Counteract muscle decline with these effortless bodyweight exercises.

While halting the aging process completely is beyond reach, numerous lifestyle adjustments can effectively decelerate it. Many health enthusiasts might lean on supplements, yet exercise stands out as a proven method for maintaining youthfulness, strength, and flexibility. We consulted Steve Chambers, a gym manager and certified personal trainer at Ultimate Performance, who highlights six bodyweight exercises that combat muscle aging more effectively than supplements for those over 50.

“The most fundamental truth about supplements is embedded in their name: they are meant to supplement a healthy lifestyle, not replace essential activities like proper nutrition and exercise,” Chambers explains. “As an advocate for strength and longevity, I firmly believe that bodyweight exercises offer tremendous benefits for everyone, particularly those over 50, as they help mitigate health issues like sarcopenia (muscle deterioration) and osteoporosis (bone weakening).”

While supplements can still play a supportive role, prioritizing resistance training is crucial for stimulating muscle growth post-50.

Supplements can still be helpful, but if your goal is to promote muscle growth after 50, then resistance training should be your main focus.

Another caveat? Workouts are only “one piece of the puzzle,” Chambers stresses. If you don’t pay attention to your overall lifestyle, diet, and recovery practices, bodyweight training can’t perform miracles on its own.

“If your diet is full of processed foods, takeaways, or alcohol, you will stunt your progress, whether you’re using your own body weight or dumbbells etc.,” Chambers adds. “To build and preserve muscle, you need sufficient protein, plenty of nutrient-rich vegetables, and quality carbohydrates.”

6 Bodyweight Exercises That Stop Muscle Aging

Below, Chambers breaks down six bodyweight moves that help stop muscle aging in its tracks.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

“These six bodyweight exercises do something that supplements alone simply cannot: they actively challenge your muscles, your nervous system, and posture in a way that forces adaptation,” Chambers says. “While supplements can certainly help with things such as recovery, protein intake, addressing vitamin deficiencies (for example, vitamin D or magnesium supplements can be very helpful) or overall general health, they’re not a substitute for the stimulus your muscles get when you move intentionally under load.”

Pushups

“Pushups are a classic compound movement (compound movements refer to exercises that hit multiple muscle groups simultaneously) that engage your chest, shoulders, triceps, and core,” Chambers explains. “By ‘squeezing’ your hands against the floor as you come up, or by increasing the time you lower (slow eccentrics), you significantly boost the tension your muscles experience. That equals more hypertrophy.”

This bodyweight move also trains you to engage your core and maintain tension throughout the body, promoting better stability and control. “These are skills that are crucial for joint health as you hit your 50s,” Chambers adds.

1. Assume a high plank position with your hands under your shoulders and your body straight.
2. Bend your elbows and lower your chest toward the floor.
3. Maintain a long, straight body as you lower.
4. Press back up, straightening your arms.

Bulgarian Split Squats

“This is a unilateral (single-leg) movement, which is excellent for balance, stability, and correcting asymmetries, which becomes especially important as we get older,” Chambers points out. “The ‘one-and-a-half’ technique (go down fully, come up halfway, go down again, then come all the way up) increases the time under tension and forces your muscles to work harder. That’s a great way to drive hypertrophy without weights.”

1. Stand tall, facing away from a bench, and rest one foot behind you on the bench.
2. Squat down with the forward leg, and keep that shin vertical.
3. Lean forward as you go down, and keep all the weight on the heel of your forward foot.
4. Press back up.
5. Repeat on the other side.

YTWL (Scapular Control Sequence)

“YTWL is a sequence of four movements (forming the letters Y, T, W, L with your arms) that focus on scapular retraction, depression, and stability,” Chambers tells us. “These moves develop shoulder stability, scapular control, and upper back strength, which are often neglected but become increasingly important with age. Better shoulder function helps protect against injury and supports posture, especially when combined with other strength work.”

1. Stand tall.
2. Reach your arms overhead to form a “Y,” squeezing your shoulder blades together.
3. Hold for a moment before lowering.
4. Raise your arms out to the sides to shoulder level to form a “T.”
5. Hold for a moment before lowering.
6. Bend your elbows to 90 degrees and pull them down and back to form a “W.”
7. Hold for a moment before lowering.
8. With your elbows at your sides, bend your arms to 90 degrees to form an “L” shape.
9. Hold for a moment before lowering.

Single-Leg Hip Thrust

“The hip thrust is one of the best exercises for glute and posterior chain activation. Doing it one-legged amplifies the balance demands and forces each side to work independently,” Chambers says. “Strong glutes and hamstrings support hip stability, improve walking mechanics, and reduce the risk of lower-back pain, which is critical as our joint resilience naturally declines with age. It also helps maintain a powerful, functional posterior chain, which tends to weaken with age (if neglected!)”

1. Lie flat on your back with bent knees, feet flat on the floor, and arms at your sides.
2. Press your lower back into the ground.
3. Extend your left leg straight out.
4. Press through your right heel to lift your glutes off the floor and toward the ceiling.
5. Squeeze your glutes at the top.
6. Lower with control.
7. Repeat on the other side.

Plank to Press-Up

“This is a dynamic core movement: you start in a traditional plank position, then press up into a push-up position. You work your core, your upper body, and your stabilizer muscles all in one during this move,” Chambers explains. “It’s brilliant for developing anti-extension strength (e.g. preventing your back from sagging), which supports overall spinal health. The transition demand also recruits the shoulders and triceps, offering both strength and stability benefits.”

1. Start in a forearm plank with your elbows under your shoulders and legs out straight.
2. Brace your core.
3. Press up with your left hand, followed by your right hand, to assume a high plank—or pushup—position.
4. Then, lower back onto your forearms, one arm at a time.

Super Slow Squats

“Lowering into a squat slowly (for example, taking five seconds down and five seconds up, or similar controlled tempo) massively increases the time spent under tension. This slow tempo forces your quads, glutes, hamstrings, and stabilizers to maintain control throughout the movement, which is great for strength and muscle building,” Chambers notes. “It’s also joint-friendly because you’re not bouncing in and out of reps. Instead, every rep is deliberate, controlled, and safe.”

1. Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Extend your arms in front of you or place your hands on your hips. Use a chair for support, if necessary.
3. Bend at the knees and hips as you lower into a squat, taking 5 seconds to descend until your thighs are parallel to the ground.
4. Press through your heels, taking 5 seconds to return to standing.