Don’t forget about your stair climbing strength. This lower-body functional power will not only keep your joints safe, but it will also make it easier for you to move around. As you get older, it’s important to work out your calves, quads and glutes to build bone density, which will make your muscles stronger and help you keep your balance so you don’t fall. We talked to Eric North, The Happiness Warrior, a wellness speaker, coach, and advocate who is changing the way people think about ageing with purpose, strength, and emotional vitality. He showed us five standing exercises to help people over 60 regain their strength for climbing stairs.
North says, “Stair-climbing strength goes down after 60 mostly because of sarcopenia, which is the loss of muscle mass that happens with age.” The quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, and calves are some of the most important muscles that are affected. This decrease is caused by fewer muscle fibres, less nerve support, more time spent sitting, and less power output.
That’s where these exercises come in. Standing workouts that help you get better at climbing stairs mostly work your glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves, and core.
“Strengthening these areas makes it easier to climb stairs by giving you more power to go up, making your knees more stable, and making your balance better to lower your risk of falling,” North says.
North suggests these standing exercises as the best ones to add to your routine.
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“Step-ups and step-downs work the quads and glutes to build strength for going up and down,” North says.
- Start by standing up straight and facing a low step. You can hold a light dumbbell in each hand if you want to.
- Put your left foot firmly on the ground, keeping your core tight and your chest high.
- To lift your body, press through your left heel until your left leg is straight and you are standing on the surface.
- To get back to the starting position, use control.
- Do the same thing on the other side.
- Do three sets of 10 to 12 reps on each leg.
“Single-leg calf raises make the gastrocnemius stronger, which gives you more toe-off power,” North says.
- Stand up straight with your feet hip-width apart and your hands resting lightly on a counter to start.
- Use your core.
- Slowly rise up on your toes.
- At the top, hold for 2 to 3 seconds.
- Lower your back with care.
- Do three sets of 15 to 20 reps.
Stand tall in front of a sturdy chair with your feet hip-width apart on the floor.
- Get your core going and keep your chest up.
- Bend your knees and hips and slowly lower yourself into a squat, as if you were going to sit down. Keep your weight on your heels at all times.
- Gently touch the chair with your butt.
- Push through your heels to get back up.
- Do three sets of ten to fifteen reps.
Start by standing up straight, facing a step, and holding on to the railing.
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- Put one foot on the step.
- Lower yourself into a lunge while keeping your back straight. Make sure your front knee stays over your ankle.
- Push back up.
- Do two sets of 8 to 10 reps on each leg.
Stand up straight with one foot on a step and the other foot hanging off the edge.
- As you slowly lower the hip of the leg that is hanging, keep both legs straight.
- Then, lift it up high, which will work your hip muscles.
- Do 10 to 15 reps on each side for 2 sets.
Exercise Summary Table
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Step-ups and step-downs | Three sets | 10 to 12 reps on each leg |
| Single-leg calf raises | Three sets | 15 to 20 reps |
| Chair squats | Three sets | ten to fifteen reps |
| Lunges on step | Two sets | 8 to 10 reps on each leg |
| Hip dips on step | 2 sets | 10 to 15 reps on each side |
