[For Seniors] Strengthen Your Legs! Recommended Training Items
Some older adults find that their legs don’t feel as strong as they age.
With that in mind, here are some recommended training items to help strengthen your legs.
Daily exercise and training are important for building leg strength.
However, many people start exercising suddenly and end up giving up halfway because they can’t keep up physically.
Begin with training you can continue without overexerting yourself.
Use this article as a reference when choosing your training items.
- [For Seniors] Recreational activities and games that let you have fun while strengthening your legs
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- For seniors: Enjoyable exercises done while seated, accessible for wheelchair users.
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[For Seniors] Strengthen Your Legs! Recommended Training Items (31–40)
ring damper
A simple piece of equipment with a handle wrapped around a ring.
You train your muscles by changing the shape of the ring using force.
The main way to use it is a pressing motion from both sides.
To apply enough force to noticeably change its shape, focus on engaging your whole body.
When pressing with your arms, engage not only your hands and arms but also your shoulder muscles; when pressing with your thighs, pay attention to the power from your hip joints and lower back.
Pressing from positions other than directly in front of your body changes how you apply force, so it’s important to try various patterns to train your entire body.
Room Walker
Walking is often seen as an outdoor activity, so the less people go out, the fewer chances they have to walk.
This Room Walker makes it possible to do that essential foot-training exercise—walking—indoors.
With the moving belt creating an automatically advancing path, you can consciously push off and step forward firmly.
It can be adjusted to each person’s pace, so start slowly and aim to gradually increase your speed.
resistance band
This is about turning everyday movements into training by adding resistance with a band.
Even a common daily action like lifting your arms will engage your muscles well when you add the element of stretching a band.
It’s recommended to start with a simple move: hold both ends with your hands and stretch the band to gauge how much force is needed, then incorporate it into your movements.
Since every movement will require effort, you’ll likely start to see which muscles are being used for each movement.
foot acupressure massager
The soles of the feet are such an important area that they’re often called the body’s “second heart.” Stimulating the pressure points located there can help improve circulation and overall health.
This product is a simple-looking board with protrusions that effectively stimulate the soles.
The protrusions are arranged to match the pressure points, and it also shows which parts of the body each point corresponds to.
Use it to help identify potential trouble spots in your body while loosening the soles with the protrusions to promote relaxation.
indoor fast walking
Walking is considered good for health, and many older adults are already practicing it.
However, some may feel that outdoor walking is a hassle.
For those who find it difficult to go outside or aren’t comfortable with physical activity, walking outdoors might be challenging.
In that case, how about brisk walking indoors? March in place while swinging your legs backward.
If you swing your arms quickly, you’ll work not only your lower body but also your upper body.
It’s said that moving your hands as if to grab the leg that swings back can also strengthen your back muscles.
It’s easy to do, so give it a try.
[For Seniors] Strengthen Your Legs! Recommended Training Items (41–50)
Solo balloon volleyball
It’s a game played solo where you repeatedly bounce a balloon back, similar to soccer juggling.
The key is to use a balloon attached to a long elastic so it returns to you, and to pay attention to the force you use when hitting it back.
Quickly predicting where it will come back and deciding how to return it on the spot also helps train your brain.
Choosing which part of your body to use is another important point; it’s a good idea to try moving parts you don’t usually use, too.
Exercises to prevent swelling
As we go about our daily lives, it’s common to spend long periods in the same posture without realizing it.
Continuing to hold the same position can impair circulation and often lead to swelling in various parts of the body.
This routine offers gentle, full-body exercises to relieve such swelling.
Sit in a chair with proper posture and gradually loosen areas in sequence—around the shoulder blades, the lower back, the thighs, and the calves.
By aligning your breathing and taking your time to stretch thoroughly, you’ll steadily improve blood flow.