Master These 4 Bodyweight Exercises at 60 and Outperform Many in Their 40s

Bodyweight training serves as a powerful tool for assessing your body’s movement and functionality. Payton Causey, who leads personal training at Life Time Westlake in Texas, highlights that exercises relying solely on your body weight not only test your strength but also your ability to control your body as it moves through space. We delved into a conversation with Causey to explore the advantages of bodyweight workouts and uncover the exercises that can make you stronger than the average 40-year-old when you’re well past 60.

Causey emphasizes, “These movements cultivate strength, mobility, stability, balance, and coordination across various joints and muscles, enabling your body to operate as a cohesive unit.” He continues, “By maintaining these movement patterns, you ensure that you can perform essential daily activities—like rising from the floor, navigating stairs, carrying groceries, or reaching overhead—with confidence and ease.”

Identifying real-world mobility and strength through just a few exercises can be challenging, but Causey assures that mastering the following movements is a strong indicator of exceptional stability, mobility, and strength. “If you can execute these exercises,” he says, “I can nearly guarantee that you possess the strength, mobility, and stability to perform tasks that may challenge others, including reaching overhead, squatting, bending, rotating, or standing on one leg.”

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These capabilities not only reflect a body that moves with efficiency and safety but also one that can meet the physical demands of everyday life without difficulty.

“[Acing these moves] shows that you have the strength, mobility, and stability to do things many of your peers may struggle with such as reaching overhead, squatting down, bending, rotating, or balancing on one leg,” Causey adds. “These abilities reflect a body that moves efficiently, absorbs force safely, and can perform the physical demands of daily life.”

Keep in mind that these sets and reps are generalized. Causey recommends following your current abilities and progress from there. It’s always wise to consult with a local certified personal trainer before starting any new exercise regimen.

Dead Hang

1. Hold onto a pull-up bar with an overhand grip.
2. Allow your body to completely hang with arms extended and feet off the floor.
3. Hang onto the bar for 3 sets, 9/10 effort level—until your grip is almost compromised but not complete failure.
4. The ideal goal is to aim for a 60-second hold.

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Bodyweight Turkish Get-Up

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKHd9Lri7vM

1. Begin lying on your back with right knee bent, right foot flat on the ground, and right arm extended toward the sky. Your left arm and leg should rest on the floor at roughly a 45-degree angle.
2. Activate your core and press through your right foot and left elbow to shift onto your left forearm.
3. Press up onto your left hand, keeping a tall chest and your right arm extended overhead.
4. Lift your hips off the ground so you’re able to sweep your left leg underneath your body, positioning your left knee below your hip in a half-kneeling position.
5. Come to a full kneel, keeping your right arm lifted overhead.
6. Stand up tall, pressing through your front heel.
7. Reverse the motion.
8. Complete 3 sets of 1 to 2 reps per side, aiming for consecutive sets on each.

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Single-Leg Box Squat

1. Set up a sturdy box or workout bench behind you.
2. Balance on one leg a few inches ahead of the box, the other leg extended straight in front of you.
3. Bend the knee of your standing leg as you slowly lower into a single-leg squat.
4. Lightly tap the box with your buttocks.
5. Drive through the front heel to rise up.
6. Perform 3 sets of 3 to 5 reps per side.
7. Ideal goal is to aim for 10 reps on each leg.

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Pushup

1. Start with a high plank with 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.
5. Perform 3 sets of 5 to 10 reps.
6. The ideal goal is to complete 20 reps (for men) and 10 reps (for women).