
Load: the ‘weight’ of the equipment that the muscles are producing force
against. E.g. weight of barbells or dumbbells.
Rest: the time taken to rest and recover between sets.
Hypertrophy Training: resistance training performed using specific
variables (sets/repetitions/load/rest) to maximize the increase in the size of
muscles.
Endurance Training: resistance training performed using specific variables
(sets/repetitions/load/rest) to maximize the ability of muscles to perform
repeated efforts with minimal fatigue.
Chapter 5
Habit vs Quick Fix
The key to gaining and maintaining lifelong health and fitness is making
physical activity a habit; part of your lifestyle rather than a short-term quick-
fix.
By focusing on the key fundamentals and keeping exercise simple, it
becomes time-efficient, makes it easier to focus on the goal in-hand, creates
increased consistency, and has a higher chance of being seamlessly
incorporated into your current lifestyle.
To enable you to get from a relatively sedentary lifestyle to a point where
exercise is a regular and consistent habit, I recommend focusing some time
on effective goal setting.
When asked about goals, most clients would respond with comments such as
“I want to lose weight” or “I want to get stronger/fitter“.
The problem with these ‘goals’ is that they are too vague and probably not
the deep-rooted goal. They are too vague because if a person spends a year
exercising to lose weight, and after 12 months they have lost 1lb, they have
essentially achieved the goal of losing weight! However, 1lb over 12 months
probably wasn’t what they hoped for. Therefore, goals need to be much more
specific and detailed.
In terms of not being the ‘deep-rooted’ goal, when a person says they want to
lose weight it usually isn’t the weight loss they want, it’s what accompanies
the weight loss… the emotions and feelings it creates such as increased self-
confidence and happiness in one’s self.
People rarely want to get stronger or fitter for the sake of it, it’s the ability to
do activities or tasks with more ease, to a higher level, without getting
breathless or aching. Simple things like using the stairs, playing with the
children/grandchildren, walking to enjoy some sightseeing, or playing a sport
to a higher level.
Simply saying you want to lose weight or get stronger is like saying you want
to earn more money without having a “why” (have a nicer house, new car,
travel more, etc.). It’s the “why” that becomes the motivational driver for
achieving the goal, not the actual goal itself.
To help you set goals effectively, I want you to do four things:
1. Set a combination of outcome goals and process goals.
2. Use the SMART acronym for setting Specific, Measurable,
Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound goals.
3. Set short, medium, and long-term goals.
4. Write a list of WHY you want to achieve your goals. Write them or use
an image to represent them, and have them on your computer
background, on a notice board in your house, on the fridge, or
wherever is highly visible on a daily basis. Focus on these regularly,
particularly when you hit a point in the journey where you are
struggling to adhere to your training.
Outcome vs Process Goals

An outcome goal is an end result, whereas process goals are things that will
be put in place to achieve the outcome. For example, if the outcome goal is to
lose 3cm from the waist by the end of month 3, then a process goal could be
to reduce daily calorie consumption by 10% for the next 3 months. The waist
circumference reduction is the outcome/result. One process to achieve this is
to reduce daily calorie consumption by 10%.
SMART Goals
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Relevant
Time-Bound
Specific
This is where you need to add details. “I want to lose weight” vs “I will lose
10lb and reduce my waist circumference by 2cm“. Note not only the detail
added but the change in the verb from ‘want’ to ‘will'. The former suggests
it’s a desire, a hope, that you will achieve it. The latter is a statement of
intent, confirmation that it is going to happen. “I will…” is a more powerful
statement than “I want…”.
Measurable
You need to be able to track progress and have a clear indication of whether a
goal was achieved or not.
It needs to be quantifiable, with no room for misinterpretation or guesswork.
By adding the amount of weight loss (e.g. 10lb), assuming you take a
baseline measurement before starting, you can weigh yourself periodically (I
don’t suggest more regularly than every 1-2 weeks) to track progress and
know if you lost the 10lb or not.
If you are unsure how you will measure progress and the result, you either
need to change the goal, add more detail, or find a method of measuring it
using an appropriate fitness test (See Chapter 7: Tracking Progress for some
examples).
Achievable
Think carefully about the amount/quantities associated with your goal and
ensure that they are challenging but achievable. If it’s not a challenge, your
focus and determination are likely to fade. If your goal is so extreme that it’s
unachievable, then you are setting yourself up for failure from day 1. It needs
to require some hard work, but be realistic.
Relevant
Many people use the ‘R’ in SMART as ‘realistic’ but this usually comes
under the term achievable, so I want you to ensure that every goal is relevant
to the overall outcome you are trying to achieve.
For example, if your overall outcome goal is to improve your strength to
perform daily tasks with more ease, then a goal to run 5km 3x/week isn’t
relevant unless you have some kind of aerobic fitness goal as well. “I will
complete a 30-minute total-body strength training session, 3 times per week”
is a relevant process goal to the overall outcome goal.
Time-Bound
All goals are a distant ambition unless you give yourself a deadline for
outcome goals and a time and frequency for process goals.
If we take the earlier goal of “I will lose 10lb and reduce my waist
circumference by 2cm”, we simply need to add a deadline to make it time-
bound.
“I will lose 10lb and reduce my waist circumference by 2cm, by the end of
(month/year)” is now a SMART goal; it has details, it is quantifiable and
measurable via weighing scales and a tape measure, it is achievable if based
on a short-medium timeframe such as 2 months, it would be relevant to the
person, and it is time-bound.
Short, Medium and Long-term Goals

Setting goals with various timeframes help to keep you focused and achieve
smaller results on the journey to a bigger result. It helps create a positive
experience (when goals are SMART) and aids in exercise adherence (sticking
to the exercise plan!).
I would suggest that short-term goals can be anything between 1 week and 1
month, medium-term goals are anything between 1 and 3 months, and long-
term goals are anything between 3 and 12 months.
Chapter 6
Health Screening
Health Screening is the process of determining whether you are in a healthy

enough condition to start a new exercise program.
All exercise puts additional short-term stresses on the body, and it’s your
responsibility to determine whether you are healthy enough to cope with
those additional stresses.
I will outline what is required to perform the health screening process below,
but if in any doubt, seek advice from a medical professional before
commencing any new exercise program.
Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q)

The standard tool used to determine whether an individual is healthy enough
to start an exercise program is the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire
(PAR-Q). I highly recommend that you complete the PAR-Q for Everyone
form at the PAR-Q+ website (click here) before commencing any new
physical activity program.
Physical
Activity Readiness Questionnaire
Resting Blood Pressure
I recommend taking this test prior to starting an exercise program. It is a key
indicator of the health of your heart. To take your blood pressure, you will
need a basic blood pressure monitor (see Equipment List), and follow the
included instructions.
You always get two readings:
Systolic BP = pressure on the artery walls when the heart pushes blood into
the arteries
Diastolic BP: pressure on the artery walls between heart contractions
It’s always given as systolic BP “over” diastolic BP.
120/80 = 120 “over” 80 = a systolic BP of 120 (mmHg) and diastolic BP of
80 (mmHg).
A healthy blood pressure reading should be between 90/60 and 120/80. If you
fit into this category, then it would suggest your cardiovascular system is
healthy enough to start an exercise program, assuming your PAR-Q and
resting heart rate are also giving this outcome.
If your blood pressure is above 120/80 but below 140/90, then it is slightly
higher than you’d want it to be and is known as “pre-hypertensive“. In this
case, it’s a good idea to implement some lifestyle changes to reduce it, and
monitor it over the following few months until it lowers into the 90/60 -
120/80 range.
If your blood pressure is above 140/90 (at rest) then you are hypertensive
(you have high BP). Only your GP/Physician can provide confirmation and
‘diagnosis’ of this, so don’t presume you are hypertensive based on your
readings. You may not truly be at rest, therefore it could just be a temporary
reading, and/or there may be some error in your equipment or the use of it.
Based on your age (over 50) and your BP being over 140/90, I recommend
seeking advice from your GP/Physician before commencing your program. If
it’s above 140/90 but below 160/100 there should be no reason for them to
advise against exercise, but it may involve pursuing with caution with
specific guidance including:
Extend your warm ups and cool downs, and perform them more
gradually.
Include some steady-state aerobic exercise in your weekly routine.
Ensure you breathe correctly during strength training exercises. Avoid
holding your breath. I discuss breathing in the General Exercise
Technique section of this book.
Avoid lifting weight above your head.
Avoid jumping/bounding activities.
Progress weights/load gradually.
Avoid pushing to maximal effort.
Work one side of the body (left/right) at a time (only really necessary if
over 160/100).
If your blood pressure is above 160/100, the GP/Physician may recommend

that you delay starting a strength training program until it has lowered, either
through medication or, preferably, through nutritional changes and
introducing some aerobic exercise.
If your blood pressure is below 90/60, then you are hypotensive (you have
low blood pressure). If this applies to you, I would suggest seeking advice
from your GP/Physician prior to starting the exercise program. Assuming
there is no medical condition causing it, there should be no reason you cannot
exercise, but you may need to transition between lying and standing with
caution, as it may cause temporary dizziness.
Resting Heart Rate

I also recommend taking this test prior to starting an exercise program. It is
another key indicator of the health of your heart, and although this book is
about strength training rather than aerobic/cardio training, I recommend
checking this prior to starting any new exercise/training program.
To measure your resting heart rate, either find your radial pulse (wrist) or
carotid pulse (neck) and count how many beats you can feel over 60 seconds.
Ensure you have been sitting down (or laying) and feeling relaxed for 5+
minutes before taking it, preferably when you wake in the morning.
A normal resting heart rate is between 60 and 100 beats per minute (bpm).
Resting heart rate increases because of the aging process, but should remain
within this range.
If you have a resting heart rate of 100 bpm or more, it is known as
tachycardia, and you must see your GP/Physician before commencing an
exercise program.
If your resting heart rate is below 100 bpm, and assuming no other tests,
including the PAR-Q, imply otherwise, it would suggest your heart is
sufficiently healthy to start an exercise program.
A healthier heart has a lower resting heart rate (within reason). A low resting
heart rate suggests a strong heart capable of pumping a high volume of blood
into the arteries, requiring fewer beats/contractions per minute.
A resting heart rate below 60 bpm is known as bradycardia. It is possible that
people have a resting heart rate, especially when asleep, of between 40 and
60 bpm and has no adverse effect on health. This is especially common in
younger, healthy adults and trained athletes.
If you have a resting heart rate under 60 and experience dizziness, weakness,
unusual tiredness or shortness of breath, ensure you see a GP/Physician
before starting an exercise program.
Chapter 7
Tracking Progress
Importance of Tracking Progress

As much as we would all love the results from our training and exercise to
happen overnight, they don’t! They occur gradually over several weeks and
months, potentially years, depending on the size of your goal(s)!
If you could take a sneak preview of how you would look and feel in 6
months’ time, you would hopefully see and feel a big difference (for the
better). But this big change would be the accumulation of small daily and
weekly changes.
When the changes are small, you don’t notice them yourself, and those
closest to you may not notice them either. This is because your mind and
body are adapting constantly to the slight changes and each week you
become the ‘newest version of yourself'; your new normal.
It’s the people that don’t see you for 6 months that will be shocked and
comment on how you’ve changed.
If you don’t notice your body changing, you may believe that your training
and exercise aren’t having a positive impact and give up, when actually you
were making slight changes that would have accumulated into a big long-
term change.
Tracking progress allows you to monitor your changes over time, giving you
objective data as regular feedback on your progress. This helps you to adhere
to the training long term, boost motivation, and also see if any changes
you’ve made have helped or hindered progress.
How to Track Progress

You can track progress in several ways. It’s imperative that you choose
methods that apply to your goals. If you want to lose body fat, there’s no
point in monitoring your bench press 1 rep max!
Once you’ve chosen relevant methods to track progress, you must create
some baseline measurements. This means doing the chosen tests prior to
starting your journey. The results from these tests don’t have any value at that
moment in time, but they are your reference points for the future.
Many people get caught up in whether the results from the tests are ‘good’ or
‘bad’ and hope they compare to others. That’s not what’s important. You’re
aiming to be the best version of yourself, so take those initial measurements
as baseline figures and then, in the future, you can compare the newest
version of yourself to the older version of yourself.
Validity and Reliability
You need to ensure that any test is valid.
This means that it measures what it’s actually supposed to measure. For
example, if you are aiming to reduce body fat percentage and you simply
weighed yourself regularly, the progress tracking is not valid because the
weighing scales cannot distinguish between fat, muscle, bone, organs and
other soft tissue. So the test is monitoring overall body weight, not body fat
alone.
The tests also need to be reliable.
This means that you need to be able to repeat the test over time with no
variables changing the outcome.
For example, weighing yourself on different scales is not reliable. The change
in equipment, which has a certain margin of error, has introduced a variable
that may change the outcome regardless of whether you lost or gained
weight.
Another example; you measure your baseline resting blood pressure first
thing in the morning, prior to breakfast, showering, and getting dressed. The
next time you take the measurement, you have just got home from a long day
at work, during which you consumed several cups of coffee, and got stuck in
traffic on the way home. This is not reliable. There are several variables that
will change the result regardless of any improvements in heart health.
Health & Fitness Tests

Before choosing the tests to perform, ensure you have performed your goal
setting effectively, thinking deeply about what it really is you want to
achieve.
Body Weight
Weighing yourself on weighing scales provides you with your total body
weight. If you have significant weight to lose, then it can be a valid and
reliable test for overall weight loss.
If your goals are more oriented towards fat loss and a change in body
composition (fat mass vs lean body mass), then weighing is not a valid
indicator of progress, and therefore is best avoided.
If you choose to use body weight to monitor progress, I advise you to weigh
every 1-2 weeks. Never more frequently than that.
The reason for this is that weight loss never decreases linearly over time. If
you lost 9kg over a 90-day period, that would be an average of 0.1kg (100g)
per day. If you weighed every day for that 90-day period, I can guarantee that
you will not be 0.1kg lighter each day.
You would find that some days it may appear that you lost some weight,
other days it may appear that nothing changed, and other days it would
appear that you put on weight! This inconsistency in progress, and seeing
days where you supposedly put on weight or didn’t lose any, are
disheartening, frustrating, and demoralizing.
This could easily lead to you believing that your new lifestyle isn’t helping
you to achieve your goals and you give up and return to your old ways. Little
did you know that if you stuck with it, it would’ve (theoretically) resulted in a
9kg loss of weight over the 90 days!
Use weighing scales with caution! If you cannot stop yourself from jumping
on them, throw them out!!
Body Mass Index (BMI)
BMI is often used by government and health service studies to show whether
a population is considered to be underweight, normal weight, overweight, or
obese.
It is a value that is derived from both your weight and your height. It is
calculated by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in metres
squared (kg/m2).
The following table illustrates the categories of BMI:
Body Mass Index
Classifications
As it’s a commonly used indicator of health by health professionals, it’s

