I’m going to keep it short and simple this time. If you’re looking to improve your quality of life (think moving better), save time in the gym and become stronger then the following two exercises should at some point be a part of your workout program.

Squat:

Few exercises are more misunderstood than the squat. You’ll even hear doctors say they are bad on the knees. Wanna know what I think? If you hear someone say this, ask them how they go to the bathroom. Silly as that sounds,  at some point we all have to squat down to do such a task.

If we perform a movement in life, then we must train for it in the gym. Now, I’m not saying that someone with knee issues such as arthritis should be loading a bar up with 200 pounds and squat.  But, over the years I’ve come to learn that anyone can squat, the trick is finding ways to do so without pain and with good form.

Here are two tricks to do a perfect squat.

  • Find a chair (if you’re a beginner or someone with knee pain, the taller the chair or any object you can sit on the better). Have a seat on the chair.
  • Now, find an object that weighs 3-5 lbs and with both hands hold it straight out in front of you.
  • Simply stand up and sit down. Now you are squatting.
  • Be sure that you don’t smack down on the chair, rather slowly lower and have a seat. This will save all the force from plopping down from going up your spine.
  • As you progress, you can do the same thing but instead of sitting, just come down far enough where you barely make contact with the seat and come right back up.

This is a great way to strengthen your leg muscles while doing something that will improve your quality of life especially as we become older.

Step Up:

Think about it. We all have to go up stairs at some point in our life, but as we age that becomes more difficult. So, what can be done?

If you’re a member of a gym, see if they have a Step Up machine. This will allow you to to adjust the height of the step depending upon your ability. The higher you place the step, the tougher it will be from a balance standpoint as well as strength.

If your gym doesn’t have one of these machines, you can simply do this at home with a set of stairs.

  • Put one foot on the step, and step up with the other. Now lower the foot you just stepped up with. The key is to perform all your reps with the one foot up on the step for a set number of reps. Then you would switch feet and do the same.
  • Again, the height of the step as well as any extra weight you hold will determine how tough it will be.
  • It’s always best to start with just your body weight, and if your balance is really bad you can hold on to a railing lightly and progress to not holding on.

There you go, two exercises that we must all do at some point in our day, but become tougher as we age. Practice them in the gym or at home and start to feel stronger and move better.