It’s not about chasing personal records or lifting heavy every day. When you’re in your 60s, the objective markers of health and longevity come down to the fundamentals. Can you control your bodyweight? Can you stay balanced on one leg? Can you rotate without pain or restriction? These are the things that truly matter. They demonstrate that your body remains strong, mobile, and capable of handling life’s demands without slowing down.
Aging well doesn’t mean avoiding aches or setbacks altogether; it means staying resilient enough to bounce back. Exercises that challenge your coordination, mobility, strength, and stability all work together to keep you feeling capable and confident. That’s how you continue hiking trails, playing with grandkids, or knocking out yard work without needing two days to recover.
If you can perform the following three movements, you’re pushing back against the clock and doing it well. These aren’t beginner moves, but they’re achievable with consistency. They test multiple qualities at once and reveal a lot about how your body is holding up.
Let’s break them down. Each one challenges a different piece of the aging equation, and if you can master all three, you’re doing better than most people half your age.
3 Moves That Show You’re Aging Exceptionally Well at 60
Move #1: Pull-Up Hold for 15 seconds
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Whoa, a flashback to the grade school era! This move reveals upper-body strength, grip endurance, and shoulder health. A sustained pull-up hold also demonstrates that your lats, arms, and core are still working together as a cohesive unit. If you can hang and hold your chin over the bar for 15 seconds, you’ve got more than just muscle. You’ve got control and joint integrity.
Muscles Trained: Lats, biceps, forearms, core, traps
How to Do It:
- Grab a pull-up bar with your palms facing away from you.
- Jump or pull your chin above the bar.
- Squeeze your glutes and abs tight to avoid swinging.
- Keep your shoulders pulled down away from your ears.
- Hold this position for 15 seconds, breathing slowly and steadily.
Recommended Sets and Reps: Knock out 3 sets of a 15-second hold. Rest for 60 seconds between each set.
Form Tip: Drive your elbows toward your ribs to activate your back and prevent overusing your arms.
Move #2: Side Plank with a Leg Lift
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This move tests lateral stability, hip control, and core endurance. It also shows how well your body resists rotation, which is crucial for preventing falls and maintaining spine health. Lifting the top leg adds a serious challenge to your hips and coordination. If you can hold this move steady, your midsection is strong, and your body still moves as one unit.
Muscles Trained: Obliques, glutes, abductors, transverse abdominis
How to Do It:
- Lie on your side with your elbow under your shoulder.
- Stack your feet or place one in front of the other.
- Press through your bottom forearm and lift your hips.
- Raise your top leg slowly, keeping your torso upright.
- Hold for 5 seconds, lower the leg, and repeat.
Recommended Sets and Reps: Knock out 2 to 3 sets of 5 to 8 leg lifts per side. Rest for 45 seconds between each set.
Best Variations: Forearm side plank, elevated side plank, side plank march
Form Tip: Keep your hips stacked and ribs tucked. Avoid leaning forward or backward during the lift.
Move #3: Reverse Lunge with Rotation
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This movement shows you still have leg strength, balance, and rotational mobility. Stepping backward and rotating the torso dynamically challenges coordination and core control. If you can do it smoothly, you’re moving like someone who still has plenty of years ahead of them doing the things they enjoy.
Muscles Trained: Quads, glutes, hamstrings, obliques, adductors
How to Do It:
- Stand tall with feet hip-width apart and arms at chest height.
- Step one foot back into a lunge position.
- As you lower into the lunge, rotate your torso toward the front leg.
- Return to center and push back up to a standing position.
- Repeat on the other side.
Recommended Sets and Reps: Knock out 3 sets of 6 reps per side. Rest for 60 seconds between each set.
Best Variations: Bodyweight only, holding a medicine ball, using a resistance band
Form Tip: Keep your front knee aligned with your toes and rotate through your mid-back, not just your arms.
How to Improve Your Strength for These 3 Moves Past 60
If these movements feel out of reach right now, that doesn’t mean they’re off the table. Build toward them by working on the basics. Here’s how to move in the right direction:
- Train your grip with dead hangs or farmer’s carries to prep for the pull-up hold.
- Strengthen your core with bird dogs, side planks, and slow mountain climbers before adding leg lifts.
- Build lower-body control through split squats, step-ups, and slow lunges.
- Work on mobility in your hips and thoracic spine with 90/90 stretches and open books.
- Progress slowly and aim for consistency over perfection. Master easier versions before leveling up.
Every rep counts. These aren’t flashy exercises, but they’re some of the best markers of how well your body is holding up and what it’s still capable of.
Jarrod Nobbe, MA, CSCS
Jarrod Nobbe is a USAW National Coach, Sports Performance Coach, Personal Trainer, and writer, and has been involved in health and fitness for the past 12 years. Read more about Jarrod
