Key Takeaways
- Balance exercises like weight shifts, yoga, single-leg balances and standing marches may help decrease the risk of falling.
- Focusing on strength training may help protect against weakness and lessen symptoms of many chronic diseases.
- Exercising is important at any age and it’s not too late to train strength or improve your balance.
As a senior, building your strength and balance is key to maintaining your independence as you age. If you’re looking to stay active, focus on training both strength and balance. Balance prevents falls and injuries, which are more difficult to heal as you age. Strength training helps maintain muscle mass, which is vital for mobility and independence.1
Importance of balance training for seniors
Staying on your feet is important for seniors. There are more than 3 million emergency room visits each year due to falls. And if you’ve fallen once, your odds of falling again doubles.2 Training balance is one way to decrease the risk of falling.
What exercises improve balance?
- Weight shifts: Stand with your legs hip-width apart and shift your weight to 1 foot. Carefully raise the opposite foot and hold the position for 30 seconds. Switch to the opposite side. Repeat 3 times if you can.
- Yoga classes: Look for classes that focus on seniors. Yoga-based classes can positively impact total balance for seniors.3 Learn more about the health benefits of yoga.
- Single-leg balance: Standing on 1 foot is great exercise for balance. Start with your feet hips-width apart with your hands placed on your hips. Lift 1 leg off the floor and bend it backwards at the knee. If you’re worried about falling, hold on to a heavy piece of furniture when you’re getting started.
- Standing marches: A strong core helps support your spine. With your feet hip-width apart, lift 1 knee until your thigh is parallel to the ground. Carefully return your foot to the ground and repeat on the other side.
Importance of strength training for seniors
Studies show that strength training is a defense system against weakness and frailty in order adults.4 It also helps with the symptoms of chronic diseases including diabetes, arthritis, heart disease and more.4
With strength training, it’s important to gradually build your ability level. Don’t begin with heavy weights, instead focus on bodyweight exercises to get started. When performing these exercises, try to do 3 sets of 10–15 repetitions of the exercise. Don’t worry if you can’t do all the reps, focus on high quality movement and you’ll get stronger with time.
What are senior-friendly strength training exercises?
- Squats: This exercise can strengthen your hips, thighs and buttocks. Stand in front of a study chair with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Hold your arms in front of you. With your weight on your heels, bend your knees and slowly lower yourself to the chair. Slowly raise to a standing position with your knees over your ankles and your back straight.
- Wall push-ups: There’s no need to start with push-ups on the ground. This modified version strengthens arms, chest and shoulders. Face a blank wall, without any windows or decorations. Stand slightly further than arm length away and lean your body forward with your palms flat against the wall approximately at shoulder height and width. Bending your elbows, slowly lower your upper body in the direction of the wall with your feet firmly on the ground. Wait a second and then with control, push yourself back until your arms are straight without locking your elbows.
- Calf raises: This exercise works by strengthening your ankles and helping with stability and balance. With your feet shoulder-width apart, stand near a counter or sturdy chair. You will be using this for balance so make sure it’s stable. Gradually lift both of your heels off the floor as far as you can. It’s important to make sure this move is slow and controlled. As you get stronger, you can try the exercise without using the chair for support.
- Bicep curls: When you’ve been strength training and your bodyweight starts to feel easier; it may be time to add some weights. Bicep curls are an easy starting point. Stand in front of a chair with a dumbbell in each hand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Start with a small weight, 1–5 lbs. depending on your ability level. Hold a small dumbbell in each hand with your arms at your sides. Rotating your forearms, slowly lift the weights until your palms are facing your shoulders. Make sure to keep your arms and elbows glued to your sides. Slowly and with control, lower your arms back to the starting point against your sides.
Is it too late to strength train as a senior?
Even in your 60s and 70s, strength training continues to have benefits. A study from BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine tested the benefits of heavy resistance training, moderate-intensity training and a control group. After a year of training, participants in the heavy resistance group saw long-lasting benefits to their muscle strength. When tested 4 years later, they were still stronger than when they had started the program.5
An active lifestyle is the key to independence
Maintaining your strength and balance is important to staying independent. These tips are a great way to get started on your fitness journey.
When starting a new exercise routine, consult with your healthcare provider beforehand to see if there are any concerns or recommended modifications. Creating a workout routine that works for your body, as well as your goals, is essential. If your goal is independence, maintaining muscle mass and improving your balance is key to achieving that goal.
How can Conviva Senior Primary Care help?
When you’re planning your new exercise routine, Conviva Senior Primary Care™, a CenterWell company, can offer guidance and personalized advice. Our care team focuses on supporting seniors as they live their healthiest lives. Additionally, many of our centers offer fitness classes in our activity rooms. Find a center near you and learn about upcoming events including senior-focused exercise programs.
CenterWell® offers primary care, pharmacy delivery and home health services with a holistic approach to your mental, physical and social health. Our experienced care team are dedicated to helping seniors thrive.
To learn more or find care near you, call 855-356-2174 Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. –11 p.m., or Saturday, 8 a.m. – 6:30 p.m., Eastern time.
Sources:
- “How can strength training build healthier bodies as we age?” National Institute on Aging, June 30, 2022, accessed Oct. 20, 2025.
- “Facts About Falls” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, May 9, 2024, accessed Oct. 20, 2025.
- “Exercise programs that improve balance,” Harvard Health Publishing, July 25, 2024, accessed Oct. 20, 2025.
- Seguin, Rebecca A., et al., “Growing Stronger: Strength Training for Older Adults,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2002, accessed Oct. 20, 2025.
- Bloch-Ibenfeldt, Mads, et al., “Heavy resistance training at retirement age induces 4-year lasting beneficial effects in muscle strength: a long-term follow-up of an RCT,” BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, 10 (June 2024): 1–5, accessed Oct. 20, 2025, https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjsem-2024-001899.
