Standing Exercises That Restore Muscle After 60

Kick off your resistance routine with these simple standing moves.

Muscle essentially serves as a fountain of youth as you age. Building a strong, stable, and mobile body helps you perform everyday tasks with ease and confidence, from bending down to tie your shoes to keeping up with your grandchildren. In order to build and preserve muscle, engaging in regular strength training—along with consuming a protein-packed diet—is a common approach. But you don’t need to sign up for a pricey gym membership in order to achieve that goal. We learned four standing exercises that can help restore muscle right at home after 60.

We chatted with Amanda Lim, M.A., M.Ed., a Harvard-Certified Clinical Health Coach with 20 years of fitness industry experience who serves as Director of metabolic health center LIFT Clinic, where she helps individuals build stronger bodies, reclaim their health, and discover the best versions of themselves. Lim explains that, after 60, your body tends to become less efficient at sculpting muscle from nutrition and resistance training, a concept known as anabolic resistance.

“Adults over age 60 tend to be less active overall, participate less in resistance training and eat fewer calories with less of those calories from protein, which can contribute to strength and recovery declines as well,” Lim explains, adding, “The biggest ‘bang for your buck’ comes from building the muscles of the lower body (glutes, quads, hamstrings, and hips), in that they promote hormone health and provide stability and balance. A close second are the muscles of the torso (back and core), particularly the lower back and deep transverse abdominis, to maintain upright posture, enhance balance, and reduce chronic pain.”

Lim still recommends following a structured—often gym-based—resistance routine as the best format for building strength, since load progression over time eventually involves incorporating external weights like dumbbells, barbells, or resistance bands. That said, beginners can kick things off with these four simple standing exercises below.

Sit-to-Stand

1. Begin seated at the front of a sturdy chair, feet under your knees.
2. Lean forward just a bit.
3. Try to stand up without using your knees, hands, or additional support.
4. Use control to slowly sit back down.
5. Perform 3 sets of 10 reps.

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Wall Pushups

1. Begin standing tall, arms-length away from a wall.
2. Place your hands shoulder-width apart on the surface.
3. Engage your core and bend your elbows to lower your chest toward the wall.
4. Press back up to the starting position, keeping the movement slow and controlled.
5. Perform 3 sets of 10 reps.

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Standing Alternating March

1. Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees soft. Make sure your spine is long and your arms are crossed high in a “genie” position.
2. Then, lift one knee up toward your chest.
3. Lower it.
4. Lift the other knee up toward your chest.
5. Perform 3 sets of 10 reps.

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Bodyweight Hip Hinge (Good Mornings)

1. Stand tall, feet hip-width apart.
2. Place your hands behind your head.
3. Press your hips back while maintaining a tall chest.
4. As you hinge forward, feel a solid stretch in your hamstrings.
5. Activate your hamstrings and glutes to drive your hips forward.
6. Perform 3 sets of 10 reps.

Alexa Mellardo

Alexa is a freelance writer, editor, and content strategist based in Greenwich, CT. She has 11+ years of experience covering wellness, fitness, food, travel, lifestyle, and home. Read more about Alexa