worth calculating your BMI. However, when used alone, it can be an
inaccurate measure of health because it does not take your body composition
into consideration.
For example, two people can both weigh 95kg and have a height of 1.8m,
giving them the same BMI of 29.3 (overweight, close to obese). Despite this,
one of these could have relatively large muscle mass, low levels of body fat,
low waist circumference, and consequently a low risk of disease. The other
could have relatively little muscle mass, high levels of body fat, a large waist
circumference, and consequently, a high risk of disease. In this instance, the
BMI is likely a good indicator of health for the latter individual, but not the
former.
Circumference Measurements
Circumference measurements involve measuring and monitoring the
circumference of body parts such as the upper arms, chest, waist, hips, thighs,
and lower leg. This is a better method of monitoring fat loss than weighing
scales and is also great for monitoring hypertrophy (increases in muscle size).
It is a misconception that muscle weighs more than fat. If you have 1kg of fat
and 1kg of muscle, they both weigh the same! The important factor is the
density and therefore the space they take up in your body.
Fat has a relatively low density and therefore is relatively large; taking up a
lot of space in the body and making you appear large and/or overweight.
Muscle has a relatively high density and is therefore relatively small; taking
up a smaller amount of space in the body and making you appear
slim/lean/athletic.
Two people can weigh exactly the same, but one of those people can appear
much larger and “overweight” than the other. This person’s mass is taken up
by a large proportion of fat, whereas the person’s mass who doesn’t appear to
be overweight is taken up by a larger proportion of muscle (and less fat). This
affects circumference measurements.
If a person who has a relatively large amount of body fat, appearing
overweight, takes part in strength training (and other relevant training) their
circumference measurements are likely to decrease as the less dense, space-
hogging body fat reduces due to increased energy expenditure (exercise and
resting metabolic rate due to increased muscle mass and active muscle mass).
As muscle is denser and relatively smaller, the reduction in fat will be greater
than the gain in muscle mass and circumference measurements will decrease.
This is great for tracking and monitoring progress.
If you have low levels of body fat and wish to focus on increased muscle
mass and strength, circumference measurements are still a great way to
monitor your progress. As muscle size increases and body fat doesn’t change
significantly, the resulting measurements should increase.
This could be more complex. It may not be about overall weight loss/fat
loss/muscle gain. It may be more about body shape. Here are a couple of
examples:
You may wish to decrease the circumference of your waist (by reducing
body fat) but increase the circumference of your chest and arms (by
increasing muscle mass), or…
You may wish to decrease the circumference of your waist and thighs
(by reducing body fat), but increase the circumference of the hips
(bum/glutes) (by increasing muscle mass).
Either way, circumference measurements work to track the progress of

changes in body size and body shape, even when aiming for opposite results
at different body parts.
If your goals are more oriented towards keeping up with the
children/grandchildren, performing daily tasks with more ease, or feeling
more confident in yourself; consider using circumference measurements if
you believe that a change in muscle mass, fat mass, and/or body shape would
aid these goals. If not, there is no need to measure or track them.
Circumference
Measurement Sites
Waist Circumference
Waist circumference is often used as a key risk indicator of coronary heart
disease and diabetes and is therefore worth monitoring, regardless of whether
you use other circumference measurements outlined above.
Waist
Circumference Classification
To measure your waist circumference:
1. Find the bottom of your ribs and the top of your hips.
2. Place a tape measure around your middle at a point halfway between
them (usually in line with or just above the belly button).
3. Make sure the tape measure is pulled tight, but isn’t digging into your
skin.
4. Breathe out naturally and take your measurement.
5. Take your measurement a second time, just to be sure.
Body Composition
Body composition is the percentage of your body that comprises lean body
mass (muscle, bone, etc.) vs fat mass (visceral and subcutaneous body fat).
It is difficult and expensive to get a very accurate reading. Methods of
measuring body composition usually come under one of two categories: 1)
Accurate but expensive and/or inaccessible, or 2) Affordable, accessible, but
inaccurate.
DEXA and MRI are medical scans that can provide accurate body
composition but are expensive and inaccessible to most.
The most commonly used in fitness environments are a type of weighing
scale with two separate metal plates. This is called bioelectrical impedance; it
uses a weak electrical current to send through your body from one metal plate
through the body to the other metal plate.
Muscle holds a high volume of the body’s water content. Muscle and water
give low resistance to the electrical impulse, whereas body fat provides high
resistance. This enables the device to estimate body composition based on the
amount of impedance (resistance) to the electrical impulse, affecting the
voltage output.
There are a few major flaws to bioelectrical impedance:
Electrical impulses take the shortest route from one metal plate to the
other. If only your feet are on metal plates, the electrical impulse is only
measuring impedance (resistance) in each leg. This doesn’t factor in the
body fat distribution as it’s not measured around key areas such as the
belly.
Hydration levels impact results. This is not just affected by your water
intake, but also your food consumption (amount/timing/food types),
activity levels prior to measurement, caffeine consumption, etc.
One other commonly used method is the use of skin-fold calipers to measure
the ‘pinch’ of skin and fat at specific anatomical landmarks. This method, if
performed using high-quality calipers and an experienced professional, can
be relatively accurate. But can also be fairly inaccurate if using cheap calipers
by an inexperienced user.
My advice: don’t worry about exact body composition. Circumference
measurements are easier to perform accurately, using a very affordable
device. Although it doesn’t provide exact body composition measurements, it
provides changes in body size, which indicates changes in muscle mass vs
body fat.
Muscular Strength
The principal topic of this book is strength training, but that doesn’t mean
your goal is to increase your muscular strength. Of course, strength training is
likely to make you stronger, but that is just one of many training outcomes of
strength training. In fact, the adaptations that the muscular system makes in
response to strength training can vary depending upon the number of
repetitions (reps) performed in a set, and the corresponding load that is lifted.
There are 3 main primary outcomes on the muscular system:
Muscular Strength: This is the ability of the muscular system to overcome
very large loads, just once or a few times. High levels of muscular strength
result in the ability to move very heavy loads. However, it is not a measure of
how many times you can move the load.
Someone who has high levels of muscular strength can lift very heavy
objects, even if it’s just once. But they are not usually very good at lifting
lighter weights many times as they fatigue quickly.
To improve muscular strength, you need to lift very heavy weights with low
repetitions, typically 1-5 reps.
Hypertrophy: This outcome is regarding the increase in the size of muscles.
This outcome applies to most people as it increases resting metabolic rate,
which increases daily energy expenditure (burns more calories daily),
resulting in increased fat loss. It also optimizes body shape, is safer than
training for muscular strength, and will still result in increased strength and
all the benefits that come with that.
To improve muscular hypertrophy, you need to lift moderate to heavy
weights (relative to you) with moderate repetitions, typically 6-12 reps.
Progress is usually monitored via circumference measurements, outlined
above.
Muscular Endurance: This is the ability of the muscular system to overcome
relatively light loads repeatedly. Someone who has high levels of muscular
endurance has a high resistance to fatigue when performing a movement
against load many times. But they are not usually very good at lifting very
heavy weights even for a few repetitions.
To improve muscular endurance, you need to lift light-moderate weights with
high repetitions, typically >12.
Based on the above information, if you feel you need to track your progress
in muscular strength, you simply need to measure and monitor the maximal
load/weight you can perform on a select number of exercises.
Many athletes would perform a 1 rep max; record the maximum weight they
can lift just once. This has a high risk of injury for a non-athlete, even one
who has youth on their side, so I do not recommend it for the over 50s. I
would suggest a 5 rep max on a Bench Press and Back Squat, and only for
relatively well-conditioned older adults.
It is likely that testing and monitoring muscular strength is unnecessary for
most readers of this book, so skip it unless you feel it’s necessary for you,
and you believe you are currently sufficiently conditioned to perform it.
Muscular Endurance
We’ve outlined above what muscular endurance is, and again, it is unlikely
that you feel it is worthy of testing and monitoring. However, if you think it
applies to your goals and you would benefit from testing it and monitoring it,
here are two tests you can try:
Maximal Squat Test:
Find a chair or bench low enough to cause your knees to bend to 90º when
you sit on the edge. Stand in front of it with your back to it. Squat down until
your buttocks lightly touch the chair/bench and stand back up to a fully
upright position. Repeat until you can no longer perform anymore and record
the number of repetitions completed.
Aim for approximately 2s to complete each repetition to keep conditions
consistent. Check bodyweight squat technique later on in the book before
attempting this.
Maximal Push Up Test:
Choose either a full push up or ¾ push up. Check technique later in the book.
Perform as many repetitions until you can no longer continue without rest.
For repetitions to count, you must lower yourself until your elbows are at 90º
and push all the way up, leaving only a slight bend in your elbow at the top.
Aim for 2s per repetition. This will keep conditions consistent each time you
attempt it. Record the number of reps performed.
Progress Photos
This is a test I highly recommend, along with circumference measurements.
The circumference measurements give you the data in numbers/figures, and
the photos give you the visual reference. Without them, you have no visual
reference to compare your results against the earlier version of yourself.
After 6 months of training, you’ll have got used to the new you, and won’t
know how significant your physical changes have been unless you can do a
visual comparison.
Choose a location with good natural light and a plain background. Wear as
minimal clothing as you’re comfortable with (you choose who sees them!),
stand in a relaxed state and take three photos; one facing the camera, one side
on, and one with your back to the camera.
The first set of photos has no real immediate value. Save them somewhere
safe, ready for when you do the next set of photos. Leave a minimum of 6
weeks between photos, and no more than 12 weeks.
Chapter 8
Myths & Misconceptions
Society may suggest that strength training is for the young. Strength Training
is for everyone, as long as the level/difficulty is pitched appropriately to the
individual.
The reason for performing strength training often changes with age, with the
young focused more on aesthetics and/or sports performance, and older adults
more focused on health and activities of daily living (ADL’s), as well as
potentially some aesthetics and sports performance.
There has been extensive research into strength training for older adults, and
the positives of strength training far outweigh the negatives for those without
significant and relevant health conditions.
Common Myths
“Strength Training isn’t safe for older adults.”
There’s a misconception that beyond a certain age, you will be limited by
your deteriorating physical capabilities, and this just needs to be accepted.
The aging process happens. Nothing can change that. But strength training
can delay it, slow it, enable you to manage it, and ultimately allow you to live
a life with more energy, less fatigue, more capabilities, less pain, and improve
your overall quality of life.
Strength training is safe as long as basic guidelines are adhered to; perform
exercises with good technique, progress gradually, and work within your own
limitations.
“Strength training is not a suitable form of exercise for older adults.”
Based on the information provided in the chapter on the aging process and
the benefits of strength training, I hope you can see how important strength
training is to the health, well-being, and quality of life of older adults. I am
not suggesting strength training is the ONLY form of exercise that is
necessary, but it is one component of fitness that should not be ignored.
“Exercising and trying to be more healthy is pointless after 50, the decline in
old age is inevitable”
This is simply not true. There are people in their 50s, 60s, 70s, and even 80’s
who are fitter than they have ever been. Some running marathons and
becoming bodybuilders! Alicia I. Arbaje, MD, MPH, an assistant professor of
Geriatrics and Gerontology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
in Baltimore, states that a lot of the symptoms that we associate with old age,
such as weakness and loss of balance, are actually symptoms of inactivity,
not age.
“It’s too late to start exercising and make a difference to my health.”
Studies have found that even people who start an exercise routine in their 90s
can boost muscle strength. Further research shows that starting exercise late
in life can still reduce the risk of health problems such as diabetes, and
improve symptoms of such diseases. Dr. Chhanda Dutta, Chief of the Clinical
Gerontology Branch, Division of Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology,
National Institute on Aging states that “it really is never too late to start
exercising and reaping the benefits“.
“Older adults should not perform strength training without the supervision of
a health professional.”
I’m a big advocate for supervised fitness training. Working in fitness
education, including training people to become fitness instructors and
personal trainers, has been a huge part of my 20+ years working in the fitness
industry. I highly recommend you seek the advice and support of a well-
respected personal trainer to further enhance your chances of achieving your
desired results in a safe and timely manner. But personal training is not a
necessity to achieve results.
I recommend seeing your GP/Physician prior to starting a strength training
program and listening to their guidance and advice based on your age and
health. But, assuming the GP/Physician has not advised against strength
training, then unsupervised participation is perfectly reasonable, just like a
younger person. As always, maintain excellent technique, work within your
limitations, and progress gradually.
“Exercise cannot be good for me, it causes joint pain”
Chronic pain caused by arthritis, may mean exercising seems too painful.
However, studies carried out on older adults with arthritis, show that regular
exercise helps to reduce pain and improve joint function.
Chapter 9
Warm Up and Cool Down
Warm Up & Dynamic Stretches

Before performing any of your strength training exercises, it’s important to
perform an effective warm up to:
Increase blood flow to the muscles
Move muscles through their full range of motion
Mobilize joints
Stretch tight muscles
Practice movement patterns without weight
The warm up should:

Last 5-10 minutes
Be progressive (gradually increase in intensity)
Include multi-joint activities that increase the heart rate
Involve dynamic stretches to mobilize joints and stretch muscles
Example Warm Up:

1. Walking (increasing speed or incline) - 2 mins
2. Marching (on spot) - 30s
3. High Knees - 30s
4. Jogging (on the spot if needed) - 1-2 mins
5. Arm Circles - 20s each arm
6. Chest Openers - 20s
7. Overhead Reach - 20s
8. Hip Circles - 20s each direction
9. Bodyweight squats - 30s
10. Side Lunges - 30s
Click here to gain access to a video demonstration of a comprehensive Warm

Up.
Cool Down & Static Stretches

After you have completed your strength training, it’s important to aid your
recovery by performing a cool down and static stretch to:
Gradually return the heart back towards a resting state to avoid any
sudden changes
Increase venous return (the blood flow from working muscles back to
the heart)
Avoid feeling dizzy
Increase removal of waste products that may have built up in the
muscles
Lengthen muscles to avoid strength training, causing a loss in flexibility
Release tension from working muscles
Reduce post-training muscle soreness (DOMS - Delayed Onset Muscle
Soreness)
The cool down and stretch should:
Last 5-10 minutes
Be regressive (gradually decrease in intensity)
Involve multi-joint activities, with emphasis on movement in the legs
Involve static stretches to return muscles to their resting length
Example Cool Down and Stretch:

1. Jogging, fast walking or cycling (decreasing speed/incline/intensity) - 3
mins
2. Stretch each major muscle group for 15s
Back
Chest
Glutes (bum)
Hamstrings (back of thigh)
Quadriceps (front of thigh)
Calves (back of lower leg)
Click here to gain access to a video demonstration of a full body static stretch
routine.
Chapter 10
General Exercise Technique
Regardless of the exercise, there are some techniques that remain throughout
all exercises. Let’s have a look at them now before we get into the specifics
of each exercise.
Spinal Alignment
The spine has 4 main curves, 3 of which can change significantly as we
move. The aim is to keep a “neutral spine” (natural curves) through all
strength training, to maximize the safety and effectiveness of the exercises.
A neutral spine has a slight inward/concave curve in the lower back (the
lumbar vertebrae), and slight outward/convex curve in the upper back (the
thoracic vertebrae), and another inward/concave curve in the back of the neck
(the cervical vertebrae).
Curves &
Sections of the Spine
To maintain a neutral spine, you can incorporate a few techniques before it

becomes second nature:
1. Set the Pelvis. Tilt your pelvis all the way back, then all the way
forward and then find an approximate mid-point. Imagine your pelvis
as a bucket of water… tip the water out of the back, tip the water out of
the front, then find a midpoint so no water tips out!
2. Engage your core. Create a slight hollowing of your belly by drawing
inwards towards your lower spine. Make this subtle, so you can still
breathe normally. Engage your pelvic floor by imagining you are
slowing or stopping the flow when you go for a pee!
3. Keep your chest proud. Lift your chest slightly and set your shoulder
blades back and down into your back pockets (imaginary ones if need
be!).
4. Bring your ears back in line with your shoulders and look straight
ahead (when standing upright). Think about the gap between your chin
and chest… keep that same gap regardless of what position/angle your
torso is at during exercises.
Hip-Knee-Ankle (H-K-A) Alignment

