You can try 5 yoga poses for better posture or 10 best upper body exercises for women over 40 . The older we get, the harder it can be to stay fit and healthy. Many of us also believe that aging is an excuse to slack on both our diet and healthy lifestyle.
Little did we know that as we age, the more important it is for us to exercise. We store fat more easily, our bone density decreases, and we start to lose muscle (sarcopenia) as each year passes. Thankfully, regular exercise can help counterbalance these changes and at the same time, brings other health benefits.
If you cannot try the 5 yoga poses for better posture, below we have shared 10 recommended upper body exercises that you can easily do from the comfort of your own home. Many of the exercises use light dumbbells for resistance. If you do not have dumbbells, try using soup cans or water bottles. If you find any of these exercises too challenging at first, go through the movements with bodyweight alone.
1. Push Ups
Begin in a 4–point position with your knees under your hips and your hands beneath your shoulders. Step back with both legs to move into a straight-arm plank position, maintaining good alignment with your head, shoulders, hips, and toes. Contract your core muscles, then bend your arms to lower your upper body towards the floor. Straighten your arms to raise your upper body, completing the push-up. Repeat the movement. Start with 1 set of 10 repetitions.
To make the exercise easier, perform the movement from your knees or the wall.
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2. Front Shoulder Raises
Begin in an upright standing position with your feet hip-width apart, maintaining good alignment with your head, shoulders, hips, and legs. Hold a dumbbell in each hand in front of your body with your palms facing downward. Engage your core and raise both arms in front of your body to shoulder height. Lower your arms to the starting position. Repeat the movement. Start with 1 set of 10 repetitions.
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3. Chest Flies
We have used a stability ball for this exercise. If you do not have a stability ball, use a bench or lie on the floor.
Lie on your back on the stability ball with a dumbbell in each hand. Bend your knees and flatten your feet on the floor. Maintain good alignment with your head, shoulders, hips, and knees. With a slight bend in your elbows, extend your arms at chest height with your palms facing inward. Contract your core and lower your arms out at your sides, ideally to align the dumbbells with your chest. Raise your arms to the starting position and repeat the movement. Start with 1 set of 10 repetitions.
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Alternate Exercise – Kickbacks
Lie on your stomach on top of the stability ball, maintaining good alignment with your head, shoulders, hips, and toes. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing inward, hovering the dumbbells slightly above the floor. Contract your core and extend your arms back to slightly past your hips. Return to the starting position and repeat the movement. Start with 1 set of 10 repetitions.
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4. Reverse Grip Rows
Begin in an upright standing position with your feet hip-width apart, maintaining good alignment with your head, shoulders, and hips. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing upward. Bend through your hips and knee to move into a semi-squat position and extend your arms in front of your body at hip height. Engage your core and pull your arms back in a rowing motion, keeping your elbows close to your body and squeezing your shoulder blades together at the end position. Extend your arms to return to the starting position and repeat the movement. Start with 1 set of 10 repetitions.
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5. Chin Ups
For this exercise, use a weighted bar, dumbbells, or perform the movement using only bodyweight.
Begin in an upright standing position with your feet hip-width apart, maintaining good alignment with your head, shoulders, hips, and legs. Hold the bar with both hands approximately shoulder-width apart and your palms facing outward. Contract your abdominal muscles and lift the bar overhead, similar to hanging from a pull-up bar. Raise your arms to the starting position and repeat the movement.
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6. Kneeling Single Arm Curls
Begin in an upright kneeling position, maintaining good alignment with your upper body. Take a big step forward with one foot to move into a 90/90 position place your hand on your knee for support. Hold a dumbbell in your opposite hand with your palm facing outward, keeping your elbow alongside your body. Engage your core and squeeze through your bicep, then curl your arm to lift the dumbbell to shoulder height. Lower your arm back down to the starting position and repeat the movement. Start with 1 set of 10 repetitions on each side.
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7. Dumbbell Punches
Begin in an upright standing position with your feet hip-width apart, maintaining good alignment with your head, shoulders, hips, and legs. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at chest height with your palms facing inward and your upper arms aligned with your body. Engage your core and slowly punch forward with one hand. Retract your arm to return to the starting position and repeat the movement on the opposite side. Start with 1 set of 10 repetitions on each side.
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8. Bent Over Front Raises
Begin in an upright standing position with your feet hip-width apart, maintaining good alignment with your head, shoulders, hips, and legs. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing downward. Bend through your hips and knees to move into a semi-squat position and lower your arms in front of your body, shoulder-width apart. Contract your abdominal area and raise your straight arms to shoulder height. Lower your arms back down to the starting position and repeat the movement. Start with 1 set of 10 repetitions.
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Alternate Exercise – Reverse Flies
Begin in an upright standing position with your feet hip-width apart, maintaining good alignment with your head, shoulders, hips, and legs. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing inward. Bend through your hips and knees to move into a semi-squat position and lower your arms in front of your body, shoulder-width apart. Contract your abdominal area. Lift your straight arms out at your sides to shoulder height, squeezing your shoulder blades together at the top position. Lower your arms to the starting position and repeat the movement. Start with 1 set of 10 repetitions.
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9. Tricep Extensions
Begin in an upright standing position with your feet hip-width apart, maintaining good alignment with your head, shoulders, hips, and legs. Hold one dumbbell with both hands and step forward with one foot to move into a staggered stance. Lift the dumbbell overhead. Bend your elbows to lower the dumbbell behind your head. Contract your core and squeeze your triceps as you raise your arms overhead. Repeat the movement. Start with 1 set of 10 repetitions.
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10. Resistance Band Wide Lateral Raise
We have used resistance tubing for this exercise. If you do not have resistance tubing, go through the movement with dumbbells or bodyweight alone.
Stand on the center of the resistance tubing with your feet shoulder-width apart, maintaining good alignment with your head, shoulders, hips, and legs. Place your arms at your sides, holding a tubing handle in each hand with your palms facing downward. Tighten your abdominal muscles and raise your arms out at your sides to shoulder height, creating resistance on the tubing. Lower your arms down to the starting position and repeat the movement. Start with 1 set of 10 repetitions.
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Regular exercise, especially strength training, becomes increasingly important as we age. Not only does it help improve cardiovascular health, but it can also help lower blood sugar, lower blood pressure, reduce bad cholesterol levels, and help maintain bone density. Even more, staying strong helps reduce the risk of falls due to decreasing balance and stability. Try practicing 5 yoga poses for better posture.
So, don’t be afraid to get started! Remember that “age is just a number”, and every exercise can be modified to fit your current fitness level. If using resistance is currently too challenging, then drop the weights and go through these exercises using bodyweight alone. If 1 set of 10 repetitions is simply too much, start with 5 repetitions… or even 3. The key is to stay active and challenge yourself whenever possible. So don't hesitate to try 5 yoga poses for better posture or 10 Best Upper Body Exercises for Women Over 40.
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