The 5 Best Strength Exercises for People Over 50
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Some changes famously accompany aging. For some people, it gets harder to hear in crowded places; for others, reading a menu in dim light gets trickier. But not everyone knows to expect a loss of muscle mass. Starting around age 30, people lose 3-5% of their lean muscle per decade. For most people, this decline isn’t noticeable until around age 60, when it might start to make daily activities more difficult.
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One of the most effective ways to combat muscle loss is to build and protect the muscle you already have through strength training. Not only will that help you avoid frailty and falls, but it can also keep you moving with ease through your daily activities.
When people ask Charlie Grundas, a certified personal trainer and owner of We, The Collective Fitness in Chicago, why it’s important to strength train after 50, he has an easy reply: “Do you ever want there to be a time where you can’t get off the toilet?” he says. “I don't think there should ever be [a time when] you drop something on the floor, and you're like, ‘Well, forget it, I don't own that anymore.’”
You also start losing bone density as you age, and strength training builds healthy bones, which helps prevent falls and fractures. Plus, the muscle you build may offer some insulating protection if you do stumble, says Will Hewitt, certified personal trainer and director of training at Flight House Fitness in Charlestown, Mass.
Strength training can help at any age, whether you want to keep improving in your athletic pursuits, be able to pick up grandchildren, or simply bring your groceries inside in one trip, Grundas says. It’s OK to start with just a few exercises and just a few sets and repetitions: anywhere from one to three sets of six to 15 repetitions is beneficial, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. What’s most important is that you do it—ideally at least twice a week.
It’s always a good idea to get the green light from your doctor before starting any new exercise routine. You might also consider working with a fitness professional, like a certified personal trainer or certified strength and conditioning specialist, if you’re new to strength training at this stage of life or if you’ve had any injuries or surgery. A professional can help you modify movements and swap out equipment that might feel better for your particular circumstances, Hewitt says.
They can also help encourage you to try activities you might think you “shouldn’t” do in your 50s and beyond. “Your days of doing an 18-inch box jump may be over, and that's a hard pill to swallow, but let's do a six-inch box, and maybe six months from now, we'll be doing 12 inches,” he says. “It's just like eating your vegetables: You just have to keep doing it, and you'll be better for it.”
Here are some of the best strength-training exercises he and others recommend you try as you get older, plus how to do them with proper form.
Goblet squat
A squat is the movement required to stand up from sitting down, which is something you’ll want to be able to do your whole life long, Grundas says. This particular variation works your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and core, and it’s approachable for people of all fitness levels, Hewitt says. Holding a weight at your chest can help you keep your chest up, and keeping a wide stance can help you squat more deeply, according to the National Academy of Sports Medicine.
How to do it
Start standing with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, toes pointing slightly out, holding a dumbbell (cupping one end like it’s a heavy goblet) or kettlebell at your chest with both hands.
Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the floor or as far as you can comfortably go, keeping the weight close to your chest and your elbows inside your knees.
Press through your feet to return to the starting position.
Complete all repetitions, aiming for six to 15.
Modify it
You can work all the same muscles by doing a step-down instead. Standing on a stair, start to walk down, and as soon as your heel touches the lower step, press through your standing leg and return both feet to the higher stair, Grundas says. Repeat, alternating feet with each repetition.
Sitting-rising test
At the end of the weekly yoga class he teaches, Grundas challenges his class to stand up from the floor without using their hands. This works many different lower-body muscles and your core, in addition to helping you maintain your mobility and your balance. A 2026 European Journal of Preventive Cardiology study found people who could sit down and stand up from the floor without using their hands or other body parts for support had a four times lower risk of death over the study period compared to people who required more support.
How to do it
Start standing barefoot on the floor.
Sit down cross-legged on the floor using as little support from your hands or legs as possible.
Stand up, once again using as little support as possible.
Complete all repetitions, aiming for three to five.
Modify it
Use your hands or legs as needed to help you sit and stand. Keep practicing, aiming to be able to do the movement with less help.
If you’re able to sit and rise without support, challenge yourself with a Turkish get-up instead, Grundas says.
Seated overhead press
This movement can help you maintain your ability to put dishes away on the highest shelf in your kitchen or stow your suitcase in the overhead compartment on a plane, Grundas says.
How to do it
Start sitting on a bench or a sturdy piece of furniture with your feet planted on the floor, holding a dumbbell in each hand at your shoulders with your elbows bent and your palms facing forward.
Press both dumbbells overhead until your arms are straight but not locked.
Pause briefly, then lower the dumbbells to return to the starting position.
Complete all repetitions, aiming for six to 15.
Modify it
If you need something a little easier, use light weights to do a lateral raise, Grundas suggests:
Start standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand by your sides, palms facing your body.
Keeping your arms straight and your shoulders back and down, slowly lift the dumbbells up and out to your sides until the dumbbells are level with your shoulders.
Slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.
Complete all repetitions, aiming for six to 15.
If you’re ready for a more challenging move, try a bench press, he says:
Lie on your back on a flat bench with your feet flat on the floor holding a barbell with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
Press the bar up until your arms are straight, but don’t lock your elbows.
Slowly lower the bar with control until you’re just about at your chest.
Complete all repetitions, aiming for six to 15.
Kickstand Romanian deadlift
Grundas recommends a modified deadlift to help you maintain your ability to pick something up off the ground.
How to do it
Stand on one foot with the toes of your other foot on the floor slightly behind your heel, like you’re in a staggered “kickstand” position. Keep most of your weight in your standing leg and a slight bend in that knee. Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell in your opposite hand.
Keeping that slight bend in your standing knee, push your hips back and lower the weight in front of your leg until you feel a stretch in the back of your thigh.
Pause briefly, then press through your standing foot to return to the starting position.
Complete all repetitions, aiming for six to 15, then repeat on the other side.
Modify it
Try it without any weight at first to get used to the movement. Once you feel comfortable in the kickstand position, you can try a single-leg Romanian deadlift, where you extend your kickstand leg straight behind you instead. You can also lift heavier weight with both feet on the floor in the traditional Romanian deadlift position.
Bear crawl hold
Core exercises help improve balance, which can ward off falls, Hewitt says. Your core muscles also include your pelvic floor, so strengthening these muscles can help prevent bladder and bowel issues that become more common with age.
How to do it
Start on your hands and knees on the floor.
Press through your palms and toes to lift your knees a few inches off of the floor.
Keep your back flat and hips level as you hold this position for 10 to 60 seconds.
Modify it
Elevate your hands on a sturdy bench, step, or couch to make this a little easier.
Once you get comfortable holding this position, make it a little more challenging by lifting one hand off the floor at a time and tapping it to the opposite shoulder or holding one arm and the opposite leg in the air for several seconds, Hewitt says. You can also crawl forward and backward in this position without letting your knees touch the floor.