Squats are a strength training move everyone should perform on a regular basis. Poor leg strength is a key indicator of frailty among older adults although it seldom receives the attention it deserves. When people begin a fitness program they often focus on achieving cardiovascular fitness through aerobic training. For the majority of Americans who live sedentary lives it makes more sense to begin with basic leg strengthening exercises that will make their aerobic activities easier. Whether you intend to walk, run, or bike for cardiovascular fitness or climb stairs throughout the day with ease, adequate leg strength is essential...
Stanford University geriatrician Dr. Walter M. Bortz stated that leg power is the best single predictor of the need for nursing home placement. For older adults, leg strength may be their most important asset because strong legs allow them to perform a variety of aerobic activities that improve vital organ health (i.e, heart, lungs, brain).
During health education presentations I often have the audience stand and once they’re on their feet I ask them if they needed to use their hands to get up out of their chairs. Many participants aren’t sure whether they required any assistance. If they did hold on to something to stand up it’s often an indication of leg weakness. I’ll then ask participants to sit down and try standing again without using their hands. If they are able to accomplish the task, I ask them to do a “chair squat” (i.e., with arms out in front for balance, begin the descent to a seated position without touching or only lightly touching the chair and return to standing position).
The ability to perform this movement without using the hands for support declines with age and inactivity. Sarcopenia is a term that describes aging changes in muscle mass and function, including exercise performance. Leg muscle weakness often unnecessarily leads to a loss of physical independence in older adults. Leg strength training exercises can often prevent and reverse this decline.
The “sit to stand” exercise is a strength training move all of us can perform throughout the day. Every time you stand up from a seated position, focus on using your leg and buttock muscles and push up through your heels to a standing position without using your hands. If you are unable to perform the hands-free version of the sit to stand movement, practice gradually using less hand support over time. If that adaptation is still too challenging for you, do some quadriceps setting exercises while seated on the floor with your legs extended to strengthen the front of your thigh (i.e., tighten your thigh muscles and hold the contraction for 5 seconds; perform 1-2 sets of 15-20 repetitions).
The beauty of sit to stand and chair squat exercises is that they are functional movements which can be done anywhere you have access to a stable, firm chair. These whole-body, multi-joint exercises improve balance and require the coordination of several joints and muscle groups. The quadriceps (i.e., front of thigh muscle group), core, and gluteal muscles are engaged during sit to stand and squat strength training exercises.
Squats are my preferred approach to quadriceps strength training. Compared to leg extension exercises, which are an open kinetic chain exercise that create greater shearing forces on the knee, squats are a closed kinetic chain exercise (i.e., the feet are always in contact with the ground) that are more functional and safer to perform.
Depending on your current fitness level, you can start with sit to stand exercises, work up to chair "air" squats, and eventually add resistance during the exercise when chair squats become too easy.
Sit to Stand Exercise
You can test yourself by taking a Five Times Sit to Stand Test and see how your time in seconds compares to your age group.
Chair Squats
When this becomes easy, keep your arms at your sides and add hand weights to increase the resistance. Try a body weight squat when you no longer need a chair for support. While keeping your thighs parallel to the floor a deep squat is actually better at building strength than doing a shallow squat with heavy added weights that you’ll often see people incorrectly performing at the gym. Alternatively, if you have a stability ball try using it to perform wall squats.
These simple, do-anywhere leg strengthening exercises will make your everyday activities easier and allow you to more fully engage in the aerobic exercises you enjoy.
Be Well,
Mary
P.S. Please ignore the text box below; your comments are always welcome here.
During health education presentations I often have the audience stand and once they’re on their feet I ask them if they needed to use their hands to get up out of their chairs. Many participants aren’t sure whether they required any assistance. If they did hold on to something to stand up it’s often an indication of leg weakness. I’ll then ask participants to sit down and try standing again without using their hands. If they are able to accomplish the task, I ask them to do a “chair squat” (i.e., with arms out in front for balance, begin the descent to a seated position without touching or only lightly touching the chair and return to standing position).
The ability to perform this movement without using the hands for support declines with age and inactivity. Sarcopenia is a term that describes aging changes in muscle mass and function, including exercise performance. Leg muscle weakness often unnecessarily leads to a loss of physical independence in older adults. Leg strength training exercises can often prevent and reverse this decline.
The “sit to stand” exercise is a strength training move all of us can perform throughout the day. Every time you stand up from a seated position, focus on using your leg and buttock muscles and push up through your heels to a standing position without using your hands. If you are unable to perform the hands-free version of the sit to stand movement, practice gradually using less hand support over time. If that adaptation is still too challenging for you, do some quadriceps setting exercises while seated on the floor with your legs extended to strengthen the front of your thigh (i.e., tighten your thigh muscles and hold the contraction for 5 seconds; perform 1-2 sets of 15-20 repetitions).
The beauty of sit to stand and chair squat exercises is that they are functional movements which can be done anywhere you have access to a stable, firm chair. These whole-body, multi-joint exercises improve balance and require the coordination of several joints and muscle groups. The quadriceps (i.e., front of thigh muscle group), core, and gluteal muscles are engaged during sit to stand and squat strength training exercises.
Squats are my preferred approach to quadriceps strength training. Compared to leg extension exercises, which are an open kinetic chain exercise that create greater shearing forces on the knee, squats are a closed kinetic chain exercise (i.e., the feet are always in contact with the ground) that are more functional and safer to perform.
Depending on your current fitness level, you can start with sit to stand exercises, work up to chair "air" squats, and eventually add resistance during the exercise when chair squats become too easy.
Sit to Stand Exercise
- Sit with your arms folded and your knees bent at 90 degree angles
- Keep your heels directly under your knees
- Slowly and in control, move from sitting to standing to sitting
- Keep your weight in your heels throughout the movement
You can test yourself by taking a Five Times Sit to Stand Test and see how your time in seconds compares to your age group.
Chair Squats
- Stand in front of a firm chair with feet pointing straight ahead and shoulder-width apart
- Slowly and in control, lower your body keeping your back straight and your knees over your heels while raising your arms in front for balance
- Try to keep your weight directly over your feet and your heels on the floor
- Lower yourself until there is about 90 degrees of flexion in the knee
- Gently touch the front of the chair with your buttocks, or hover just above the chair
- Slowly stand up keeping your knees over your heels and your weight in your heels throughout the movement
- Work up to three sets of 10, two or more days a week
When this becomes easy, keep your arms at your sides and add hand weights to increase the resistance. Try a body weight squat when you no longer need a chair for support. While keeping your thighs parallel to the floor a deep squat is actually better at building strength than doing a shallow squat with heavy added weights that you’ll often see people incorrectly performing at the gym. Alternatively, if you have a stability ball try using it to perform wall squats.
These simple, do-anywhere leg strengthening exercises will make your everyday activities easier and allow you to more fully engage in the aerobic exercises you enjoy.
Be Well,
Mary
P.S. Please ignore the text box below; your comments are always welcome here.
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