It seems cruel that age-related muscle loss—or sarcopenia—starts just after the high-energy years of your 20s.
I turned 30 this year and wish I could steal some of the vigor of my 25-year-old self to build some muscle. I have to work much harder nowadays to stay strong.
“Muscle mass begins to decline in our 30s, but even more so after 40,” explains Liz Hilliard, a personal trainer and the founder and creator of the Hilliard Studio Method.
Hilliard says that the longer you wait to build muscle, the harder it can be to reverse the effects of inactivity—but it’s never too late to start.
“The goal is to slow muscle loss, create healthy habits earlier before it becomes too challenging, and live our later years injury and pain-free,” she says.
If you’re looking to build a more resilient body in your 40s that will keep you healthy in your 60s and beyond, try incorporating these three exercises into your routine.
1. Bird dog
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Reps: 10 per side with leg extended, 10 per side with knee bent
- Start on your hands and knees, with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
- Reach your right arm forward and extend your left leg back, so they’re in line with your torso. Keep your core engaged and back straight.
- Raise your extended arm and leg toward the ceiling, while squeezing your butt muscles, then lower back in line with your torso. Repeat this small pulsing movement 10 times.
- Bend the knee of your extended leg so your heel is pointing up.
- With your knee bent, pulse your leg and arm up and down 10 more times.
- Repeat this routine on the other side.
“This exercise increases core strength, promotes shoulder stability, works the hamstrings and glutes, and increases balance,” says Hilliard.
The trainer says it’s important to keep your spine in its natural position while doing this move, so avoid arching your back.
If you find this move tough, try exercising with your legs to begin with, adding the arm movements when your core strength has increased.
2. 3-2-1 push-up
(Image credit: Liz Hilliard)
Reps: 10
- Come to your hands and knees.
- Step your legs straight back.
- Walk your hands out laterally so they are wider than your chest.
- Keeping your body in a straight line, inhale and lower your chest for a count of three seconds.
- When your chest is just above the floor, hold the position for two seconds.
- Straighten your arms to raise your body in one second as you exhale.
“This exercise works all the muscles of the front and back of the upper body, including the pectorals, biceps, triceps, and back muscles,” says Hilliard.
“Women especially lose upper body muscle mass as they age, and a push-up is a great way to maintain or gain upper body strength.”
Hilliard says you can make push-ups easier by doing them on your knees or by placing your hands on a raised surface. She also advises that your elbows should be angled slightly away from your body as you lower, to achieve the best form.
3. Wall sit
(Image credit: Liz Hilliard)
Time: 30-60sec
- Stand with your back against a wall
- Step your feet forward and slide your back down the wall, stopping once your hips are in line with your knees and knees are over your ankles.
- Hold for 30-60 seconds.
- Exit the pose by pushing your torso off the wall to stand or walking your legs back in to rise.
“A wall sit is a tremendous way to engage your lower body and core with no equipment or complicated movements,” says Hilliard.
“Lower body strength is imperative as we age. It keeps us active and engaged, helping us to do daily activities with ease and reducing the risk of injury.”
If you find this move difficult, sit a little higher against the wall.
To make it harder, raise your heels one at a time, march your knees, or hold a weight.
Liz Hilliard is the owner and creator of the Hilliard Studio Method, an in-person and online fitness program that helps women avoid the negative side effects of menopause. Hilliard helps women at any age and any stage of life sculpt strong, healthy, beautiful bodies and minds.
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