Particularly relevant to lower body strength training exercises, aim to keep
your knee joint inline between your hip and ankle. The easiest way to do this
is to focus on the knee tracking in line with your 2nd and 3rd toes.
Wrist Alignment
Particularly relevant to upper body strength training exercises, aim to keep
your wrist in a neutral position to avoid excess stresses on the joint. This is
best achieved by ensuring you wrap your thumb around the bar you’re
holding, and point your knuckles (the ones halfway along your fingers) in the
direction of the movement.
Range of Motion (ROM)

Range of motion, or range of movement, is the distance moved between the
start and finish positions of each exercise. This is specific to each exercise,
but there are a couple of cues to aid the achievement.
Keep joints, particularly elbows and knees, unlocked at the end range of
motion, rather than locking them out. At the other end of the range of motion,
ensure all body parts and joints stay in alignment, specific to that exercise.
Tempo
Tempo is the speed at which you move during the exercise.
It’s a variable that can be changed, but I suggest a 2-0-2-0 tempo or a 2-0-3-0
tempo to start with. These numbers mean that whenever the load is rising
against gravity, allow 2 seconds for the movement to occur (the first 2), avoid
pausing (the 0) and then take 2-3 seconds for the load to lower towards the
floor, and repeat without pausing (the other 0).
This is a safe tempo because it avoids rapid, uncontrolled movements that
may put unnecessary stress on the joints, muscles and connective tissue, but
is also an effective tempo as the muscles have sufficient time under tension
(TUT), particularly during the lowering phase when gravity can do the work
for you!
Breathing
Breathing patterns can affect blood pressure and also the support your lumbar
vertebrae get from intra-abdominal pressure.
To keep these optimal, aim to breathe continuously (avoid holding your
breath) and ideally breathe out (exhale) when the load rises against gravity,
and breathe in (inhale) when the load lowers towards the floor with gravity.
Chapter 11
The Essential Eight
The Essential Eight are the movement patterns that should create the
foundation for all strength training after 50. They are the fundamental
strength training exercises. Any other strength training movement patterns
are not a necessity for maintaining a strong, healthy, well-functioning body in
our later years.
The Essential Eight are as follows:
1. The Squat
2. The Hinge
3. The Step Up
4. The Horizontal Pull
5. The Vertical Pull
6. The Horizontal Push
7. The Vertical Push
8. The Carry
To support the exercise instructions and images within this section, I am

providing you with exercise technique videos. Click here to access them.
Let’s look at each of The Essential Eight...
The Squat
The squat trains all the major muscle groups in the lower body; Quadriceps,
Gluteus Maximus, Hamstrings, and Calf muscles.
In terms of movement, the squat is essential for human function. It’s how we
sit on and get up from a chair, the sofa, bed, and the toilet! It allows us to
‘crouch down’ (and back up) to pick things up off the floor, open low
cupboards, and get in and out of cars.
The squat is a natural human movement, one that we can do from around 1
year of age. As years go by, the less we squat and the less capable of
squatting we become! Hours of sitting cause muscles to tighten and/or
weaken, as well as a reduction in joint mobility, muscular flexibility, and
balance.
We can all still squat, but the coordination, efficiency, strength, endurance,
and balance deteriorate throughout life unless we maintain our capabilities. If
this continues to deteriorate, our chances of being able to perform this
fundamental movement in our later years diminish, and subsequently, our
quality of life becomes poorer.
In terms of an exercise, there are multiple variations of a squat, all of which
target the same main working muscles; those that improve our ability to
perform the activities of daily living outlined above.
When you think of the squat as an exercise, it may be a daunting prospect to
have a barbell loaded with weight plates on your back while you attempt to
perform your best effort of a squat. However, the Barbell Back Squat is just
one variation of a squat.
I want this book to provide you with an effective strength training approach
that is safe, simple and manageable. I will therefore provide you with enough
squat variations, including progressions/regressions, to find the most suitable
for you, dependent upon your capabilities, experience, confidence, and
equipment available.
Chair Squat
Target Muscles: Quadriceps, Glutes, Hamstrings, Calves
Outline: It is the easiest version of a squat, so if you are new to exercise, or
have not exercised for a long time, then I suggest you start with this version
of the Squat. Aim to perfect the technique in the chair squat and be able to
perform 15 repetitions comfortably before moving on to more challenging
squat variations.
Equipment: Stable chair or bench.
Chair Squats
Instructions:
1) Stand in front of your chair with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes
pointing forward (or slightly outwards), arms in front of the chest for balance,
shoulder blades back and down (chest open & shoulders relaxed), and core
braced.
2) Start the movement by pushing the bum back and then bending the knees
as if you are going to sit down. Keep weight distributed evenly between the
feet and maintain full contact between the feet and the floor.
3) Keep the chest lifted and core braced, breathing in on the way down.
4) Pause when your bum touches the chair.
5) Push your feet firmly into the ground and breathe out as you return to a
standing position.
6) Finish standing tall with glutes fully contracting (glute squeeze).
Key Points:
Keep three points of contact between your feet and the ground. One
point is behind the big toe, one is behind the little toe, and one on the
heel. Think of these three points as a tripod and keep them grounded at
all times. Ensure weight stays distributed evenly. Always keep the heels
grounded and avoid weight shifting into the balls of the feet.
Keep a neutral curve in your spine. Achieve this by tilting the pelvis
fully forwards, then backwards, then finding a midpoint with a slight
inward curve of your lower back (before you start). Keep your core
braced, chest open (& slightly lifted), and shoulders relaxed back and
down.
Breathe in on the way down, breathe out on the way up.
At the bottom of the chair squat, aim for your torso to be at the same
angle as your lower leg from a side view (use a mirror or record
yourself).
Ensure your knees track in line with your toes. Most faults result in the
knees caving inwards; to prevent this, subtly screw your feet into the
ground in an outwards direction and keep tension in your glutes
throughout the move.
Bodyweight Squat
Outline: This is a little more challenging than chair squats. Ensure you can
perform 15+ chair squats with good technique before moving on to this
exercise. Again, make sure you can comfortably perform 15+ bodyweight
squats with good technique before moving on to goblet squats.
Equipment: None.
Bodyweight
Squats
Instructions:
1) Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointing forward (or
slightly outwards), arms in front of the chest for balance, shoulder blades
back and down (chest open & shoulders relaxed), and core braced.
2) Start the movement by pushing the bum back slightly and then bending the
knees as if you are going to sit down. Keep weight distributed evenly
between the feet and maintain full contact between the feet and the floor.
4) Aim to get your thighs parallel to the floor, or as low as possible without
compromising technique.
standing position.
Key Points:
down.
At the bottom of the bodyweight squat, aim for your torso to be at the
same angle as your lower leg, from a side view (use a mirror or record
yourself).
Your technique, as well as your mobility, will dictate the depth of your
squat. Aim for thighs parallel to the floor, but go as low as possible
without losing neutral spinal alignment. Torso angle similar to that of
the lower leg, and ensure feet stay grounded, particularly the heels.
Goblet Squat
Outline: This is more challenging than bodyweight squats and can vary in
intensity depending on the weight you use. Ensure you can perform 15+
bodyweight squats with good technique before moving on to this exercise,
and start with a relatively lightweight and progress appropriately. If you are
comfortably performing 15 repetitions with a weight, it’s time to progress the
weight to make it a little more challenging.
Equipment: Dumbbell, Kettlebell, Sandball, Medicine Ball, or tin of beans!
Goblet Squat
Instructions:
1) Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointing slightly outwards,
up to 30º. Hold your chosen weight close to your chest with your elbows
under your wrists. Chest open, shoulders relaxed, and core braced.
standing position.
Key Points:
down.
Move your elbows away from your body as you descend, to keep them
directly under your wrists.
At the bottom of the goblet squat, aim for your torso to be at the same
angle as your lower leg, from a side view (use a mirror or record
yourself).
Sandbag/Powerbag Front Squat

Outline: This is more challenging than the other squat variations outlined
above and can vary in intensity depending upon the weight you use. Ensure
you can perform goblet squats with good technique before moving on to this
exercise. Start with a relatively lightweight and progress appropriately. If you
are comfortably performing 15 repetitions with a weight, it’s time to progress
the weight to make it a little more challenging.
Equipment: Powerbag or Sandbag.
Powerbag
Front Squat
Instructions:
up to 30º. Hold your chosen weight close to your chest with your elbows
forward and powerboat/sandbag resting on the chest. Chest open, shoulders
relaxed, and core braced.
standing position.
6) Finish standing tall with glutes fully contracted (glutes clenched!).
Key Points:
down.
Keep your elbows pointing away from you in a forward direction.
At the bottom of the front squat, aim for your torso to be at the same
angle as your lower leg, from a side view (use a mirror or record
yourself).
Additional versions of the Squat such as the Sandbag/Powerbag Back Squat

and Barbell Back Squat can be seen in the relevant Exercise Technique
Video.
The Hip Hinge

Exercises that involve the ‘hip hinge’ predominantly strengthen an area of the
body known as the posterior chain.
The posterior chain comprises the Gluteus Maximus, Hamstrings, and
Lumbar Extensors. These are the primary muscles required to extend the hips
in movements that involve forward propulsion such as walking, running,
climbing steps/stairs, as well as movements that involve lifting objects from
the floor to a standing position. The posterior chain is considered to be the
powerhouse of human movement.
The posterior chain also plays a significant role in stabilising the pelvis and
maintaining optimal posture.
The Gluteus Maximus (Glute Max) is the largest muscle in the human body,
therefore the importance of the hip hinge to keep this large muscle strong and
functioning efficiently should not be underestimated.
It is extremely common for this important muscle to adapt negatively to the
excessive time spent sitting down in our modern lives, whether it be at a
desk, car, sofa, or chair.
When seated, we put the Glute Max into a stretched/lengthened position and
over time, it will adapt to become both lengthened and weak/under-active.
This, along with shortened/overactive opposing muscles (Hip Flexors),
compromises pelvic and spinal posture, commonly leading to low back pain.
A strong and well-functioning posterior chain can counteract the negative
impact of prolonged sitting and can prevent lower back pain.
As well as improving daily movement patterns, hip hinge exercises can
improve pelvic/spinal posture, reducing the risk of associated low back pain.
Exercises that involve the hip hinge include the:
Deadlift (various types)
Kettlebell Swing
Glute Bridge
Hip Thrust
The following are my recommendations for performing hip hinge exercises

after 50:
Kettlebell Deadlift
Target Muscles: Glutes and Hamstrings
Outline:
The Kettlebell Deadlift is one of the simplest and safest versions of a deadlift,
but is also highly effective when performed with great technique and an
appropriate weight. As well as strengthening the buttocks (glutes) and back
of the thighs (hamstrings), there is also a small amount of work in the front of
the thigh (quadriceps), and significant strengthening of the lower back and
core.
The kettlebell deadlift is easier to master than using an Olympic barbell and
is also more affordable and space-saving in a home environment. Kettlebells
usually range from 4kg/9lb to 48kg/106lb, allowing a very manageable
starting weight with plenty of room for progression.
Equipment: Kettlebell.
Kettlebell
Deadlift
Instructions:
up to 30º, with the kettlebell centred between the balls of your feet.
2) Hinge your hips backwards, tipping from the hips with a slight knee bend
until your torso reaches approximately 30º from the floor. Wrap both hands
around the kettlebell handle. Before you lift, open up your chest, pull your
shoulder blades back and down, brace your core, and tilt your head to keep
the neck in line with the rest of the spine. Ensure your spine has and
maintains natural curves.
3) Drive your feet into the ground lifting the kettlebell off the floor. Keep
your arms straight and exhale as you rise.
4) Finish with the kettlebell resting in front of your body, glutes fully
engaged (clench them!), core remaining engaged, chest open, shoulder blades
back and down, looking straight ahead.
5) Hinge your hips backwards again, tipping from the hips with a slight knee
bend until your torso reaches approximately 30º from the floor and the
kettlebell touches down. Breathe in on the way down.
6) Repeat.
Key Points:
Ensure the kettlebell is between your feet when you start, not out in
front of you.
Keep your feet fully grounded throughout.
braced, chest open (& slightly lifted), and shoulder blades back and
down.
Keep the kettlebell directly under your shoulders throughout.
At the bottom of the deadlift, aim for approximately a 30º angle from the
floor. Video yourself from the side and check.
Ensure your knees only bend a small amount. The height of the hips
should be approximately halfway between the knees and the shoulders at
the bottom of the deadlift.
Suitcase Deadlift
Outline: Although you can perform this exercise with two kettlebells, one in
each hand, we are going to focus on the single-arm version. As the name
suggests, this exercise is like lifting a suitcase from the floor to a standing
position.
It predominantly utilizes the glutes and hamstrings on both sides of the body,
but also adds a core strengthening element. With the weight only on one side,
you will build strength in the core muscles that create (& prevent) sideways
(lateral) stability of the spine.
To balance the work between the left and right sides of the body, the suitcase
deadlift will need to be performed with the kettlebell in the left hand and in
the right hand. Because of the load being off-centre, it is more challenging
than the standard kettlebell deadlift, therefore, master the Kettlebell Deadlift
before performing the Suitcase Deadlift.
Suitcase
Deadlift
Instructions:
1) Stand with your feet hip-shoulder width apart, toes pointing straight ahead
or slightly outwards, with the kettlebell positioned to the outside of the ball of
one foot.
2) Hinge your hips backwards, tipping from the hips with a slight knee bend
until your torso reaches approximately 30º from the floor. Wrap one hand
around the kettlebell handle.
3) Before you lift, open up your chest, square up your shoulders and pull your
shoulder blades back and down, brace your core, and tilt your head to keep
the neck in line with the rest of the spine. Ensure your spine has and
maintains natural curves.
4) Drive your feet into the ground lifting the kettlebell off the floor. Keep
your arms straight and exhale as you rise.
5) Finish with the kettlebell resting alongside your body, glutes fully engaged
(clench them!), core remaining engaged, chest proud, shoulder blades back
and down, looking straight ahead.
6) Hinge your hips backwards again, tipping from the hips with a slight knee
bend until your torso reaches approximately 30º from the floor and the
kettlebell touches down. Breathe in on the way down.
7) Repeat.
Key Points:
Ensure the kettlebell is positioned next to your foot, not out in front of
you.
Keep your feet fully grounded throughout.
down.
Keep the kettlebell directly under your shoulders (from a side view)
throughout.
At the bottom of the deadlift, aim for approximately a 30º angle from the
floor. Video yourself from the side and check.
Ensure your knees only bend a small amount. The height of the hips
should be approximately halfway between the knees and the shoulders at
the bottom of the deadlift.
Single-Leg Deadlift
Outline: The single leg deadlift is the most technical and challenging of the
three types of deadlift we are covering. It works one side of the body at a
time, known as a unilateral exercise.
As well as strengthening the glutes and hamstrings, its benefits include
improving any imbalances between the muscles on the left and right side of
the body, improving balance which is vital as we get older, and challenging
the core muscles to prevent any unwanted rotation through the trunk.
I would suggest mastering the kettlebell deadlift and suitcase deadlift before
attempting the single-leg deadlift and starting with no weight or a very
lightweight.
Equipment: Kettlebell or Dumbbell.
Single-Leg
Deadlift
Instructions:
1) Hold a kettlebell in your right hand and rest it on your thigh. Set your
shoulder blades back and down, brace your core, and look straight ahead. Lift
your left foot slightly off the ground and ensure you have a slight bend in
your right knee.
2) Hinge your hips backwards along with your left leg, tipping from the hips
with a slight bend in the right knee until your torso reaches approximately 30º
from the floor. Allow the kettlebell to hang under the right shoulder and keep
your neck in line with the rest of the spine. Ensure your spine maintains its
natural curves. Inhale as you descend.
3) Drive your right foot into the ground, returning the body to its upright
position again. Exhale as you rise.
4) Finish in the start position, right glute fully engaged (clench it!), core
remaining engaged, chest proud, shoulder blades back and down, looking
straight ahead.
5) Repeat for the desired number of repetitions and then change legs.
Key Points:
Keep the foot on the floor fully grounded throughout.
down.
Keep the kettlebell directly under your shoulder throughout.
At the bottom of the single-leg deadlift, aim for approximately a 30º
angle from the floor, shoulders higher than hips. Video yourself from the
side and check.
Ensure your knees only bend a small amount. The hips should remain
positioned well above the knees.
2-Arm Kettlebell Swing

Outline: The 2-Arm Kettlebell Swing is one of the most fundamental
kettlebell-specific exercises and is the most dynamic of the exercises that we
are going to look at. It utilizes the posterior chain muscles in a relatively
dynamic and explosive manner, giving it a slightly steeper learning curve
than the other hip hinge exercises.
As well as improving strength and power in the posterior chain, it is a great
exercise for building a bulletproof core, increasing grip and wrist strength,
boosting aerobic capacity, reducing lower back pain (if performed correctly),
and burning fat.
Because of the range of kettlebell weights available, it is advisable to start
with a lightweight to focus on the technique and progress slowly. Once ready
to progress, you can either increase the weight of the kettlebell or perform
one of the progressions in the hip hinge technique video.
As this is a relatively dynamic, fast-moving exercise, I highly recommend
accessing the technique video to complement the instructions and image
below.
Kettlebell
Swing
Instructions:
1) Pick up the kettlebell in the same way you did during the kettlebell
deadlift. Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width, toes
pointing outwards, approximately 30º. Set your shoulder blades back and
down, chest lifted, brace your core, and look straight ahead.
2) From the start position, start the swing by shifting the hips back slightly
and immediately thrusting them forwards. Allow the kettlebell to swing
between the thighs whilst pushing the hips back, with a slight bend of the
knees until your torso reaches approximately 30º from the floor. Ensure your
spine maintains natural curves, including the neck.
3) Perform a ‘hip snap’ by dynamically thrusting the hips in a forward
direction, allowing the kettlebell to ‘swing’ through to shoulder height. Keep
your arms almost straight with a slight bend at the elbow, shoulder blades
remain back and down and exhale on the way through to the top.
4) Engage the glutes in full extension of the hips, with the base of the KB
facing away from the body. Keep the core braced to maintain neutral curves
in the spine and to avoid arching the lower back. Look straight ahead, over
the top of the kettlebell.
5) After a moment of weightlessness at shoulder height, let gravity allow the
kettlebell to drop naturally. Hinge your hips backwards again, allowing the
kettlebell to swing between the thighs, with the handles above knee height.
6) Repeat the ‘hip snap’ for the next repetition and continue this sequence
until the set is complete.
Key Points:
This is a relatively fast, dynamic movement rather than slow and steady.
Keep your feet fully grounded throughout, outside shoulder width to
allow the kettlebell to pass through the thighs.
braced, chest proud (slightly lifted), and shoulders relaxed back and
down.
When the kettlebell passes between the legs, ensure the handle stays
above your knee height, otherwise, it will cause excessive forces on the
lower back. To achieve this, let the kettlebell drop from shoulder height
before you tip from your hips.
Use the ‘hip snap’ to swing the kettlebell through to shoulder height.
Avoid lifting with your shoulder muscles. The bottom of the kettlebell
should face away from you when at shoulder height.
At the bottom of the swing, aim for your torso to be approximately 30º
angle from the floor. Video yourself from the side and check.
Ensure your knees only bend a small amount to avoid squatting, and
keep your knees pushed out in line with your toes.
Glute Bridge
Target Muscle: Gluteus Maximus
Outline: The Glute Bridge is a must-do exercise for targeting the Glute Max
as the primary working muscle, with minimal input from secondary muscles.
This is vitally important if your glutes have become weak and under-active
because of inactivity and prolonged sitting through desk-bound work,
driving, watching tv, etc.
Weak and under-active glutes, along with tight and overactive opposing
muscles, can cause postural problems that can lead to lower back pain and a
lack of functional capabilities. We cover this in more detail in book five of
the Simple Fitness After 50 Series.
The Glute Bridge is relatively easy to perform and can be done with no
equipment. There are several variations with room for progression by adding
load to the front of the hips, and by moving on to hip thrusts (covered next).
Equipment: Mat.
Glute Bridge
Instructions:
1) Lay on the floor, or a mat, with your arms resting on the floor alongside
your body. Bend the knees until your feet are flat on the floor and your heels
are close to your fingertips. Feet should be hip-shoulder width apart with and
straight or slightly turned out. Brace the core before commencing.
2) Push through your heels, lifting your hips until you have a straight line
from your shoulders, through your hips, to your knees. Squeeze your glutes
together at the top whilst tilting your pelvis posteriorly (so the front of your
pelvis moves towards your ribs), and exhale. Drive your knees out slightly to
ensure they stay aligned between your hips and toes.
3) Lower your hips under control, inhaling as you descend, until you feel the
floor and drive back up again.
4) If you feel the work in the front of the thighs (quads), try performing the
exercise with your feet slightly further away from your body. If you feel the
work in the back of the thighs (hamstrings), try performing the exercise with
your feet slightly closer to the body. Find the position that maximizes the
work in the glutes.
5) Experiment with your foot width. Try it with the feet hip-width and the
toes pointing forwards, then try with the feet shoulder-width and the toes
turned out slightly. Find the spot that maximizes the work in your glutes. The
wider the feet go, the more you will need to turn your toes out.
Key Points:
Experiment with foot positioning to optimize the glute engagement.
Keep your feet fully grounded, or if you have a tendency to push
through the balls of your feet or your toes, try bringing the toes off the
ground towards your shins, leaving only your heels on the ground
To further engage the glutes, and avoid arching the lower back, tilt the
pelvis backwards (posteriorly) at the top of the movement. Bring the
front of the pelvis towards your ribs.
Aim to keep the ribs low rather than pushing them upwards towards the
top of the movement.
An alternative arm position is to bend the elbows until your forearms are
vertical, wrists over elbows, and clench your fists. Use whichever is
most comfortable for you.
Weighted Hip Thrusts

Target Muscle: Gluteus Maximus
Outline: The Hip Thrust is like the Glute Bridge, but performed with the
upper back raised on a bench (or similar). It is a little harder to master than
the Glute Bridge, but is still a relatively simple exercise to learn.
The rewards for the higher difficulty, compared to the Glute Bridge, are; you
can perform the Hip Thrust through a greater range of motion (ROM) thus
providing more time under tension, lift heavier loads creating greater tension
on the glutes, and the body position lends itself to the more ergonomic lifting
of weights.
It also has all the benefits discussed under the Glute Bridge, albeit with more
difficulty, but with greater potential. It requires some additional equipment,
so isn’t as accessible as the Glute Bridge. I would suggest mastering the
Glute Bridge prior to progressing to Hip Thrusts.
Equipment: Bench or Hip Thruster Machine, Sandbag, Barbell, or
Dumbbells.
Hip Thrusts
Instructions:
1) Sit on the floor with a stable bench (or similar), which is approximately
14″/35cm high, behind you. If using weight, position it just above your pubic
bone, and use cushioning if necessary. Rest your upper back, just under your
shoulder blades, onto the edge of the bench. Bend the knees, bringing the
heels closer to the body. You’ll need to check the foot positioning when you
get to the top of the movement; aim for your lower leg to be approximately
vertical. Hold your chosen weight with your hands and rest your upper arms
on the edge of the bench. Brace your core. When you are set up correctly,
your glutes are likely to be off the ground.
2) Push through your heels, lifting your hips until you have a straight line
from your shoulders, through your hips, to your knees. Squeeze your glutes
together at the top whilst tilting your pelvis posteriorly (so the front of your
pelvis moves towards your ribs), and exhale. Drive your knees out slightly to
ensure they stay aligned between your hips and toes. Tuck your chin towards
your chest as you rise, so you are looking ahead (if this is uncomfortable,
look up instead.
3) Lower your hips under control, inhaling as you descend, until you return to
your start position, and drive back up again.
4) If you feel the work in the front of the thighs (quads), try performing the
exercise with your feet slightly further away from your body. If you feel the
work in the back of the thighs (hamstrings), try performing the exercise with
your feet slightly closer to the body. Find the position that maximizes the
work in the glutes.
5) Experiment with your foot width. Try it with the feet hip-width and the
toes pointing forwards, then try with the feet shoulder-width and the toes
turned out slightly. Find the spot that maximizes the work in your glutes. The
wider the feet go, the more you will need to turn your toes out.
Key Points:
Experiment with foot positioning to optimize the glute engagement.
Keep your feet fully grounded, or if you have a tendency to push
through the balls of your feet or your toes, try bringing the toes off the
ground towards your shins, leaving only your heels on the ground
To further engage the glutes, and avoid arching the lower back, tilt the
pelvis backwards (posteriorly) at the top of the movement. Bring the
front of the pelvis towards your ribs.
Aim to keep the ribs low rather than pushing them upwards towards the
top of the movement. Aim for a neutral spine at the bottom and the
posterior pelvic tilt at the top; initiate movement from below your
breastbone (sternum).
If you’re performing a bodyweight hip thrust, clench your fists and bend
the elbows until your knuckles point upwards. Press the upper arms into
the bench.
The Step Up
Step Ups train all the major muscle groups in the lower body; Quadriceps,
Gluteus Maximus, Hamstrings, and Calf muscles. These are essentially the
same muscles as the squat, but via a different movement pattern.
So, why complete Step Ups in addition to the squat? Despite the two
exercises utilizing the same muscles, they are different in terms of movement
pattern and functionality. Step Ups are one of the most underrated exercises
for many people, but particularly for those over 50.
Step Ups have three key features that make them stand out:
1. They are one of the most simple exercises to perform, with a very low
risk of injury.
2. They are unilateral, which means you work one leg independently of
the other leg, ensuring both legs work equally within the exercise and
aiding in correcting any differences between the left and right leg.
3. They are very functional, meaning the movement pattern is one that is
required regularly in everyday life. Think about how often you have to
use stairs in a house/home/shops, use steps in an outdoor environment,
walk uphill, as well as climbing over objects and using ladders.
We can easily perform Step Ups at the gym, at home, and/or outdoors, using
a varied form of load including your body weight, barbell, dumbbells,
kettlebells, sandbags, or powerbags.
As well as varying the type of equipment used, we will also cover a variety of
types of Step Up including; Bodyweight Step Ups, Weighted Step Ups,
Lateral Step Ups, and Lateral Step Downs.
Bodyweight Step Ups

Outline: This is the easiest version of the Step Up, therefore a great starting
point for this exercise. You can progress this exercise by increasing the
height of the step; ideally, you want to be using a step with a height that
causes your knee to be at, or slightly above, hip height when your foot is
resting on top. Start lower than this and progress once you can comfortably
perform 12+ repetitions on each leg. If you are comfortably performing 12+
reps/leg at the ideal step height, progress to Weighted Step Ups.
Equipment: Step.
Bodyweight
Step Ups
Instructions:
1) Stand with a step positioned in front of you, adjusted to your chosen
height. Have your feet hip-width apart, toes pointing forward, arms by your
side, shoulder blades back and down (chest open & shoulders relaxed), and
core braced.
2) Place your left foot firmly onto the step and position the knee over the top
of the toes (in front of the ankle). Drive through that foot, raising your body
upwards and place the right foot on the step, maintaining the hip-width
stance. Fully extend the hips and engage the glutes whilst keeping the core
braced (to keep a neutral spinal alignment). Exhale as you rise to the top and
look straight ahead.
3) Step down, under control, with your left leg and then the right, back to the
start position. Inhale as you descend.
4) You can either alternate until you have achieved the desired repetitions on
both legs, or repeat on the same leg until you have reached the desired
repetitions, and then swap. If repeating on 1 leg, follow the pattern: LRLR,
LRLR…. If alternating legs, follow the pattern: LRLR, RLRL, LRLR,
RLRL…
Key Points:
Keep a hip-width stance regardless of whether your feet are on the floor
or the step.
down.
Let your arms do their natural movement as you step up and down; this
will help to maintain balance.
Push up onto the step through a fully grounded front foot; heels down.
Dumbbell/Kettlebell Step Ups

Outline: The Dumbbell, or Kettlebell, Step Up is the weighted version of this
exercise that we are going to look at. There are other weighted versions, but
we are going to focus on using dumbbells or kettlebells as the next
progression from Bodyweight Step Ups. Ensure you have mastered the
bodyweight step up and can perform 12+ repetitions on each leg, at the ideal
step height, before attempting this weighted version. When adding weight,
lower the step temporarily while you adapt to the increased challenge, then
focus on increasing the step height to its optimum before advancing with
more weight.
Equipment: Step and either dumbbells or kettlebells.
Kettlebell Step
Ups
Instructions:
1) Stand with a step positioned in front of you, adjusted to your chosen
side with dumbbells or kettlebells in your hands, shoulder blades back and
down (chest open & shoulders relaxed), and core braced.
2) Place your left foot firmly onto the step and position the knee over the top
of the toes (in front of the ankle). Drive through that foot, raising your body
upwards and place the right foot on the step, maintaining the hip-width
stance. Fully extend the hips and engage the glutes whilst keeping the core
braced (to keep a neutral spinal alignment). Exhale as you rise to the top and
look straight ahead.
3) Step down, under control, with your left leg and then the right, back to the
start position. Inhale as you descend.
4) You can either alternate until you have achieved the desired repetitions on
both legs, or repeat on the same leg until you have reached the desired
repetitions, and then swap. If repeating on 1 leg, follow the pattern: LRLR,
LRLR…. If alternating legs, follow the pattern: LRLR, RLRL, LRLR,
RLRL…
Key Points:
Keep a hip-width stance regardless of whether your feet are on the floor
or the step.
down.
Try to keep your arms by your sides, below the shoulders, throughout
the exercise.
Push up onto the step through a fully grounded front foot; heels down.
Lateral Step Ups (Bodyweight or Weighted)

Outline: Lateral Step Ups are slightly more challenging than conventional
Step Ups; we are going to add in a balance element by keeping the non-
working leg elevated rather than placing it on the step.
You can progress this exercise by increasing the height of the step; ideally,
you want to be using a step with a height that causes your knee to be at, or
slightly above, hip height when your foot is resting on top. Start lower than
this and progress once you can comfortably perform 12+ repetitions on each
leg. If you are comfortably performing 12+ reps/leg at the ideal step height,
with good balance and stability, progress to weighted Lateral Step Ups.
Equipment: Step (and dumbbells or kettlebells, if weighted).
Lateral Step
Ups
Instructions:
1) Stand with a step positioned to the side of you, adjusted to your chosen
side, shoulder blades back and down (chest open & shoulders relaxed), and
core braced. Hold dumbbells or kettlebells in your hands, if performing the
weighted version.
2) Place the foot that’s closest to the step firmly on top and position the knee
over the top of the toes (in front of the ankle). Drive through that foot, raising
your body upwards, keeping the opposing foot suspended in the air, knee
slightly bent. Fully extend the hip on the working leg and engage the glutes
whilst keeping the core braced (to keep a neutral spinal alignment). Exhale as
you rise to the top and look straight ahead.
3) Step down, under control, until your non-working foot returns to the floor,
back to the start position. Inhale as you descend.
4) Repeat on the same leg for the desired number of repetitions, ensuring you
push through the foot on the step, not the one on the floor.
5) Change sides and repeat on the opposite leg.
Key Points:
Keep the effort in the working leg and avoid pushing off through the
non-working leg.
down.
If performing the bodyweight version, let your arms do their natural
movement as you step up and down; this will help to maintain balance.
If using weights, try to keep them by the side of the body, below the
shoulders.
Push up onto the step through a fully grounded foot; heels down.
Lateral Step Downs

Outline: Lateral Step Downs are more challenging than Lateral Step Ups as
they maintain tension in the muscles throughout the movement, and focus
heavily on the descent during which the muscles lengthen under load
(eccentric contractions) causing increased micro-tears in the muscles. This
causes an increased need for recovery, may cause greater post-exercise
soreness, and requires more muscle repair and rebuilding.
However, it can also produce significant increases in strength as well as
control and coordination because of the emphasis on the deceleration of the
downward phase of the exercise. It also aids balance, as we have minimal
contact between the non-working foot and the floor, or step.
You can progress this exercise by increasing the height of the step; ideally,
you want to be using a step with a height that causes your knee to be at hip
height when your foot is resting on top. This is quite challenging in this
exercise, so start much lower than this and progress once you can
comfortably perform 10+ repetitions on each leg. If you are comfortable
performing 10+ reps/leg at the ideal step height, with good balance and
stability, progress to Weighted Lateral Step Downs.
Equipment: Step.
Lateral Step
Downs
Instructions:
1) Stand with a step positioned to the side of you, adjusted to your chosen
height. Stand on the step with one foot, with the other suspended over the
edge of the step. Place your hands on your hips, or hold them out for balance.
Toes pointing forward, shoulder blades back and down (chest open &
shoulders relaxed), and core braced. Hold dumbbells or kettlebells in your
hands, if performing the weighted version.
2) Hinge your hips back and bend the knee of the working leg, lowering
yourself slowly and under control until your non-working foot touches the
ground. Keep the working muscles under tension by keeping your weight in
your working leg, and just touching the ground with the non-working foot.
Inhale as you descend.
3) Drive through your top foot to return to the start position, fully extending
the hip and engaging the glutes. Keep the non-working leg suspended; try to
avoid resting it on the step, if possible. Exhale as you rise.
4) Repeat on the same leg for the desired number of repetitions, ensuring you
push through the foot on the step, not the one on the floor.
5) Change sides and repeat on the opposite leg.
Key Points:
Keep the effort in the working leg and avoid pushing off through the
non-working leg.
Descend slowly, aiming for around 3 seconds on the way down.
Ascend quicker, aiming for around 1 second on the way up.
down.
If performing the bodyweight version, let your arms do their natural
movement as you step up and down; this will help to maintain balance.
If using weights, try to keep them by the side of the body, below the
shoulders.
Push up onto the step through a fully grounded foot; heels down (the
foot on the step).
The ‘Pull’
An exercise must meet all the following criteria to be categorized as a ‘pull':
Upper body movement
Compound (2 or more moving joints)
Involve pulling a load towards the upper body, or the upper body
moving toward a fixed object during the pull
Pull exercises predominantly utilize the muscles of the back (Latissimus
Dorsi, Trapezius, Rhomboids), back of the shoulders (Posterior/Rear
Deltoids), and front of the arms (Biceps). They also utilize the muscles of the
forearm to grip/hold the equipment being used.
As well as contributing towards overall upper body strength, the pull group of
exercises play an important role in daily life, including those of later years,
by improving our ability to lift objects with the upper body, pull open heavy
doors, carry objects that require grip strength such as shopping bags, and
helping to maintain a desirable upper body posture.
Upper body posture is negatively affected by modern-day living… using a
computer at a desk, using smartphones, driving cars, and children (or adults)
playing video games on consoles. Pull exercises help to recruit muscles that
become weak/under-active in the most common upper body postural
distortions, making them an integral part of any strength training program.
I have separated the pull into two separate exercise categories: the horizontal
pull and the vertical pull. This helps to work the muscles through varied
planes of motion (direction of movement), involves slightly different primary
muscle groups, changes the range of motion a muscle works through and
creates a more desirable muscle balance.
Putting the pull exercises into two separate categories also ensures you are
not over-training one type of pull and under-training the other type of pull,
and makes sure you are training these muscles in a way that they may be
required in your everyday movement patterns.
The Horizontal Pull

A horizontal pull involves pulling a weight from in front of your body,
towards you, or pulling your body towards an object (e.g. a bar) in front of
your body.
Examples of a horizontal pull include; Seated Row, Standing Row, Bent Over
Row, Single Arm Row, and Inverted Row.
Seated Band Rows

Target Muscles: Latissimus Dorsi, Posterior Deltoid, Mid & Lower
Trapezius, Rhomboids, Biceps
Outline: This is a great starting point to increase strength in the back and
bicep muscles. It is safe, simple and effective. Minimal and affordable
equipment is required, meaning we can do it at home or at the gym.
Resistance bands come in various levels of resistance, allowing room to start
easy and progress when required. Another way of progressing with resistance
bands is to increase the stretch on the band before starting the exercise by
positioning yourself further from the anchor point.
Aim to progress the resistance, or the exercise, when you can perform 15+
seated band rows with excellent technique.
Equipment: Chair or bench, resistance band, and something sturdy to provide
an anchor for the band.
Seated Band
Row
Instructions:
1) Attach two resistance bands to a sturdy object as an anchor point, around
elbow height whilst seated. Sit on a chair or bench, facing the anchor point.
Hold a band in each hand and ensure there is a slight stretch in the bands
when the arms are outstretched. Set your feet shoulder-width with the ankles
under the knees. Look straight ahead, roll the shoulders back and down and
brace the core, creating a neutral spine.
2) Keeping your torso still, pull both elbows backwards brushing the side of
the body, and keep the forearms parallel to the floor. Squeeze your shoulder
blades together at the end of the movement. Exhale as you pull.
3) Reverse the movement until your arms are straight, but keep the tension
between your shoulder blades. Inhale as you lengthen the arms.
4) Aim for around 2 seconds in (concentric phase) and 2 seconds out
(eccentric phase).
5) Repeat for the desired number of repetitions before leaning forward to
create slack in the band before you let go!
Key Points:
The set-up will dictate the quality of the exercise, so follow step 1 above
carefully.
down.
Breathe out as you pull, breathe in as you release.
Keep your torso still and avoid leaning back or arching your back.
Consciously bring your shoulder blades together (and down) at the end
of the pull.
Your forearms should stay parallel to the floor and in line with the bands
(if you have set them up at the optimum height).
Standing One-Arm Band Row

Trapezius, Rhomboids, Biceps, Core
Outline: This exercise places a couple of additional challenges on the body
when compared to the seated band row, but is also relatively simple to
perform and can be performed with a light resistance band before progressing
to a higher intensity.
The first additional challenge comes from standing (vs. sitting), which creates
a demand on the lower body to fixate and remain stabilized throughout the
movement. The second additional challenge comes from performing the
exercise with one arm (unilateral) as opposed to two arms simultaneously
(bilateral). This helps you to focus on each arm individually, preventing you
from dominating the exercise with your strongest side and also engages your
core muscles to prevent unwanted rotation through the spine.
As with the Seated Band Row, you can progress the exercise by using a band
with more resistance, or to a lesser extent, by increasing the stretch on the
band before starting the exercise.
seated band rows with excellent technique.
Equipment: Resistance band, and something sturdy to provide an anchor for
the band.
Standing One-
Arm Band Row
Instructions:
1) Attach one resistance band to a sturdy object as an anchor point, around
elbow height whilst standing. Face the anchor point, hold the band in one
hand and ensure there is a slight stretch in the band when the arm is
outstretched. Set your feet shoulder-width apart. If preferred, split your stance
so the left foot is forward when the band is in the right hand, and vice versa.
2) Look straight ahead, roll the shoulders back and down and brace the core,
creating a neutral spine. Unlock the knees slightly.
3) Keeping your torso still, pull the elbow backwards brushing the side of the
body, and keep the forearm parallel to the floor. Squeeze your shoulder
blades together at the end of the movement. Exhale as you pull.
4) Reverse the movement until your arm is straight, but keep the tension
5) Aim for around 2 seconds in (concentric phase) and 2 seconds out
(eccentric phase).
6) Repeat for the desired number of repetitions before switching to the other
arm.
Key Points:
The set-up will dictate the quality of the exercise, so follow step 1 above
carefully.
down.
Keep your torso still and avoid twisting or arching your back.
Consciously bring your shoulder blade back (and down) at the end of the
pull.
Your forearm should stay parallel to the floor and in line with the band
(if you have set it up at the optimum height).
Bent-Over Row (Kettlebell or Dumbbell)

Outline: The Bent-Over Row is a more advanced exercise than the previous
horizontal pulls we have looked at. Despite the weights moving vertically, we
consider the Bent-Over Row to be a horizontal pull because of the movement
being perpendicular to the torso (you pull from in front of your torso because
of the bent-over position).
As well as being a great exercise to strengthen the back and bicep muscles, it
also requires the engagement of the core muscles and the lumbar extensors
(the muscles in the lower back). This can be seen as a positive, but can also
be a limiting factor of the exercise.
If being in the ‘bent over’ position causes excess stress or discomfort in the
lower back and affects your ability to perform this exercise, then I suggest
you leave this exercise for now. You can always return to it when you have
gained more core strength (see Simple Fitness After 50 - Book Two).
Choose lightweight dumbbells or kettlebells for your first attempt and only
progress the load when you can comfortably perform 15+ repetitions with
great technique.
Equipment: Dumbbells or Kettlebells.
Kettlebell
Bent-Over Row
Instructions:
1) Deadlift the dumbbells or kettlebells off the floor. If your back
rounds/bends when picking up the weights, go down on one knee to pick
them up.
2) Set the feet hip-width apart, roll the shoulder blades back and down, brace
the core, and tip from the hip until your torso reaches 30-40º from the floor.
Ensure you maintain neutral curves in your spine (video from the side and
check, or use a mirror). Allow the weights to hang under your mid-sternum
(breastbone). Keep your neck in line with the rest of the spine with your chin
tucked slightly.
3) Keeping your torso still, pull both elbows upwards brushing the side of the
body, and keep the forearms vertical. Squeeze your shoulder blades together
at the end of the movement. Exhale as you pull.
5) Aim for around 2 seconds up (concentric phase) and 2 seconds down
(eccentric phase).
6) Repeat for the desired number of repetitions before safely placing the
weights back onto the floor.
Key Points:
Ensure you position your torso 30-40º from the floor to enable the
desired muscles to pull the weights directly against gravity.
inward curve of your lower back (before you tip into position). Keep
your core braced, chest open (& slightly lifted), and shoulders back and
down.
Keep your torso still and avoid becoming more upright as you pull.
Consciously bring your shoulder blades together (and down) at the end
of the pull.
Your forearms should stay vertical throughout.
Single-Arm Row
Outline: The Single-Arm Row is a great alternative if the Bent-Over Row
puts excess stress or discomfort in the lower back. A bench is used to support
the body’s position. As with the other horizontal pulls, it strengthens the
muscles of the back and biceps.
It is also another unilateral exercise, enabling you to focus on the quality of
the movement on each side individually, without your stronger side being
dominant. It also adds a core element to prevent unwanted rotation of the
trunk.
As always, choose a lightweight to start with and only progress the load when
you can comfortably perform 15+ repetitions with excellent technique.
Equipment: Bench and a Dumbbell or Kettlebell.
Single-Arm
Row
Instructions:
1) Place your chosen weight to the right of the bench. Stand on the right side
of the bench, behind the weight, and place your left knee on the bench,
underneath your left hip. Move your right foot out to the side (in line with the
opposite knee) until both sides of your pelvis are level.
2) Tip forward and place your left hand on the bench, approximately under
the left shoulder. Unlock the elbow joint. Allow the right arm to hang under
the right shoulder.
3) Brace the core and align the spine into its natural curves. Set the shoulder
blades back and down, and tuck the chin so you are looking at the bench
under your forehead. Reach for the weight with the right hand and then reset
the shoulder blade back and down.
4) Keeping your torso still, pull the right elbow upwards brushing the side of
the body, keeping the forearm vertical. Squeeze your shoulder blades
together at the top of the movement. Exhale as you pull.
5) Reverse the movement until your arm is straight, but keep the tension
(eccentric phase).
side.
Key Points:
Ensure you position your torso so the left/right sides of your pelvis are
level and the shoulders are level.
braced, chest open (& slightly lifted), and shoulders back and down.
Keep your torso still and avoid twisting your trunk as you pull.
pull.
Your forearm should stay vertical throughout.
Inverted Row
Outline: The Inverted Row is a bodyweight exercise that can be adapted for
all abilities, assuming the height of the required bar can be adjusted. You can
also perform it using a suspension trainer such as a TRX®.
As with the other horizontal pull exercises, it works the back and biceps and
also requires some core and glute engagement to keep the body aligned.
You perform it by positioning yourself under a fixed bar, face-up, and pulling
your body weight up towards the bar. It is easiest when the bar is high and
you are more upright, and hardest when the bar is low and you are closer to
being horizontal. You can also adjust the difficulty by whether you keep your
legs straight (more challenging), or bend at the knees (less challenging).
Start with a relatively easy option and progress when you can comfortably
perform 15+ repetitions with great technique.
Equipment: Fixed bar such as a smith machine in a gym, Lebert EQualizer
Bars, or a suspension trainer.
Inverted Row
Instructions:
1) Adjust your bar to the appropriate height. Grip the bar with either an
overhand or underhand grip, shoulder-width apart. Lean back so your arms
are straight, keeping the shoulder blades back and down. Lift your hips by
engaging your glutes to achieve a straight line from your shoulders, through
your hips, to your knees. Brace your core and keep your spine in its neutral
curves.
2) Pull your elbows back, brushing the side of the body, lifting your torso
towards the bar. The bar should meet your body just under your chest, around
the lower ribs. If not, move your feet away, or towards the bar to correct it.
3) At the top of the movement, your forearms should be perpendicular (90º)
to your body and the shoulder blades should be pulled back towards each
other, and down the back. Exhale as you rise. Ensure the whole body stays in
alignment throughout.
4) Lower yourself by extending the arms, keeping the glutes engaged to avoid
the hips dropping towards the floor. Inhale as you lower yourself. At the
bottom, keep tension in between the shoulder blades.
(eccentric phase).
7) Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Key Points:
Ensure you engage both your core and glutes throughout to align your
body and keep a neutral spinal alignment.
braced, chest open (& slightly lifted), and shoulders back and down.
pull.
Your forearm should stay perpendicular to the body throughout.
If using a suspension trainer such as the TRX®, use a neutral grip with
the palms of the hands facing in towards each other.
Vertical Pull
A vertical row involves pulling handles/a bar towards you from above your
head, or pulling your body towards an object (e.g. a bar) above your head.
Examples of vertical pulls include Close-Grip Pulldown, Lat Pulldown, Chin
Ups, and Pull Ups.
Close-Grip Pulldown (Resistance Bands)

Outline: This is a great starting point to increase strength in the back and
bicep muscles through a vertical pull. Just as the Seated Band Row in the
horizontal pull section; it is safe, simple and effective.
The fundamental difference between the two is that the Close-Grip Pulldown
has a high anchor point, which results in your Latissimus Dorsi (Lats) being
put into a lengthened position, allowing them to work through a greater range
of motion (ROM). It also encourages more work from your Lower Trapezius,
which creates scapula depression (the shoulder blades moving in a downward
direction).
Minimal and affordable equipment is required, meaning you can do it at
home or the gym, although it requires an anchor point that is relatively high
(at least at the height of your outstretched arms above your head whilst
standing).
easy and progress when required. Another way of progressing with resistance
bands is to increase the stretch on the band before starting the exercise, by
anchoring the band to a higher point...
repetitions with good technique.
Equipment: Chair or bench, 2 x resistance bands, and something sturdy to
provide an anchor for the band.
Close-Grip
Pulldown (Resistance Bands)
Instructions:
1) Attach two resistance bands to a sturdy object as an anchor point, around
the height of your fingertips when your arms are outstretched above your
head, whilst standing. Sit on a chair or bench, facing the anchor point. Hold a
band in each hand and ensure there is a slight stretch in the bands when the
arms are outstretched. Set your feet shoulder-width with the ankles under the
knees. Lean back slightly, roll the shoulders back and down, tuck the chin to
keep the neck in its natural alignment and brace the core, creating a neutral
spine.
2) Keeping your torso still, pull both elbows down brushing the side of the
body, and keep the forearms pointing in the same direction as the bands.
Squeeze your shoulder blades together, and down into your ‘back pockets', at
the end of the movement. Exhale as you pull.
4) Aim for around 2 seconds down (concentric phase) and 2 seconds up
(eccentric phase).
5) Repeat for the desired number of repetitions before leaning forward to
create slack in the band before you let go!
Key Points:
Ensure there is some tension in the bands throughout the full ROM. You
don’t want them to go slack at any point.
down.
Keep your torso still and avoid leaning back excessively or arching your
back during the pull.
Consciously bring your shoulder blades together and down at the end of
the pull.
Your forearms should stay in line with the bands throughout.
You can also perform this exercise using a lat pulldown machine in the
gym with a close-grip handle attachment.
Lat Pulldown (Machine)
Target Muscles: Latissimus Dorsi, Mid & Lower Trapezius, Rhomboids,
Biceps
Outline: This exercise is very similar to the close-grip pulldown, but is
performed with a wide grip. It is traditionally performed using a machine, but
could also be performed using two resistance bands by anchoring them high,
approximately one metre apart.
The wide grip changes the movement pattern slightly, causing more work in
the Lats and less work in the Posterior Deltoid.
Using resistance bands makes it minimal and affordable in terms of
equipment, making it more suitable for non-gym environments, but if using a
gym, it is best performed using the machine.
You can adjust resistance in relatively small increments on the Lat Pulldown
machine and should be progressed when you can perform 15+ repetitions
with excellent technique.
Equipment: Lat Pulldown Machine or; chair/bench, two resistance bands, and
a suitable anchor point.
Lat Pulldown
Instructions (Lat Pulldown Machine):

1) Select an appropriate weight. Adjust the seat/thigh support so your ankles
can be positioned under your knees, and the thighs are supported. Stand and
grip the bar approximately 1.5 x shoulder width and return to the seated
position. Lean back slightly, roll the shoulders back and down, tuck the chin
to keep the neck in its natural alignment and brace the core, creating a neutral
spine.
2) Keeping your torso still, pull both elbows down to the side of the body,
keeping the forearms close to vertical. Squeeze your shoulder blades
together, and down into your ‘back pockets', at the end of the movement.
Exhale as you pull.
4) Aim for around 2 seconds down (concentric phase) and 2 seconds up
(eccentric phase).
5) Repeat for the desired number of repetitions before standing and resting
the weights back onto the stack.
Key Points:
down.
the pull.
Your forearms should stay close to vertical.
You can also perform this exercise using two resistance bands with the
same technique, but without a thigh support.
Chin Ups (Band Assisted)

Outline: This exercise is very similar to the Close-Grip Pulldown in terms of
movement pattern and muscles being used, but is more challenging to
perform.
Minimal and affordable equipment is required, meaning you can do it at
home or the gym, although it requires a pull up bar or fixed horizontal bar
that can easily take your body weight.
easy (using a band with greater resistance to assist you) and progress when
required to less assistance through bands with less resistance.
Aim to lower the assistance level through a lighter resistance band once you
can perform 15+ repetitions with good technique.
Equipment: Pull Up Bar or fixed horizontal bar, and a resistance band.
Band-Assisted
Chin Ups
Instructions:
1) Attach the resistance band to the middle of the bar by placing the band
over the bar, passing one end through the loop at the other end, and pulling
tight. Step one foot into the band, place both hands on the bar shoulder-width
apart, with your palms facing towards you (underhand grip). Place the second
foot into the band. Set the shoulder blades back and down, look straight
ahead and brace the core.
2) Keeping your core braced and spine neutral, pull both elbows down
brushing the side of the body, and keep the forearms vertical until your chin
is above the bar. Squeeze your shoulder blades together, and down into your
‘back pockets', at the end of the movement. Exhale as you pull.
4) Aim for around 1-2 seconds up (concentric phase) and 2 seconds down
(eccentric phase).
5) Repeat for the desired number of repetitions before stepping out of the
band one foot at a time.
Key Points:
Ensure you are using bands that are specifically for Assisted Pull Ups
because of their additional durability.
down.
Breathe out as you pull up, breathe in as you release.
the pull.
Your forearms should stay vertical throughout.
You can also perform this exercise unassisted if capable or using an
Assisted Chin/Pull Up Machine in a gym.
Pull Ups (Band Assisted)

Target Muscles: Latissimus Dorsi, Mid & Lower Trapezius, Rhomboids,
Biceps
Outline: This exercise is very similar to the Assisted Chin Ups, but is
performed with a wide, overhand grip. The wide, overhand grip changes the
movement pattern slightly, causing more work in the Lats and less work in
the Posterior Deltoid.
The equipment requirements and the progression/regressions are the same as
the Assisted Chin Ups above.
Aim to lower the assistance level through a lighter resistance band once you
can perform 15+ repetitions with good technique.
Equipment: Pull up bar or fixed horizontal bar, and a resistance band.
Band-Assisted
Pull Ups
Instructions:
1) Attach the resistance band to the middle of the bar by placing the band
over the bar, passing one end through the loop at the other end, and pulling
tight. Step one foot into the band, and place both hands on the bar with an
overhand grip (palms away from you), approximately 1.5 x shoulder width.
Place the second foot into the band. Set the shoulder blades back and down,
look straight ahead and brace the core.
2) Keeping your core braced and spine neutral, pull both elbows down into
the side of the body, keeping the forearms close to vertical. Squeeze your
shoulder blades together, and down into your ‘back pockets’ at the end of the
movement. Exhale as you pull.
(eccentric phase).
5) Repeat for the desired number of repetitions before stepping out of the
band one foot at a time.
Key Points:
Ensure you are using bands that are specifically for assisted pull ups due
to their additional durability.
down.
Breathe out as you pull up, breathe in as you release.
the pull.
Your forearms should stay close to vertical throughout.
This exercise can also be performed unassisted if capable or using an
Assisted Chin/Pull Up Machine in a gym.
The ‘Push’
An exercise must meet all the following criteria to be categorized as a ‘push':
Upper body movement
Compound (2 or more moving joints)
Involve pressing or pushing a load away from the upper body, or the
upper body moving away from a fixed surface during the push/press
Push exercises predominantly utilize the muscles of the chest (Pec Major),
shoulders (Deltoids) and the back of the arms (Triceps). It is an important
movement pattern in everyday life as it enables us to perform functional tasks
such as pushing ourselves up off the floor (before we can use our legs to
stand), opening self-closing (swing) doors, and lifting objects onto tall
shelves.
Despite its important role in daily movement patterns, it’s advisable to avoid
the overuse of push exercises because the chest (pectorals) and the front of
the shoulder (anterior deltoids) are commonly overactive/tight muscles,
leading to poor posture. Over-training these muscles, compared to their
opposing muscles, can exacerbate postural problems and lead to injury.
I have separated the push into two separate exercise categories: the horizontal
push and the vertical push. This helps to provide a more balanced training
outcome because of the difference in primary muscles used between the
horizontal and vertical push, and muscles working through varied ‘planes of
motion’ (direction of movement), as well as preventing overuse of potentially
short/overactive muscles.
The Horizontal Push

A horizontal push involves pushing a weight out in front of your body, or
pushing your body away from a surface or object in front of your chest.
These movement patterns predominantly work the pectorals, front deltoids,
and triceps.
Examples of a horizontal push include; Push Ups (or Press Ups!), Chest Press
(Machine/Cables/Resistance Bands/TRX), Barbell Bench Press, and
Dumbbell Bench Press.
Push Up (Press Up)

Target Muscles: Pectoralis Major, Anterior Deltoid, Triceps, Core
Outline: The Push Up, or Press Up, is a great bodyweight exercise for the
chest and the back of the arms, and can be performed almost anywhere.
There are various levels of difficulty making it suitable for most people. It’s
important to find the version that is most suitable for you, and then work
through the progressions.
As a guide, I would suggest focusing on the version in which you can
perform a minimum of 8 repetitions, but not over 15. If you can’t manage 8,
regress to an easier version. If you can do over 15 (with excellent technique),
progress to a harder version.
Equipment: None, Mat, Raised Bench, Wall (dependant upon the version
being performed).
The images show progressive versions from easiest to hardest.
Wall Push Ups
Raised Push
Ups
Raised Push
Ups (Lower)
¾ Push Ups
Full Push Ups
Instructions:
1) Either place your knees, or feet, on the floor and place your hands on the
surface being used. Your hands should be just outside shoulder width and in
line with your lower chest. Unlock the elbows, engage your glutes and brace
your core, creating a straight line through your body from ankles or knees,
through the hips, to the shoulders. Keep your neck in line with the rest of the
spine.
2) Keeping your core braced and spine neutral, lower your body until your
upper arms are parallel to the floor, or a little lower if possible. At the bottom
of the Push Up, the elbows should be over the wrists so your forearms are
perpendicular (at 90º to) your torso, and parallel to each other. Inhale as you
descend.
3) Press your palms into the surface you are using, pushing your torso away
from the chosen surface and extending the arms until you have a very slight
bend left in them. Keep tension between your shoulder blades to maintain the
stability of the shoulder girdle (shoulder blades and collarbones). Exhale as
you lengthen the arms.
(eccentric phase).
5) Repeat for the desired number of repetitions before resting.
Key Points:
Hand positioning is key… check at the bottom of the Push Up, that your
forearms are perpendicular to the body, parallel to each other, and in line
with your mid-lower chest. If someone photographed your back during
the Push Up, your torso and upper arms should create an arrow shape
(see image).
Arm Position
During Push Ups
down.
Breathe out as you push up, breathe in as you lower.
Keep your body aligned; avoid your hips rising or descending out of
alignment between knees and shoulders.
Create stability at the shoulder by keeping tension between the shoulder
blades, and feeling a subtle external screwing of your hands on the
floor/bench/wall (without them physically moving).
Dumbbell Bench Press
Target Muscles: Pectoralis Major, Anterior Deltoid, Triceps
Outline: This exercise utilizes the same muscles as the Push Up, but uses
dumbbells instead of bodyweight. This has its advantages and disadvantages;
the disadvantages include the necessity of dumbbells and a bench, requiring
either the purchase of them for home use, or gym access, and the decreased
demand on the core muscles compared to the Push Up. The advantages
include; increased stability demands at the shoulder, and simpler methods of
regression and progression (simply decreasing or increasing the weight of the
dumbbells) compared to the Push Ups.
If you can do over 15 repetitions (with good technique), you will need to
progress the weight of the dumbbells. If you would rather focus on increased
core demand, shoulder stability, and left-right muscle balance rather than
increased weight, you can progress by performing the exercise with
alternating arms, and then Single-Arm Dumbbell Bench Press.
No access to a bench? It is possible to do a floor press, where you simply
perform the same exercise lying on a mat.
Equipment: Dumbbells and a bench.
Dumbbell
Bench Press
Instructions:
1) Pick up a dumbbell in each hand (safely, without arching your back) and
lie down on a bench, placing the dumbbells close to your armpits with the
elbows under the wrists. Place the feet shoulder-width with ankles under
knees. Brace your core and press the dumbbells over the chest until the arms
are straight (elbows slightly bent), your palms are pointing toward your feet,
your wrists are in neutral alignment, and your shoulder blades are back and
down.
2) Keeping your core braced and spine neutral, lower the dumbbells, allowing
them to separate so the wrists stay over the elbows. The dumbbells should
remain in line with the mid-chest, the elbows finish level with the bench, and
your upper arms are approximately 45º angle from your body. Inhale as the
dumbbells descend.
3) Press the dumbbells back to the top position, keeping a slight gap between
them at the top. Maintain some tension between your shoulder blades to
stabilise the shoulder girdle and exhale as the dumbbells rise.
(eccentric phase).
5) Repeat for the desired number of repetitions before returning the
dumbbells towards the armpits, carefully sitting back up, and placing the
dumbbells safely back down.
Key Points:
Click here to view a video showing the exercise, including a safe pick
up and set-up, as well as the barbell version.
down.
Breathe out as you push the dumbbells up. Breathe in as you lower
them.
Ensure your wrists always stay over the elbows, and check you have
approximately a 45º angle between the torso and upper arm at the
bottom of the exercise.
blades.
Avoid locking out the elbows at the top and keep a gap between the
dumbbells to keep tension in the muscles.
From a side view, keep the dumbbells aligned with the chest.
The Vertical Push

A vertical push involves pushing weight overhead. This predominantly works
the deltoids and triceps.
Examples of a vertical push are variations of a Shoulder Press or Overhead
Press and include; Shoulder Press (Machine/Cables/Resistance Bands),
Barbell Overhead Press, Dumbbell Shoulder (or ‘Military') Press, and
Kettlebell Overhead Press.
Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Target Muscles: Deltoids and Triceps
Outline: The Dumbbells Shoulder Press, sometimes referred to as a Military
Press, predominantly works the shoulders and the back of the arms by
pressing dumbbells vertically overhead.
When using relatively heavy dumbbells, it can be a little tricky to transition
them into the start position. Click here to access a video demonstration of
how to perform a “Dumbbell Clean” to get them into the start position.
You can choose to perform this exercise seated or standing. If you experience
any adverse shoulder discomfort whilst performing the Dumbbell Shoulder
Press, I suggest attempting the Kettlebell Overhead Press outlined next.
As always, if you can complete over 15 repetitions (with good technique),
you will need to progress the weight of the dumbbells.
Equipment: Dumbbells (and a bench or chair for the seated version).
Dumbbell
Shoulder Press
Instructions:
1) Pick up a dumbbell in each hand (safely, without arching your back) and
position them just in front of your shoulders with your elbows under your
wrists. Either sit or stay standing. Place the feet hip-shoulder width apart.
Look straight ahead, brace your core and press the dumbbells overhead until
the arms are straight (elbows slightly bent) and in line with your ears, your
palms are pointing forward, your wrists are in neutral alignment, and your
shoulder blades are back and down.
2) Keeping your core braced and spine neutral, lower the dumbbells, allowing
them to separate so the wrists stay over the elbows until the dumbbells reach
the height of your jaw. From a side view, a line between the two dumbbells
would pass through your cheeks. Inhale as the dumbbells descend.
3) Press the dumbbells back overhead, keeping a slight gap between them at
the top, and exhale as the dumbbells rise. Stack the joints
(shoulder/elbow/wrist) on top of each other from a side view, in line with the
ears (or just in front if necessary).
(eccentric phase).
5) Repeat for the desired number of repetitions before returning the
dumbbells towards the front of the shoulders, flipping your elbows over the
top of the dumbbells and lowering them back down before placing them
safely onto the floor.
Key Points:
down.
Breathe out as you press the dumbbells up. Breathe in as you lower
them.
Ensure your wrists always stay over the elbows throughout the exercise.
Avoid locking out the elbows at the top and keep a gap between the
dumbbells to keep tension in the muscles. Lower them to around jaw
height for a full range of motion.
From a side view, keep the dumbbells aligned with the ears/back of the
jaw.
Kettlebell Overhead Press

Target Muscles: Deltoids and Triceps
Outline: The Kettlebell Overhead Press is another great exercise for the
shoulders and the back of the arms. It can be performed 1 arm at a time
(unilaterally) or both arms at the same time (bilaterally). We are going to
focus on the unilateral version because it only requires one kettlebell, makes
it easier to get the kettlebell into the start position, is a little more functional,
and we have already looked at a bilateral overhead press above.
When using a relatively heavy kettlebell, it can be a little tricky to get it into
the start position. Click here to access a video demonstration of how to
perform a “Kettlebell Clean” to get it into the start position. This start
position is known as ‘the rack’ in kettlebell training.
As always, if you can complete over 15 repetitions (with good technique),
you will need to progress the weight of the dumbbells.
Single-Arm
Kettlebell Overhead Press
Instructions:
1) Pick up a kettlebell in one hand (safely, without arching your back) and
position it in the rack position; elbow into the ribs, palm towards the sternum
(breastbone) facing across your body, forearm angled in towards the middle
of the chest. You can use your other hand to help you maneuver the kettlebell
into the rack position, or watch the instruction video on how to do it through
the kettlebell clean.
2) Set your feet hip-shoulder width, unlock your knees, brace your core, and
set the shoulder blades back and down. Look straight ahead and take a breath
in.
3) As you exhale, press the kettlebell straight up overhead, turning your
palms forward. Keep a slight bend in the elbow at the top with the
shoulder/elbow/wrists stacked on top of each other from a side view.
4) Lower the kettlebell back to the rack position via a vertical path (straight
line down), finishing back with the palm facing across the body, close to the
sternum, with the elbow into the ribs. Inhale as you descend.
(eccentric phase).
side.
Key Points:
down.
Breathe out as you press the kettlebell up and breathe in as you lower it.
Move the kettlebell through a vertical path, straight line up and straight
line down.
Avoid locking out the elbows at the top, and finish with the palm facing
forward.
From a side view, stack the joints (shoulder/elbow/wrist) on top of each
other when the kettlebell is overhead.
You can keep your grip closed, or open, whichever is preferred.
ADDITIONAL PUSH: DIPS

Dips are a bit of an anomaly and don’t fit perfectly in either the ‘horizontal
push’ or ‘vertical push’ categories. The ‘push’ occurs in more of a downward
direction, so it would make sense to put it into the ‘vertical push’ category,
but the muscles worked are more like those working in the ‘horizontal push'!
I wanted to include it as another push because of the minimal equipment
required, the functionality of pushing yourself up from low sitting positions
(for those of you preparing a strong, healthy body for your later years), and
the ability to perform it almost anywhere.
It focuses a lot of work on the back of the arms, but also utilizes the muscles
at the front of the shoulder and the chest.
Bodyweight Bench Dips

Target Muscles: Triceps, Anterior Deltoid, Pectoralis Major
Outline: You can perform Bodyweight Bench Dips using a bench, sofa,
sturdy chair, bed, fixed bar, or anything else that is secure at the right height.
If you find them too challenging, you can simply bend your knees more,
bringing your feet closer to the bench, or if you find them too easy, you can
simply straighten the legs out, or progress onto full bodyweight dips on
parallel bars.
As a guide, I would suggest focusing on a body position that enables you to
perform a minimum of 8 repetitions, but not over 15. If you can’t manage 8,
regress to an easier body position. If you can do over 15 (with great
technique), progress to a harder body position.
Equipment: Bench, or similar.
Bodyweight
Dips
Instructions:
1) Sit on the edge of a bench with your hands placed by your sides, palms on
the bench (close to the front edge), with your thumbs pointing forwards and
fingers angled away from your sides. Lift your chest, set your shoulder blades
back and down, and look straight ahead. Place your feet hip-width apart at
your chosen distance from the bench (closer = easier, further = harder). Push
your hands into the bench, lift your bum off the bench and hover it over the
edge.
2) Lower your bum towards the floor by bending your elbows and moving
them behind your shoulders until your upper arms are horizontal. Inhale as
your body lowers. Keep your chest open and shoulders down.
3) Press your palms on the bench, straightening your arms and raising your
body away from the floor. Straighten your arms without hyper-extending
your elbows at the top. Exhale as you rise.
(eccentric phase).
5) Repeat for the desired number of repetitions before resting your bum back
on the bench.
Key Points:
Angle your fingers away from the sides of your body to put the shoulder
joint into a more desirable position, with your chest open and shoulder
blades back and down.
Breathe out as you push up, breathe in as you lower.
blades, and feeling a subtle external screwing of your hands on the
bench (without them physically moving).
The Carry
To be categorized as a “carry”, an exercise must involve walking (potentially
jogging/running) whilst holding a weight with the upper body. We would
consider them to be a total body strength training exercise, as multiple
muscles within both the upper and lower body are under load.
As well as being great for improving overall strength (and endurance), carries
are superb for improving grip strength and our ability to perform activities of
daily living in our later years, such as carrying shopping or carrying
children/grandchildren. It’s all very well being able to lift, push and pull
loads, but our daily activities often involve walking with those loads as well.
Carries are also great for core strength when performed unilaterally with the
load held on one side of the body.
Farmer’s Walk
Target Muscles: Total body, including grip strength
Outline: The Farmer’s Walk is a great starting point for carries. It is an
excellent total body strength and endurance activity that also improves grip
strength and can also have a positive impact on the cardiovascular system.
You can perform it with dumbbells, kettlebells, or any weight that can be
held by the sides of the body. You will need one for each hand of equal
weight.
Rather than repetitions, you can monitor it through distance walked, number
of steps, or time. If you choose to carry lighter weights and focus on more
distance/time, your results will be more muscular endurance based. Whereas,
if you decide to carry heavier weights and focus on a shorter distance/time,
your results will be more muscular strength-based.
I recommend using weights that challenge you for 30s of walking,
progressing time with the same weight until you can complete 1 minute of
walking, then progressing to heavier weights and repeating the process.
Equipment: Dumbbells or Kettlebells.
Farmer's Walk
Instructions:
1) Deadlift the dumbbells or kettlebells off the floor.
2) Grip the weights by the sides of your body, set your shoulders back and
down, look straight ahead and brace your core. Walk in straight lines, back
and fore if you need to, keeping your torso as upright as possible.
3) Once the time or distance is up, or when you can no longer hold the
weights, safely place them down without rounding/bending the spine.
Key Points:
Wrap the thumb around the handles for a full grip. Maintain an open
chest with shoulder blades back and down.
your core braced to maintain the alignment.
Breathe naturally.
Keep your torso steady, avoiding excessive rocking or swinging.
Your arms should stay vertical next to your body throughout.
Suitcase Walk
Target Muscles: Total body, including grip and core strength
Outline: The Suitcase Walk is very similar to the Farmer’s Walk, but you
hold the weight in one hand only. This has the additional advantage of
engaging your core muscles to prevent lateral flexion (side bending) of the
spine. It also means that you can still perform it if you don’t have access to
two of the same weights.
You can perform it with dumbbells, kettlebells, or any weight that can be
held by the side of the body.
As with the Farmer’s Walk, you can monitor it through distance, the number
of steps, or time. If you choose to carry lighter weights and focus on more
distance/time, your results will be more muscular endurance based. Whereas,
if you decide to carry heavier weights and focus on a shorter distance/time,
your results will be more muscular strength-based.
I recommend using a weight that challenges you for 20-30s of walking per
side, progressing time with the same weight until you can complete 1 minute
per side, then progressing to heavier weights and repeating the process.
Equipment: Dumbbell or Kettlebell.
Suitcase Walk
Instructions:
1) Perform a Suitcase Deadlift to lift the dumbbell or kettlebell off the floor.
2) Grip the weight by the side of your body, set your shoulders back and
down, look straight ahead and brace your core. Walk in straight lines, back
and fore if you need to, keeping your torso as upright as possible.
3) Switch the weight to the other arm and repeat the same distance/time.
Once the time or distance is up, or when you can no longer hold the weight,
safely place it down without rounding/bending the spine.
Key Points:
Wrap the thumb around the handle for a full grip. Maintain an open
chest with shoulder blades back and down.
Breathe naturally.
Keep your torso steady, avoiding excessive rocking, swinging, or tilting
to the side of the weight.
Your arm should stay vertical next to your body throughout.
Allow your spare arms to swing naturally.
Rack Walk
Target Muscles: Total body, including core strength.
Outline: The Rack Walk is another one-side carry, but you hold the weight in
the ‘rack’ position as outlined in the Kettlebell Overhead Press. There is no
grip strength in the Rack Walk, but eliminating this element stops it from
being a limiting factor, allowing you to focus on the other benefits of the
exercise. It enhances core strength but does not place the same demands on
the core to prevent spinal lateral flexion, compared to the Suitcase Walk.
It is best performed using a kettlebell but can be replaced by a dumbbell if
necessary.
As with the previous two carries, you can monitor it through distance walked,
number of steps, or time. If you choose to carry lighter weights and focus on
more distance/time, your results will be more muscular endurance based.
Whereas, if you decide to carry heavier weights and focus on a shorter
distance/time, your results will be more muscular strength-based.
I recommend using a weight that challenges you for 20-30s of walking per
side, progressing time with the same weight until you can complete 1 minute
per side, then progressing to heavier weights and repeating the process.
Equipment: Kettlebells (or Dumbbell).
Rack Walk
Instructions:
1) Perform a Suitcase Deadlift to lift the kettlebell off the floor.
2) Transition the Kettlebell into the rack position, either through the help of
the spare hand or through the Kettlebell Clean shown in the exercise video
library.
2) Set your shoulders back and down, look straight ahead and brace your
core. Walk in straight lines, back and fore if you need to, keeping your torso
as upright as possible.
3) Switch the weight to the other arm and repeat the same distance/time.
Once the time or distance is up, or when you can no longer hold the weight,
safely place it down without rounding/bending the spine.
Key Points:
Use either a closed grip or open palm. Maintain an open chest with
shoulder blades back and down.
Breathe naturally.
Keep your torso steady, avoiding excessive rocking, swinging, or tilting
to the side.
Allow your spare arms to swing naturally.
The Essential Eight Summary

The Essential Eight should form the foundation of your weight training
program.
There are more exercises that fit into the Essential Eight movements, but I
have specifically chosen the exercises above as the most appropriate for those
over 50. The aim is to go through a period of conditioning and mastering the
general techniques before progressing on to alternatives or more advanced
exercises.
For example, in the Squat section, I deliberately left out one of the most
common squats; the Barbell Back Squat. This is mainly because of the spinal
loading that occurs when you have a weight on the top of your back, as well
as the potential need for a Squat Rack or technical skills needed to get the bar
onto the back without a Squat Rack.
Performing a Squat that involves spinal loading is a potentially high-risk
version to do if you have not yet mastered the technique involved in the
Squat movement pattern. It is also relatively high risk for those of you in your
60s and beyond due to potential losses in bone density and changes in spinal
curvature. So mastering the technique of the Chair Squat, Bodyweight Squat,
Goblet Squat, and Powerbag Front Squat should be your priority before
advancing onto Back Squats with a Powerbag or Barbell.
This is just one example within The Essential Eight, but there is a logical and
scientific rationale behind all of my exercise choices within this book.
However, to give you the best of both worlds, and ensure the options are
there when you want them, I have included further alternatives and
progressions in the exercise video library.
Chapter 12
8 Week Program
To support you in putting the content of this book into practice, I have
produced an 8 week beginner program for you to follow. There is also a
printable PDF version in the bonus material.
Before we get to the 8 week program, I want to recap on some of the
terminology that I refer to in the programs, and also cover some key
information on the planning and progression of your strength training.
Terminology Reminder
Repetitions (reps): how many times you perform an exercise. ’10 reps’
means that you perform the exercise 10 times before stopping and resting.
Sets: a set is a group of repetitions. 2 sets of 10 reps = 10 reps - rest - 10 reps
- exercise finished.
Load: the ‘weight’ of the equipment that the muscles are producing force
against. E.g. weight of a barbell or dumbbells.
Rest: the time taken to rest and recover between sets.
To provide yourself with the tools needed to progress appropriately to your
individual needs, let’s have a look at strength training planning and
progression.
Planning
Frequency
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that adults (aged 18-64)
and older adults (aged 65+) should perform muscle-strengthening activities at
a moderate or greater intensity that involve all major muscle groups on 2 or
more days a week.
Based on this, I recommend 2-3 sessions per week of strength training,
combined with additional exercise that targets other components of fitness
covered in the rest of the Simple Fitness After 50 series.
Volume
I’m a strong believer in quality over quantity when it comes to strength
training.
The essential eight movement patterns outlined in this book give you a
foundation for safe, effective, no-nonsense strength training exercises and
should form the basis of your muscle-strengthening activities.
I recommend 20-60 minutes, including warm up and cool own activities per
session. Volume is a variable that can be progressed, therefore I suggest
starting with 20 minute sessions and increasing volume when you feel
conditioned enough to do so.
Exercise Selection
Plan your exercises as per the example 8 week program, so that on a weekly
basis you are creating a balance between the number of pull exercises versus
the number of push exercises.
Include a variety of hip hinge, squat, and step up activities throughout each
week, and include a ‘carry’ in each session.
Exercises within each of the essential eight categories vary in difficulty. Start
with the easier versions, those that are outlined at the beginning of each
category in The Essential Eight chapter, and aim to increase the difficulty as
and when you feel ready. There are additional exercises in the video exercise
library which you can access through the bonus material.
Exercise Order
The 8 week programs are ordered in a logical sequence to give working
muscles some recovery time before being used again.
They also mostly alternate between lower body and upper body exercises.
This will provide your body with a cardiovascular benefit as the heart has to
distribute blood to working muscles in different areas of the body each time
you change exercise. This is referred to as Peripheral Heart Action (PHA).
Reps
As outlined earlier in the book, the number of repetitions and the associated
load lifted in a strength training exercise changes the training effect.
Lifting very heavy for <6 reps improves your ability to lift very heavy objects
very few times. This is termed Muscular Strength. Lifting low weights for
>12 reps improves your ability to overcome light loads multiple times. This is
termed Muscular Endurance.
In between these two, in the 6-12 rep range is hypertrophy training. This
range focuses on increasing muscle mass, increasing resting metabolic rate
and therefore fat loss through increased daily energy expenditure, as well as
some gains in muscular strength and muscular endurance.
Avoiding very heavy loads and very high repetitions also minimizes the risk
of injury associated with strength training.
Based on this, I recommend focusing on a broad range of 8-15 repetitions.
With the higher end of 12-15 reps being less challenging due to the relatively
lighter loads lifted, and the lower end of 8-10 reps seen as more challenging
due to the relatively higher loads lifted.
Whenever you attempt a new exercise, perform it with no/low weight and at
the higher end of the 8-15 rep range to learn the exercise through more
repetition.
Sets
I have planned for 2 sets on your 8 week example programs, primarily to
focus on quality over quantity, and time efficiency. Two good quality sets
will be more effective than 3 mediocre sets. However, if you have time and
feel you would benefit from performing a third set, then go ahead. Anything
beyond 3 sets is unnecessary for most people.
It’s important to think about the balance between push and pull exercises,
though. If you change to 3 sets of the push exercise(s) then you need to
change to 3 sets of the pull exercise(s) too.
Intensity
Once you’ve decided on the number of repetitions you’ll perform, and you
have mastered the technique of an exercise, it’s important to apply the
principle of progressive overload to your training, to ensure you maximise
your results.
The principle of progressive overload simply states that unless you provide
your body with a stimulus that is above and beyond what it’s used to, it will
not adapt.
In strength training, this means that it needs to be a challenge to complete the
full set with good technique. If you get the intensity right, you should be able
to complete the set but feel you cannot complete more repetitions.
If you finish the set and feel you could have continued, with good technique,
then you should increase the load on the next set or session to increase the
intensity. If you cannot finish the set without your technique deteriorating,
lower the load slightly on the next set or session.
Rest
A standard rest period between sets, for a rep range of 8-15, is 1-2 minutes. I
would suggest you base this on how hard you are working in the exercises,
your fitness levels, and whether you are aiming to keep your heart rate up for
cardiovascular benefits.
Reasons to keep the rest period around 1 minute include; you’re lifting light
weights to focus on technique, you have relatively high fitness levels, and/or
you’re aiming to keep your heart rate elevated.
Reasons to have a rest period of around 2 minutes include; you’re lifting
heavy and need longer to recover before the next set, you have relatively low
fitness levels, and/or you are doing other training dedicated to your
cardiovascular fitness.
Use 1-2 minutes of rest as a guide, and base it on the information above and
how you feel at the time.
Tempo
As covered in the General Exercise Technique chapter, I recommend a 2-0-2-
0 tempo or a 2-0-3-0 tempo to start with. These numbers mean that whenever
the load is rising against gravity, allow 2 seconds for the movement to occur
(the first 2), avoid pausing (the 0) and then take 2-3 seconds for the load to
lower towards the floor, and repeat without pausing (the other 0).
This is a safe tempo because it avoids rapid, uncontrolled movements that
may put unnecessary stress on the joints, muscles and connective tissue, but
is also an effective tempo as the muscles have sufficient time under tension
(TUT), particularly during the lowering phase when gravity can do the work
for you!
Use the 2-0-2-0 tempo as your standard tempo. If, during the last few
repetitions of a set, you are finding the exercise easy, slow down the phase of
the exercise where the load lowers/descends to 3 seconds to create a 2-0-3-0
tempo.
Progressing
To achieve results, you need to gradually progress your strength training.
Often referred to as Progressive Resistance Training (PRT) in research
papers, it’s a vital aspect of continually seeing results and achieving goals.
There are several variables that you can progress. I do not recommend
progressing these all at once, but choosing the most appropriate to you and
making minor changes as often as possible. Think little and often.
Increase Load
Initially, this is likely to be the most important variable to progress gradually.
Remember, your muscles will only adapt and become stronger/bigger if you
provide them with a stimulus greater than what they are used to. So if you
keep lifting the same weights, you are providing the same stimulus which
your body gets used to.
You are also likely to see some significant increases in strength during the
first few months of training due to neuromuscular adaptations; your nervous
system and muscular system adapt to become more efficient at
communicating with each other to produce the necessary force, coordination
and stability to carry out the exercise.
This accumulates to significant early progress. Since your strength is likely to
increase, you need to respond by increasing the stimulus (the load in this
case) to keep up the progress. Remember, listen to your body and progress in
small increments and only as often as you feel is appropriate.
Increase Repetitions
As you get stronger, you will be able to lift the same load more times. This
would be an increase in repetitions. So lifting 10kg 12 times and then a
couple of weeks later lifting the same 10kg 15 times shows a progression in
repetitions. Although this is a progression, it is unlikely that this is the most
appropriate progression for you.
We discussed the muscular outcomes of strength training earlier, outlining
the difference between muscular strength, muscular hypertrophy, and
muscular endurance. We also determined that a hypertrophy rep range of 6-
12, is likely to be most relevant to the goals of this over 50. So if you focus
your progressions on increasing reps, you may end up well into the muscular
endurance range, which may not align with your goals.
I suggest using a rep range and increasing repetitions within that rep range
over several weeks. When you can comfortably achieve the highest number
of reps in that range, it’s time to focus on another progression rather than
increasing reps more.
For example, you plan your rep range to be 10-12. You start week 1,
performing 10 reps of each exercise, and by week 2 you may get to 10 and
feel like you can do one more, so you continue to 11. In weeks 3-4, you are
achieving a comfortable 12 reps of each exercise. The next step would be to
increase the load (or another progression if more appropriate) and go back to
10 reps and repeat the process.
Increase Sets
The number of sets won’t change too significantly, but it largely affects the
volume of the session and, therefore, the time. I suggest 2-4 sets of each
exercise, starting with 2 sets.
Sets are not a vital progression, but if you want to increase the volume of the
session or you feel you aren’t quite getting enough out of 2 sets, then
progress to 3 and then potentially 4 in the future.
Over 3 sets are unnecessary for most people, and more than 4 is very unlikely
to have any noticeable benefit to your results, and may increase your risk of
injury due to fatigue.
Decrease Rest
Rest time is relevant to the training outcome. Muscular hypertrophy training,
between 6-12 repetitions, requires a rest time of approximately 1-2 minutes.
It’s recommended to start this at the higher end, and gradually reduce it as
your recovery between sets improves.
If you have just increased the weight/load on your exercises, it’s a good idea
to increase your rest time temporarily while you adapt to the additional
weight.
Increase Complexity
Performing the same exercises for weeks and months can get a little boring
over time, so progressing the exercise often by making it a bit more complex
can keep things interesting and progress your training at the same time. I’ve
provided a few exercise progressions in the 8-week plans, and you can find
more variations in the bonus material.
Increase Volume & Time
If you feel you want to make your training sessions longer, you can always
progress volume via the number of exercises you perform. A strength training
session, including warm up and cool down, should last anywhere from 20 to
60 minutes.
Start with around 20 minutes and if you have the desire, increase to 40
minutes. If you want to increase the length of the session beyond 40 minutes,
then I suggest including other components of fitness such as mobility,
flexibility, balance and core. We will cover these in-depth in books 2-6 of the
Simple Fitness After 50 series.
One important point to remember when increasing the number of strength
training exercises performed is program balance, particularly between pushes
and pulls, as outlined earlier in this chapter. If you imbalance the program
between pushes and pulls, ensure you have more pulls than pushes.
Increase Frequency
Increasing the frequency of training, how often you complete a session, is a
progression. However, there becomes a point where the increased frequency
can become detrimental to your results. As there are many components of
fitness that are important to those over 50 (covered in the Simple Fitness
After 50 Series), I recommend starting with a strength training frequency of
two sessions per week, and progressing to three sessions per week once it
becomes more of a habit.
8 Week Example Programs

Below, you’ll find a progressive 8-week program based on two sessions per
week. I have also produced printable PDF versions with exercise diagrams as
part of the free bonus material, which you can find here, along with the
exercise technique videos.
Weeks 1 & 2
Weeks 3 & 4
Weeks 5 & 6
Weeks 7 & 8
Chapter 13
Conclusion
Congratulations on completing Fundamental Strength Training After 50!

I hope this is just the start of your journey toward a healthier and better
functioning life, and that you feel confident in what you need to focus on to
make the most of your muscle-strengthening activities.
The science and research don’t lie; strength training has many benefits for
people of all ages, including those beyond 50. If one or more of the following
benefits resonates with you, it’s time to get started today...
Improves your ability to function more effectively and efficiently in
work-based environments, particularly during the last 10-15 years of
your career when physical tasks become more challenging.
Improves your ability to carry out activities of daily living with more
ease and less discomfort.
Allows you to enjoy an active role with your grandchildren.
Helps maintain a desirable body shape and size.
Increases resting metabolic rate, allowing you to consume more daily
calories without putting on body fat.
Reduces your risk of age-related conditions such as Type 2 Diabetes and
Osteoporosis.
Lowers the risk of fall-related injuries.
Strength training doesn’t need to be complicated. Simplify it by focusing on

the essential eight movement patterns. Use these to form the foundation of
your muscle-strengthening activities and not only will you see significant
results, but you’re likely to do it in a safe and effective manner.
Technique is key. Study the detailed instructions for each exercise, use my
exercise technique videos in the bonus material, and seek feedback from a
fitness professional. You can do this in your local area, or contact me about
my exercise technique analysis service where you can submit videos of your
exercises and receive detailed feedback on your technique.
Once you’ve mastered the technique of an exercise, it’s time to apply the
principle of progressive overload! Lift a sufficient weight that causes you to
reach the point of fatigue at the end of each set. To maximize results, it
should be a challenge to finish your last few repetitions of each set.
Use my 8-week program to get you started TODAY. If you prefer to use a
printable PDF version with diagrams of the exercises included, access the
bonus material to receive them for FREE.
Remember that a multi-component approach to fitness will provide the best
outcome for a fit and healthy future. Check out the rest of the Simple Fitness
After 50 series and subscribe for updates and book release notifications here.
If you want to take things to another level and continue your fitness journey
through any of my coaching services, check out Lifetime Fitness Coaching.
Thank You and Please!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read Fundamental Strength
Training After 50. I’m truly grateful to you all and hope that you found it to
be informative and helpful towards your health & fitness goals.
If you enjoyed this book, please consider letting other people know by
leaving a review on Amazon.
Amazon reviews are incredibly helpful – both for self-published authors like
myself to get the word out, and also for other potential readers to decide
whether this book will be useful to them. Thank you in advance, I’m truly
grateful for your support.
Links to create a review:
USA: https://amazon.com/review/create-review?&asin=B0B1Z7443J
UK: https://amazon.co.uk/review/create-review?&asin=B0B1Z7443J
AUS: https://amazon.com.au/review/create-review?&asin=B0B1Z7443J
CAN: https://amazon.ca/review/create-review?&asin=B0B1Z7443J
DE: https://amazon.de/review/create-review?&asin=B0B1Z7443J
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IN: https://amazon.in/review/create-review?&asin=B0B1Z7443J
Thanks again!
Healthy Regards,
Mike
Author Bio
Mike is a 1:1 Online Fitness Coach, Fitness Educator and Author living in the
UK.
Mike obtained a degree in Sport & Exercise Science at University and has
since spent over 20 years in the fitness industry. He currently runs Lifetime
Fitness Coaching, The Fitness Education Hub, as well as writing and teaching
fitness industry qualifications in Spain and Malta. More recently, Mike has
also become a self-published fitness author.
Mike currently specialises in three main areas:
1) Coaching and educating adults over 50 years of age to lose weight,
maximize their health & fitness, increase their functional capabilities in daily
activities and sports, and reduce their risk of future health problems
associated with a sedentary lifestyle.
2) Educating future fitness professionals to obtain their Gym Instructor,
Personal Trainer, and CPD qualifications with the European Personal
Training Institute, at their campuses in Spain and Malta. Mike has been
tutoring and assessing fitness qualifications for over 15 years and prides
himself on explaining complex subjects in a logical, easy to understand, and
fun way.
3) His latest venture focuses more on online entrepreneurship within the
fitness industry. Working on multiple online revenue streams and passing this
knowledge on to current Fitness Professionals to enhance their online
revenue streams. This includes areas such as self-publishing ebooks, online
course creation, online fitness coaching, email marketing, blogging, and
eCommerce.
Mike Wilson
Coming Soon
Fundamental Strength Training After 50 is book one of the Simple Fitness

After 50 series. The series covers the fundamental components of fitness for
those over 50 years of age. Click here to register for updates on upcoming
releases.
The aim of the book series is to simplify what exercises are important to
improve all 5 components of fitness; to maintain freedom & independence in
later life, improve body composition, be able to perform activities of daily
living with more ease, decrease the risk of age-related diseases, and live life
with more energy and vitality.
The remaining four books in the series are:
Fundamental Core Training After 50 (Book Two)
Fundamental Balance Training After 50 (Book Three)
Fundamental Flexibility & Mobility After 50 (Book Four)
Fundamental Posture Training After 50 (Book Five)
Bibliography
American College of Sports Medicine. (2010). ACSM’s Guidelines for

Exercise Testing and Prescription. Eighth Edition. Philadelphia: Wolters
Kluwer/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Butler-Browne, G., et. al. (2018). How Muscles Age, and How Exercise Can
Slow It. The Scientist.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Keep on Your Feet –
Preventing Older Adult Falls.” Accessed January, 2022.
CDC.gov/injury/features/older-adult-falls/index.html
Chodzko-Zajko, W.J. (2014). ACSM’s exercise for older adults.
Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
DiPietro, L. (2019). Physical Activity and Function in Older Age: It’s Never
too Late to Start! American College of Sports Medicine. Accessed May,
2022. https://www.acsm.org/blog-detail/acsm-blog/2019/09/10/physical-
activity-function-older-age
Griffin, R.M. (2021). Myths About Exercise and Older Adults. Compass by
WebMD. Accessed January, 2022. https://www.webmd.com/healthy-
aging/features/exercise-older-adults#1
Harvard Health Publishing. (2016). Preserve your muscle mass. Accessed
January, 2022. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/preserve-
your-muscle-mass/
Hong, A.R., & Kim, S.W. (2018). Effects of Resistance Exercise on Bone
Health. Endocrinology and Metabolism (Seoul, Korea), 33 (4), 435–444.
https://doi.org/10.3803/EnM.2018.33.4.435
Liu, C. J., & Latham, N. K. (2009). Progressive resistance strength training
for improving physical function in older adults. The Cochrane database of
systematic reviews, 2009(3), CD002759.
https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD002759.pub2
Seguin, R.A., et.al. (2002) Growing Stronger: Strength Training for Older
Adults. Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity.
The Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire for Everyone (PAR-Q+).
https://eparmedx.com/?page_id=75
World Health Organization (2008). WHO global report on falls prevention in
older age. Geneva: World Health Organization.
World Health Organization (2020). WHO guidelines on physical activity and
sedentary behaviour. Geneva: World Health Organization.

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Fundamental Strength Training After 50

Simple weight training exercises to maintain health, increase

All rights reserved.

Free Bonus Material

5. Habit vs Quick Fix

8. Myths & Misconceptions

9. Warm Up and Cool Down

10. General Exercise Technique

11. The Essential Eight

12. 8 Week Program

GRAB YOUR FREE BONUS MATERIAL NOW!

The "Simple Fitness After 50" Series

Simple Fitness After 50 Series

Strength training can be complex and confusing. There are hundreds of

The Essential Eight is a simple but effective method of improving and

The Aging Process

The aging process involves natural degeneration of the body systems,

Strength Training Principles

It is common for people to perceive the term ‘strength training’ differently

Benefits of Strength Training After 50

A multitude of studies have shown that regular strength training can

As well as these benefits of strength training, research shows that your

Types of Strength Training

Home-Based Strength Training Equipment

Are All Strength Training Exercises ‘Good'?

Compound Exercises vs. Isolation Exercises?

Habit vs Quick Fix

Outcome vs Process Goals

Short, Medium and Long-term Goals

Health Screening is the process of determining whether you are in a healthy

Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q)

If your blood pressure is above 160/100, the GP/Physician may recommend

Resting Heart Rate

Importance of Tracking Progress

How to Track Progress

Health & Fitness Tests

As it’s a commonly used indicator of health by health professionals, it’s

Either way, circumference measurements work to track the progress of

Myths & Misconceptions

Warm Up and Cool Down

Warm Up & Dynamic Stretches

The warm up should:

Example Warm Up:

Click here to gain access to a video demonstration of a comprehensive Warm

Cool Down & Static Stretches

Example Cool Down and Stretch:

General Exercise Technique

To maintain a neutral spine, you can incorporate a few techniques before it

Hip-Knee-Ankle (H-K-A) Alignment

Range of Motion (ROM)

The Essential Eight

To support the exercise instructions and images within this section, I am

Sandbag/Powerbag Front Squat

Additional versions of the Squat such as the Sandbag/Powerbag Back Squat

The Hip Hinge

The following are my recommendations for performing hip hinge exercises

2-Arm Kettlebell Swing

Weighted Hip Thrusts

Bodyweight Step Ups

Dumbbell/Kettlebell Step Ups